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Wired or Wireless: Which should you choose?

Jul 2015

Should a wired or wireless connection be used for peripherals? We’ll list the pros and cons of wired and wireless connections to help you decide.

Most peripheral devices, such as printers, scanners and cameras support Wi-Fi connections. While it’s easy to think that Wi-Fi can work in just about any place in the office or home, some considerations need to be noted beforehand to think this through carefully.

In this article we’re going to illustrate the pros and cons of having a device connected over Wi-Fi and over a wired Ethernet connection by comparing their connection speeds, integrity of connection, aesthetics and accessibility for both choices.

Connection speed

Wireless speeds today are limited at 50-150 Mbps whereas wired ethernet connections can support speeds up to 1000 Mbps. If you’re looking for a speedy connection, a wired connection is your best bet.

Integrity of the connection

Wireless connectivity is subject to interference from other devices which can cause the connection to drop altogether. Even situating a wireless device near a kitchen that uses a microwave can cause interference with wireless connections.

Ethernet cables do not have many of these issues. A wired connection different is jacketed by the protective plastic tubing that envelops the naked wires. These wires assist to direct the connection through the cabling, helping it maintain integrity protecting the data which runs through it. This makes it less likely to lose connections and to be intercepted by wireless scanning tools which are rare but do exist. To get maximum speeds, a Category 5e or Category 6 cabling is highly recommended.

Aesthetics and accessibility

Ethernet-cables

However with wireless, a device can be placed in just about any area that is also in close proximity to a power socket. This gives more options as to where a device can be based around the office. Limiting the amount of wires is also much more visually appealing and is one of the biggest benefits to choosing Wi-Fi.

If you’re still undecided, ask yourself the following questions:

For instance, for a wireless printer, how much use will it get and for how many users? Does it need to be situated in a place without access to an Ethernet socket? Are speed and data integrity more important than a slower network speed connection?

By drawing up the pros and cons of both wireless and Ethernet connections mentioned above, and matching it up the most important requirements, it’ll help you choose a wired or wireless connection

For more ways to optimize network connectivity, contact your local IT professionals.

i3 vs i5 vs i7: Which Processor Should You Choose?

hardwareintel, processorOphtek, LLC

Jul 2015

Confused as to which Intel processor to opt for? We’ll help explain the differences between the Intel Core i-series and give scenarios for their ideal use.

We have previously touched on processor cores and speeds, which will come in handy to have a rough understanding of as we discuss the differences between Intel’s Core-i processor series. Intel has designed three different processor classes that are designed to cater for various purposes.

First, let’s understand the difference between the three processor classes.

i3 vs i5 vs i7

What may first sound a little misleading are the names of the processor types; the Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7. It’s easy to think of these processors as having the number of cores reflected in their names i.e. Core i3 with 3 cores or three sets of cores. However in actual fact, the names of these processors do not represent the number of cores each processor carries.

When it comes to cores, the Core i3 is a dual core processor; the Core i5 and Core i7 are dual and quad core processors. Each one of these processors also differs by their cache size and their ability to multi thread.

Only the Core i5 and i7 both have Turbo Boost, which permits the processors to increase their clock speed when needed. This all depends on the availability of cores within the processor, processor temperature, estimated power consumption and current available power.

How multi-threading works as shown by Intel.

Therefore, the difference between a Core i5 and a Core i7 is mostly distinguished by hyperthreading. Hyperthreading is designed to allow each core in a processor serve more than one thread at a time. Therefore a core i7, with four cores, is able to run a total of 8 threads whereas a Core i5 and Core i7 have both the same threading capacity of 4.

However each Core-i series follows a progressive order with improved caching capabilities. Cache helps processors remember data to speed up data access requests. The Core i3 processors come with 3 MB cache, core i5 generally come with 6MB ( with the exception of the 661 model which only holds 4MB maximum cache), and the higher end Core i7 will comes with 8MB cache.

The general consensus regarding the Core-i series is the higher the series, the better its performance.

