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Listener Greg in Manchester, Tennessee listens on WTN 99.7 FM and asked us about flash drives:
Is it okay to leave a flash drive plugged in all the time? Does is cause any more wear and tear on the drive?
Leaving a flash drive plugged in all the time won’t do any damage to the particular drive but it may shorten the lifespan of the USB drive because the PC is constantly communicating with it. Really the only thing that can go wrong is if you accidently bump or kick the USB, physically damaging the connection.
It also depends on the flash drive. Some drives use MLC (multi-level cell) based memory that’s good for 3,000 to 5,000 program-erase cycles, but others have SLC (single-level cell) memory that’s good for almost 100,000 writes.
Also, keep in mind that reading from a flash drive causes no wear and tear at all. It’s only when new information is written that you get into a cycle of erasing and programming the memory chips.
And finally, the USB connector itself is specified to only withstand about 1,500 insertions and removals. So the case of the drive usually gives up before the memory chips do.
Steve in Fairbanks Alaska, listens on KFBX 970 AM and asked us for help with his WiFi reception:
How do i improve my internet reception if my router is in another room?
Depending on your current router’s model, you may be able to buy a similar one that will let you extend your network.
The setup varies a little bit depending on the particular router, but it will usually involve setting up the same network name and password and giving it the mac address of the router that’s creating the network you want to extend.
If you can run a wire to whatever room needs service, you may be able to connect an access point at the end of that wire and extend the network that way instead.
You can also use a wireless network extender, or repeater. Many wireless access points include a mode where they do this, and there are some dedicated repeaters that simply plug into an outlet like some kind of giant mutant air freshener. How they work is simple. They receive anything being broadcast on the frequencies used for wi-fi networks and rebroadcast them…for lack of a better word, “louder.” As long as you put the repeater where it can hear the existing network, it will extend it further into your house. I’ve used them in installations over the years, and they do really work.