Due to the advancement in network technology, a trend in “Smart Homes” has developed allowing users to control each device remotely in their home. In this article, we will define what a Smart Home is, what technologies are used, and how this can be advantageous to homeowners.

Tor is a free software program that allows users to communicate anonymously. The name, Tor is an acronym that has been derived from the original name of the software project, which was The Onion Router. This software directs all Internet traffic and usage through a free volunteer network that exists worldwide, and has over six thousand relays to hide ip and location of the user; and hide Internet usage from individuals and authorities that are in charge of carrying out traffic analysis or network surveillance.

An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is an organization which provides internet services to users. These organizations can be commercial, non-profit, private, or even community-owned. One of the key services they provide is the ability for their users to access the Internet. Laptops, computers, mobile devices, and any smart device that is capable of connecting to the Internet will require an ISP to connect to the Internet. To accomplish this, the ISP will provide the user with their own IP Address, which may be static or dynamic, to use as identification while surfing the internet. The user would then browse a website from their web browser by typing in its website name; let's say, iplocation.net. This website name (domain name) would be translated into its own IP Address which uniquely identifies the website via DNS. This IP Address is then sent to the user's local router which is then forwarded to the user's ISP and then from there; to iplocation's ISP via ISP Switching centers like Metropolitan Area Exchange (MAE). Other services an ISP may provide include Internet transit, web hosting, Usenet service, and co-location services. Internet transit is a service provided to allow a smaller ISP to connect to the Internet and have their network traffic "transit" over a network. Web Hosting is provided to users who require a means to keep their website active and available but lack the equipment to do it themselves. Usenet was one of the first means of communication on the Internet that was designed back in the 70s and is no longer used. Finally, co-location is the service of providing server space and equipment for rental to hosting customers.

If you're in the US, you may know that the recent repeal of the FCC's online net neutrality rules means that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can sell your web history to outside parties. You’ll likely have no idea who these third parties are and what they’re doing with your data.

Secure Shell (SSH) is a cryptographic protocol with the focus for secure data communication over a network. It's most common application is for remote login by users onto other systems; usually servers. The protocol was designed to be the successor and replacement to Telnet and other similar unsecured remote shell protocols as they all sent information in plain text which made them privy to attacks. As this information was user login credentials, the demand for the encryption of this data was something deeply sought after to ensure security. While the protocol does achieve this function, recent incidents involving the files leaked by Edward Snowden has revealed that the National Security Agency (NSA) is actually capable of sometimes decrypting the protocol.

Do you have a dead zone in your home with no wireless signal? You're not alone. With a proliferation of laptops, smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs; we use more Internet than ever, and your router alone may not be able to cover your entire home. You may even have a range extender or an access point that complements your home network, but having multiple networks within your home may cause your smart devices to hop on and off a separate network causing delays and interruptions.

Smart DNS proxy is a technology used to unblock geo-restricted contents from around the world. A Smart DNS proxy server collects data related to your computer's geographical location and re-routes it through a computer server.

VPN has spread across markets owing to the high risks involved with online privacy. This is because of the increase in the number of cyber attacks. Hackers and malicious users constantly employ sophisticated techniques to intrude into networks. Today, a lot of people understand the importance of VPN and how VPN can encrypt data and provide security to the users while online. However, there is no specific guideline available for a VPN buyer. Not every VPN will suit your personal requirements and hence there is a comprehensive checklist that we have compiled to help you guide through buying a VPN.

JavaScript (JS) is a high-level interpreted programming language that is also considered to be dynamic, weakly typed, prototype-based, and multi-paradigm. Alongside Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), is one of the three core technologies of the World Wide Web (WWW). Its characteristics allow for the creation of dynamic web pages which can be interactive with users. It can be found employed commonly by most modern-day websites while all modern-day browsers support it without the need of any plugin through means of a built-in JavaScript Engine. Each JS Engine represents a different implementation of JS and is all based on the ECMAScript specification with some not supporting the spec fully while many others support it entirely and more features beyond it.

By finding IP address of yourself or a person you wish to lookup, the geolocation lookup tool provide you with an estimate of where this IP address is located. American Registry of Internet Numbers, also known as ARIN, maintains the Whois Database containing contact and registration information for IP addresses. The companies requiring IP addresses obtain and register them with ARIN, and those IP addresses obtained are assigned to their users and customers. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) assign a dynamic IP address to a user when their customers connect to the Internet. Since a company may be located throughout a large region (or a country), the accuracy of geolocation may vary depending on how they assign them to their users.