The Technology Firm

WiFi vs LAN: What Actually Happens When You Plug In Ethernet?
A client of mine recently raised a great networking question while we were planning a new laptop build: what actually happens when a machine is already connected over WiFi and you then plug in Ethernet—whether that's a docking station, a USB dongle, or the built-in port?
https://www.lovemytool.com/2022/11/wifi-or-lan-traffic.html

Damaged Network Cables: Why Layer 1 Shortcuts Cost You Performance and Uptime
 In this installment of his "2 bits" video series, network trainer and consultant Tony Fortunato tackles a recurring frustration he sees in the field: physically damaged network cables still being used in production.
https://www.lovemytool.com/2021/11/tonys-2-bits-cabling.html

Why not tcping it ?
Pouriya Jamshidi’s GitHub profile https://github.com/pouriyajamshidi showcases a variety of open-source projects, primarily focused on networking, security, and system diagnostics. As a hobbyist programmer based in Belgium, 
https://www.lovemytool.com/2025/04/pouriya-jamshidis-github-profile.html

Monitoring - Step 1 of Visibility
In the packet world I hear a lot of concerns that when bandwidth increases, the ability to analyze is negatively impacted. When I present or work on-site, I remind network technicians that network monitoring is the basis of developing a baseline of your network health which can be accomplished many ways. You can start old school and get statistics directly from your network equipment, like good old SNMP/RMON, api's, telnet or ssh scripts and have the device report back to a centralized management system.
https://www.lovemytool.com/2025/02/monitoring-step-1-of-visibility.html

Why Network Engineers Should Learn Ethernet Cable Termination and Basic Cabling Skills
There is something to be said for knowing when to call a specialist, but there is also something to be said for knowing how to do the job yourself. In networking, it is easy to spend your entire career working from a console while somebody else handles the cables, connectors, patch panels, and physical installation. 
https://www.lovemytool.com/2021/10/sometimes-you-have-to-get-your-hands.html

AppTimer: A Simple Way to Measure Application Startup Performance
The first plus that caught my eye was that this is a portable app, no installation required. I'm always looking for another utility for my troubleshooting USB drive. 
https://www.lovemytool.com/2023/12/replay-apptimer-performance-utility.html

Measuring command response times using ptime
When performing network troubleshooting, automation testing, or system performance analysis, it is often important to know exactly how long a command takes to execute. Whether you are running batch files, launching scripts, transferring files, or automating administrative tasks, measuring execution time can help identify bottlenecks and establish performance baselines. Accurate timing data is especially useful when comparing system changes, software updates, or infrastructure upgrades.
https://www.lovemytool.com/2020/12/measuring-command-response-times-using.html

Understanding the "Fluffy Cloud"
When troubleshooting network performance issues, one of the most common mistakes is assuming that every device should be tested the same way. In reality, switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points, and cloud-based services each have unique functions and performance characteristics. Understanding these differences is critical for accurate network diagnostics and effective troubleshooting. This concept is often illustrated using the "Fluffy Cloud" analogy, which helps demonstrate how traffic moves through different parts of modern network infrastructure. https://www.lovemytool.com/2023/12/replay-fluffy-cloud.html

Why Is My 1 Gbps Internet Speed Only Showing 100 Mbps?
Upgrading from a 100 Mbps internet connection to a 1 Gbps (Gigabit) service should deliver significantly faster network performance. However, many IT professionals and home users discover that after upgrading their internet package, switches, routers, access points, or computers, their speed tests still show results close to 100 Mbps. This is a common networking issue that can be difficult to identify without proper troubleshooting and performance testing.
https://www.lovemytool.com/2025/04/why-is-my-1-gb-really-100mb.html 

How to Document Why a Network Is Slow — Stop Guessing and Start Measuring
“It’s slow” has to be one of the most common—and least useful—phrases a network troubleshooter hears. Slow compared with what?https://www.lovemytool.com/2021/09/documenting-why-its-slow.html

Using iPerf3 to Test and Validate a Wireless Link
When troubleshooting or optimizing a wireless link, it is easy to look at the signal strength and assume everything is working properly. Signal levels are important, but they don't always tell the whole story. 
https://www.lovemytool.com/2026/09/using-iperf3-to-test-and-validate.html

How to Test a Ubiquiti Product Using iPerf2
When you install or troubleshoot a high-speed wireless link, looking at the radio's signal strength and connection status only tells part of the story. The real question is simple: how much usable network performance can I actually get across the link? One of my favorite ways to answer that question is with iPerf. In this video, I demonstrate a real-world throughput test using iPerf2 across a Ubiquiti Wave Pro radio link. It is a simple test, but it provides much more useful information than simply looking at the radio's reported link speed. By generating actual TCP traffic between two endpoints, iPerf lets you measure the performance of the network path itself.
https://www.lovemytool.com/2026/09/how-to-test-ubiquiti-wave-pro-network.html