Now that we’ve outline the general differences between the three Core-i series of Intel processors, let’s outline a scenario for using each one.

Core-i processor class usage scenarios

Core i3 – this class of processor can be considered entry level, which is designed to cope with basic document work and to help carry out light browsing activities.

Core i5 -this type can be summed up as a mainstream processor that’ll perform well when multitasking with more memory intensive programs, such as with running accounting software, having many documents open and heavier web browsing activities such as having many browser tabs open.

Core i7 – this class of processor is considered high end, which will cost more but will give the best performance. For instance, it’s ideal for editing graphics and video with lots of multi-tasking.

For more ways to optimize your systems, contact your local IT professionals.

Microsoft Plans for Thin Light Weight Windows Server

UncategorizedOphtek, LLC

Jun 2015

Leaked slides discuss Microsoft’s upcoming plans to provide a thin lightweight windows server known as Windows Nano Server. Here’s what we know so far.

A slide deck, which was leaked, shows Microsoft’s plans to enhance the ability of installing Windows on a “headless” machine. A “headless” machine is a system which does not have a keyboard, mouse or display. This new type of server will be branded as the “Nano Server”. This new “headless” design will allow administrators to access it via web-or-PowerShell-driven management tools.

The New Nano Server Features

The new Thin Light Weight Windows Server will look to replace the typical Windows server environments which are compliant with POSIX, particularly for company networks which use Windows systems.

Designed to be streamlined to fit within the Cloud infrastructure. The idea will be to split the server into two roles. One part will be a server within a container and the other part will devote itself to managing the cloud.

However it has one obvious part where it does not keep up with the competition: its dependency on still needing a client machine to act as a graphical user interface to access the server.

This implies that a graphics card, mouse and keyboard will in fact be required to access it. This will step back to the usual way that administration is normally carried out through the GUI.

Apart from operating on “headless” machines, the Windows Nano server is built to be lightweight: the slides portray a zero footprint design.

The roles or work performed exist on the Nano Server’s exterior. In the image, it does not contain any metadata or binaries but instead depends on standalone packages. These are installed similar to applications.

It will support containers, Hyper-V, clustering, storage, ASP.NET, PaasV2 and V.Next.

It will be developed to support drivers, anti-malware, System Center and Apps Insight agents.

The slides imply that Windows Nano Server is going to be placed as the core of an environment which is clustered or virtualized. It is also being declared as the only true-cloud-OS assuring provision of reduced resource expenditure and faster deployment than the current solutions from Microsoft.

Even if it will present support for next generation applications which are distributed, the slides show that it is going to be suitable for current applications running on Windows Server.

Expected to be the next step to support working within OS Apps and the Cloud Infrastructure- to Follow the server core pattern.

No specific fixed time frame is attached, only speculation of a possible release for some time in 2016.

Microsoft has not talked openly about this and dismisses it as “speculation and rumors”.

For more ways to support your server environment and network infrastructure, contact your local IT professionals.

What to do when your printer stops working

hardware, Office ITprinter, PrintingOphtek, LLC

Jun 2015

Do you know what to do when your printer stops working? If not, we’ll help you take out some of the guesswork with some basic troubleshooting tips.

Printers may be an understated piece of equipment. It almost becomes part of the office furniture, until it gets used for printing. But what happens when the office printer stops working, what is one to do before they decide to call for help? Firstly, remain calm. The good news is that we’ve pieced together a checklist for what to do when a printer stops working.

What to check before first

Just a preliminary note: It may sound obvious; however, most printers can actually display the problem on their LCD displays or give clues as to what the problem is. Make a note of any errors which may flash on this display too.

Restart the printer. Simply power off and then switch it back on. Sometimes all that is needed for a printer to work well again is a simple restart. This often does the trick, almost works like magic!

