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The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
WiFi alert issued to all UK homes to check routers NOW over ‘mass blackout' risk
TEMPERATURES are soaring across the UK this weekend with Brits enjoying the sunshine. Although hot weather is great for BBQs and tanning, your internet connection might suffer. Advertisement 1 Hot weather could slow down internet connectivity by 25 per cent UK homes could experience connectivity issues with 25 per cent slower WI-FI. According to Broadband Genie, high temperatures could overheat your router with upload speeds dropping by 27 per cent. These black boxes, just like most devices, don't like being too hot and could completely shut down. In order to avoid a total blackout, it is advised to keep your router away from the direct sunlight. Advertisement read more on tech The Broadband Genie team told Mirror: 'Broadband companies design and test their equipment to operate in and around temperatures up to 40°C. 'If users can keep their broadband router below this, we'll avoid a wave of mass broadband blackouts . 'Customers should check their router isn't placed in an unsuitable spot, such as next to any sunny south-facing window or a sweltering loft space. 'A couple of minutes taken here will save your broadband grinding to a halt, avoiding any broadband-related frustrations.' Advertisement Most read in Tech Breaking Exclusive Breaking But don't tuck away your router inside a cabinet either as that could block the signal. It is recommended to place your black box at least 30cm off the floor on a flat, hard surface. Brand new Wi-Fi router revealed Broadband Genie also warns pet owners to keep their fur babies away from the router. Your fluffy friend's fur could congest the air ducts which will prevent ventilation. Advertisement If your router is too old and is struggling to keep cool even with all precautions taken, you might want to consider an upgrade. Experts say households should The newer models run cooler and aren't as perceptive to the temperature, and they could cost you only £50. If all else fails and the temperatures reach 40+ degrees, it is best to disconnect from the internet and bask in the Sun while giving your devices a break. Advertisement You might enjoy chatting to family and friends over BBQ or reading a book on a patio or in the park in the meantime.


The Irish Sun
12-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
The 3 hidden iPhone settings that are draining your battery & the quick fixes to make that will save you hundreds
IPHONE users have been warned that there are three hidden buttons that are drastically reducing your devices battery life. are known for getting worse over time - in worst case scenarios, users have to carry portable chargers around and give their gadgets battery boosts throughout the day. Advertisement 4 iPhone batteries dwindle over time, but there are three simple fixes you can do to improve battery health Credit: Getty This can be incredibly stressful for users, who might need However, even if your device is a few years old, you shouldn't need to replace it just because the Instead, you should be able to improve its ability to hold charge with just a few simple clicks. 1. Turn Off Widgets The widgets on iPhone lock screens, such as the weather or calendar updates, all run in the background and are constantly using data to keep them updated. Advertisement Read more tech stories This means that they are draining power , even when you are not using your phone. Turning off your widgets completely is the best way to save power, and the easiest way to do this is to switch to another lock screen, that doesn't have any widgets on it. 4 Click on your lock screen and then press 'customise' to remove widgets Credit: Supplied To do this, simply press your finger down on your existing lock screen, and then scroll across to a lock screen that doesn't have any widgets. Advertisement Or, if you want to remove the widgets from your existing lock screen, you can hold it down, click on customise, tap on the widget box, and then delete any widgets that you don't want. Most read in Tech Breaking Reduce The Motion Of Your iPhone User Interface The iPhone user interface uses animations, such as the pop of colour that appears when you activate Siri and the 'slam' effect that makes text messages seem to pop out of the screen. Whilst these can be fun and entertaining, they are very draining for your battery. 'Supersonic' new battery fully charges phones in less than five minutes & users cry out to have that 'insane speed' now If you want subtler animations, that use less power, you can use this by heading to Settings, clicking to Accessibility and then Motion and Reduce Motion. Advertisement 4 Click on 'reduce motion' to improve your battery life Credit: Supplied Switch Off Keyboard Vibration iPhones have a feature called "haptic feedback" which gives each key a vibration. This feature was added to iOS 16 to give users a more immersive experience. However, according to the Apple support page it "might affect the battery life of your phone." Advertisement 4 Turning off haptic feedback helps to conserve battery Credit: Supplied Apple does not explain why this drains battery, but its best to turn this feature off if you're keen to conserve your battery. Haptic feedback is not enabled by default, but if you have turned it on, you can easily disable the feature. iPhone tricks to try today Here are some of the best... Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen (or swipe left to right on an iPhone X or later model), then tap in the bar and type a currency (like $200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency Check if you're due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you're down to 80% capacity. If you're below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier Simply go to Settings, Sounds and Haptics, Keyboard Feedback and then turn off Haptic. Advertisement If you want to check your battery health , you can do this by heading to Settings, Battery and then Battery Health and Charging. This feature allows you to check your battery health percentage (anything over 80% is considered good) and will show you whether your battery is "normal." When your battery health has begun to dwindle, you may be tempted to fork out for a new handset. However, this can cost you hundreds, and means you are wasting an otherwise perfectly good phone. Advertisement Instead, head to the Apple store, and you can