Layer 1 – gets them all the time, PoE camera network cable troubleshooting
I was doing some work on-site when the client asks me if I can help with his IP cameras.
The vendor helped over the phone and they determined that 2 cameras probably need to be replaced. The client explained that he is not that technical and wanted someone else to take a look before he goes through all the trouble of taking them down and sending them back.
https://www.lovemytool.com/2021/08/layer-1-gets-them-all-time.html  

How Network Data and Signal Graphs Prove a Wireless Improvement Worked
When making changes to a wireless network, it is important to measure the results rather than simply assume the change was successful. A good example is aligning a Ubiquiti Wave Pro radio.
https://www.lovemytool.com/2026/09/how-network-data-and-signal-graphs.html

Network Troubleshooting: Finding Cabling Problems, Old Hubs, and 100 Mbps Connections
A local business that I help out when they need a hand, calls me and explains that they've had internet performance issues since day one.
https://www.lovemytool.com/2025/01/look-what-we-have-here.html

Server Down? Here's How I Investigated and Fixed it
My Immich server threw a wall of 5xx errors out of nowhere, so I did what any self-hosted homelabber would do: SSH into the box and start digging. First stop was PostgreSQL, since Immich leans on it hard for pretty much everything.   
https://www.networkdatapedia.com/2026/09/server-down-heres-how-i-fixed-it.html    

Tessabyte by Netmantics: A Powerful Network Performance Testing Tool for LAN, Wi-Fi and WAN
Netmantics Tessabyte is worth a look if you need more than a basic internet speed test. Designed for network engineers and IT professionals, Tessabyte provides detailed performance testing for both wired and wireless networks.  And #packetguru only has 2 m12 IOTA’s left
https://www.lovemytool.com/2026/09/tessabyte-by-netmantics-powerful.html    

Why Checking Network Device Logs Should Be Part of Every Troubleshooting Job
I have a habit of always checking logs of any equipment that I work on. Checking network device logs should be a routine part of troubleshooting, not something reserved for when a network has already failed. Routers, firewalls, switches, wireless controllers, and other infrastructure devices continuously generate information about what is happening on the network.   And Go get your #netscout Engage certification  
 https://www.lovemytool.com/2025/02/spot-checks-and-logs.html  

Cable Troubleshooting Example
A network connection that should be running at 1 Gbps but consistently negotiates at 100 Mbps is a classic physical-layer troubleshooting problem. The switches may both support Gigabit Ethernet, the configuration may look correct, and yet the link refuses to operate at the expected speed. And #netscout Resilience Is the Foundation of Modern Security Strategy  
https://www.lovemytool.com/2022/11/cable-troubleshooting-example.html    

Configure Cisco As A DHCP Server
When I'm building an isolated network for a class, lab, or troubleshooting exercise, one of the first things I need is a DHCP server. Manually configuring an IP address on every device works, but it quickly becomes tedious and introduces opportunities for duplicate addresses, incorrect subnet masks, or simple typing mistakes  
https://www.lovemytool.com/2021/08/flashback-configure-cisco-as-dhcp-server.html  

Recover Your WiFi Password from Android Using the QR Code Feature and NO Root Access Losing track of a WiFi password is one of the most common tech headaches households and small offices face. Routers get set up once, the password gets typed into a dozen devices, and then the sticky note with the credentials disappears into the void. https://www.lovemytool.com/2026/09/recover-your-wifi-password-from-android.html  

Pass-Through RJ45 Connectors Explained: A Better Way to Terminate Ethernet Cables
Every troubleshooting project eventually reaches the point where it's time to fix the root cause, and in this final video of the series, that's exactly what I do.
https://www.lovemytool.com/2026/09/pass-through-rj45-connectors-explained.html    

Why "It's Probably the Cable" Should Send You to the Field 
Every network tech has said it at least once: "It's probably the cable." And every network tech has also, at least once, been dead wrong about which cable, why, or how. If you've ever spent forty-five minutes staring at a switch port graph trying to divine the future from a packet loss chart, this one's for you.
https://www.lovemytool.com/2026/08/why-its-probably-cable-should-send-you.html 

- Thoughts on the Aircheck G2/Air Mapper tool from Netally
https://www.lovemytool.com/2020/12/aircheck-review-in-field.html