Clear the printer’s sprint queue. This is a common problem where one print job within the print queue jams up all other print jobs waiting for their turn to print in the queue. To clear the queue, simply head over to the printer’s setting from your computer’s Control Panel on Windows 7 or 8 by going to

Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound> Printers
Double click the printer that has the problem.
A print queue should be available, and from there you can delete and clear the print jobs to tell it to stop printing. Click Cancel to remove the print jobs.

Try to send a new print job to test its working fine.

Make sure your printer has enough supplies. By this we mean enough paper to feed through it and plenty of ink to use. Insufficient levels of these can make a printer unhappy, so be sure to not overlook this!

Paper Jams- a common problem

Printers are usually good at telling their users when there’s a paper jam. If there is one, it’s a good idea to check that paper isn’t stuck. Even the smallest piece of paper jammed in the printer’s rollers qualifies as a paper jam.

Sometimes a printer will complain about a phantom paper jam. In this case, it’s a matter of checking there’s enough paper in the paper tray and all trays or doors are closed shut.

Servicing your printer

Diagram of the inside of a typical laser printer from Zinetic.

Laser jet printers need servicing from time to time, so it’s always a good idea to have it serviced. Once a certain amount of printing threshold has been reached, the printer may request a service to replace one of its components from wear and tear such as a print drum or paper roller, helping to further extend the printer’s life.

Check the warranty

It’s always a good idea to register your printer for its warranty as soon as it arrives in the office. You’ll want the least amount of trouble by having your warranty activated which will cover you for a faulty printer and have the problem fixed promptly by the vendor.

For more ways to troubleshoot your printers and computers, contact your local IT professionals.

How Many Cores Does Your PC Need?

hardwarecpu, processorOphtek, LLC

Jun 2015

Do you know how many cores your PC needs? Look no further than our guide, where you’ll find out the recommended number of cores for various scenarios.

You may have considered purchasing a desktop, laptop or PC, only to find some rather technical jargon in the specifications, especially when it comes to processors.

Single, dual or quad core, which one should you buy and is it worth it and at what speed?

These are some of the common questions asked when shopping around for new home or office PCs. The prices vary considerably so we’ve pieced together this article on what to look for based on your scenario.

What is a core?

Core refers a processor’s capabilities of processing. In other words, how much work it can do in parallel. The more cores a processor has, the more powerful it is to respond to computer instructions. To the user this is all invisible apart from how quickly the computer works.

Older style processors use a single core, which only allows it to process one instruction at a time. At present, multiple instructions can be processed at different cores of the processor. Each core acts as a separate processing unit, which can even have their own cache memory on it. Therefore in essence, each additional core within a processor chip acts as its own separate processor. See below the recommended use for reach type of core processor.

Single, dual or quad core computer?

Single core system

A single core system has only one core. It should be used for a very basic computer that doesn’t need too much processing power such as a file server or a simple desktop. As the name suggest, single core contains a single strength of processing power. Computers with single cores tend to be very affordable.

Dual core system

A Dual core system is ideal for business workstations or non-critical laptops.
This type of processor has the power of two single core systems, and therefore, it can manage a little more workload for simple programs to run or to multi-task, such as MS office and having many browser tabs open.

Quad core system

A Quad core system is a more powerful processor that has four times the processing power of a single core chip and can respond to instructions quickly with ease. For instance, it is particularly used in servers, or on systems that run programs for video production, graphics work, handling large files or doing heavy multitasking.

Processor speed

Processor speed is measured in cycles per second, which is measured in hertz. Nowadays processors are available in Ghz speed, which translates as billions of cycles per second.

For instance a 3 GHz dual core processor is not the same as a 1.7GHz quad core one, as the latter is considerably slower in responding to instructions than the dual core processor. However, as mentioned before, the quad core can carry out multiple instructions with double capacity than the dual core but at nearly half of its speed. This is something to watch out for as many retailers will advertise quad core processors at a dwarfed speed. Therefore, be sure you purchase one with a high enough Ghz speed.

For more ways to optimize your office systems, contact your local IT professionals.

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