Wi-Fi or Wireless networks

What is Wi-Fi or Wireless Networks ?It is a technology that accesses internet at high speed called broadband without the need for cables. It uses short range radio waves to transmit internet connection in all directions.Wi-fi is used at home, offices and public places like airports, cafes and malls called Hotspots.

To access the network you need:

• Wireless pc card to be installed in laptops or pc

• Routers to set up the network

As the routers and cards are sold unencrypted with standard password, the network is left unsecured which other Wi-Fi users can get connected without identifications or passwords .

Hence,you should take certain precautions to your network from intruders:

1. Each wireless router is sold with the manufacturers default user name, SSID (Service Set Identifier), password, and IP address for easy installation. These passwords should be changed immediately before they are connected to the network, to reduce the possibility of getting connected to a casual user's laptop which is configured to connect to any available network.

2. Your Wi-Fi network by default broadcasts its name to all wireless users within range and must be disabled to be made invisible to intruders.

3. Turn on the encryption. Without the key, encryption will not allow anyone into the network.

4. There are two types of encryption standards :Wireless Equivalent Protocol (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access(WPA). WPA is more secure than WEP as WPA has a powerful security technology with 128-bit encryption keys to ensure the network's privacy and security.

5. Enable Media Access Control (MAC) address so that only computers with the specific MAC address will be authorized to access the network. But then, you must specify the addresses that are to be allowed.

Furthermore, to prevent radio signals from transmitting through the walls,"Wi-Fi proof paint" can also be applied to the walls. Finally, internet users must protect their computers by installing anti-virus software and personal firewalls to avoid being impersonated by unauthorized users.

Copyright © 2009 Laila Rajaratnam. All Rights Reserved.

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Convert YouTube Videos to Flash for PowerPoint presentations

Flash movie files which has the .SWF extension are small in size and hence, they are perfect to use in PowerPoint presentations and on Web sites as well. Flash movies are animations and are usually produced in the program Adobe Flash , tho’ certain other programs can save or export their finished products in a Flash movie format.

To convert YouTube videos to Flash for PowerPoint presentations you have to:

1. Download YouTube videos to your computer
2. Then, convert the downloaded YouTube videos to Flash format .

There are many softwares available to download and convert these YouTube movies, but ,I use this amazing tool from dvdvideosoft.com which does everything you need and much more.They have many free softwares, but you can select just the following programs from the list.

1. Free YouTube Download

2. Free Video to Flash Converter

First, download and install the programmes

A new shortcut will appear on your desktop, called Free Studio Manager. This shows the complete list of programs that are available from dvdvideosoft.com. You can just install only these two programs , by simply clicking on the appropriate link.

To download YouTube Video

• Open the YouTube downloader.

• Paste the URL of the YouTube video in the Input YouTube URL text box.

• A file path and default file name will be entered automatically in the Output to: text box.If you want to select a different folder click the Browse button and type a new file name for the video.

• The program will mechanically add an extension of .AVI to the file name. You can choose .FLV file extension if you wish.
• Click >Download .
  

The new video file is downloaded to the folder you selected .
That’s it!

This .FLV or .AVI video file still cannot be embedded into PowerPoint. You have to convert this downloaded YouTube video to a SWF file, which is the format supported by Adobe Flash.

Now convert the downloaded video to SWF File Format

• Open, Free Video to Flash Converter .

• Click Browse and locate the YouTube video file you downloaded.By default, the program will complete the Output Video file text box. Browse to a different folder if you want.
  

• Using the Formats drop down list, make sure to select SWF as the file type

Optional: Click >Trim , to select a specific portion of the YouTube video to convert, if you wish.

By default, the box is checked beside Show HTML example file after conversion. This will save your converted video also as an HTM file, and will open a browser window showing the video. You may choose to skip this step by removing the checkmark.

• Click the Convert button

Your video file is converted to SWF file.

Done! Your YouTube video has been converted to flash format ready to be embedded in your PowerPoint presentation! :)

Copyright © 2009 Laila Rajaratnam. All Rights Reserved.

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