Connect My Tech

17/07/2026

This is how fast a hacker could brute force your password in 2026.

If your password is only a few characters long, it could be cracked in minutes… or even instantly.

The good news? You don’t need to memorize a bunch of random letters, numbers, and symbols.

Here are a few simple ways to dramatically improve your security:

• Use a long passphrase instead of a short, complex password.
• Never reuse passwords. If one website is breached, hackers will often try that same password on your email, bank, and other accounts.
• Use a password manager to generate and securely store unique passwords for every login, so you only have to remember one master password.
• Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) for your email, banking, and other important accounts. Even if someone gets your password, 2FA can stop them from getting into your account.

09/07/2026

Received a text from 'Unverified'?

An 'Unverified' sender is your cue to proceed carefully. It's a clear signal that the message may not be from who it claims to be. Don't tap any links or share personal information. If you're unsure, contact the business directly through their official website or app to verify the message is genuine.



What's changed and why?

Under a new regulation starting from 1 July 2026, all businesses that display their name at the top of a text message must verify with the ACMA. If they haven’t, the text will show as 'Unverified'. This change specifically targets scammers who impersonate well-known brands, helping you to identify genuine text messages.



Remember, these changes only apply to standard text messages, SMS and MMS. You should continue to exercise caution on other messages such as iMessage and WhatsApp.

03/07/2026

https://www.gadgetguy.com.au/nbn-co-lowers-full-fibre-upgrade-barrier-fttc/

Starting next year, Australians on Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) connections will have an easier time upgrading to full fibre NBN internet.

30/05/2026

Which is the best router generation? WiFi 6, WiFi 7 and WiFi 8 explained

Browsing online or in-store for the best router these days, you might see WiFi 6 and 7 and wonder which to pick, while WiFi 8 starts to gain headlines too.

Marketing would suggest you should always buy the newest, but there’s more nuance to it than that.

What each generation of WiFi does

WiFi 6 (802.11ax) shifted focus from prior generations only improving raw speed, instead designed for traffic optimisation in busy homes with a lot of devices. Smart TVs, phones, laptops, security cameras and more can create problems in older WiFi versions, but WiFi 6 addressed the issue.

WiFi 6E (802.11ax extended) builds on WiFi 6 with an additional band that reduces congestion further in dense environments. The performance gain is modest for most users, but the additional 6GHz band helps in apartments and congested network conditions.

WiFi 7 (802.11be) added a big speed increase and Multi-Link Operation that allows compatible devices to connect on multiple bands to reduce latency and increase stability. With theoretical maximum speeds upwards of 40 Gbps, the focus here was speed.

WiFi 8 (802.11bn) is an upcoming standard that targets consistency to deliver reliable performance in interference-heavy environments. It’s intended to reduce latency and packet loss while increasing traffic performance. Instead of faster speeds, it tries to improve performance on busy networks.

07/04/2026

07/04/2026

And just like night follows day, OPTUS also raise their PostPaid Mobile prices.

Optus is increasing the price of its postpaid mobile plans by $5 per month, effective 18 May 2026, for both new and existing customers. The Choice Plus plans increase includes extra data, with the lowest tier moving to $60 per month. This follows similar, recent price hikes by Telstra.

Key Price Changes Effective 18 May 2026
Small Choice Plus Plan: $55/mo (50GB) to $60/mo (60GB).
Medium Choice Plus Plan: $65/mo (200GB) to $70/mo (240GB).
Large Choice Plus Plan: $85/mo (400GB) to $90/mo (480GB).

Important Details
Scope: Affects all personal and business Optus Choice/Choice Plus postpaid plans.
Prepaid: Prepaid plans are not affected by this specific price increase.
Reasoning: Optus states the increase is due to rising operational costs and to support network investment in coverage, speed, and resilience.

26/03/2026

For those of you STILL loyal to TELSTRA, it may be time to reconsider your options?

Australia’s largest telco, Telstra, is once again under scrutiny after announcing fresh price increases across its mobile plans in 2026. For millions of

24/12/2025

I quite often get calls from people that have suddenly got messages from Google that their Gmail email account is full and they soon won't be able to get or send emails.

This is usually because their phone, iPhone or Android , has turned on the automatic back up of photos to the Google Photos service, filling, very quickly, the 15GB you are given for free.

This picture shows the message, or similar you will get after the Google Photos app updates on your phone. As you can see it automatically selects the option to back up all your photos to their system and does it in a way that is both scary and not explained very well.

If you see a message similar to this when you open your photos you should turn off the option for backing up your photos and videos but be aware you should plug your phone into a computer once in a while to put the photos and videos on a computer AND a USB hard drive.