Wifi Coverage

Google grants $100K to Dix Park for WiFi-enabled benches

Google is giving the City of Raleigh $100,000 to create and install benches with WiFi to bring connectivity to Dorothea Dix Park.

This picturesque Laotian and Taiwanese cafe is a community hub in Raleigh NC

Nestled on historic South West Street in Raleigh, lies Heirloom -- a coffee shop and tea house that seamlessly marries the flavors of Laos and Taiwan.

Kaila Curry, WRAL audience engagement producer

Five On Your Side: Ways to get better wifi for under $250

Five On Your Side's Keely Arthur shares ways to get better Wifi for under $250.

Keely Arthur, WRAL consumer reporter

Cybersecurity warnings apply for Olympians in China, all internet users

Officials are worried about digital security at the Winter Olympics.

Brian Shrader, WRAL anchor/reporter

Amazon devices now linking up your Wi-Fi with your neighbors'. Here's how to opt out

Amazon's reach just got a little wider Tuesday with the launch of its Sidewalk service that borrows bandwidth from customers to create a larger community network.

5 On Your Side reveals ways to fight Wi-Fi dead zones

To anyone stuck at home with a spotty internet connection or dead zones, Wi-Fi range extenders sound like an easy and affordable solution.

Wi-Fi extenders can help stop spotty internet

When Consumer Reports tested extenders, two stood out: The Netgear Nighthawk EX7000 Wi-Fi Extender, which costs $90 to $140, and the TP-Link RE220 Wi-Fi Extender for $30.

Monica Laliberte, WRAL executive producer/5 On Your Side reporter

In Edgecombe County, students live in a "digital darkness"

In Edgecombe County, 1,000 out of 6,000 kids don't have access to high speed internet services. Longtime county manager Eric Evans refers to it as a "digital darkness."

Indira Eskieva, WRAL Eastern North Carolina reporter

Comcast: Home internet data cap coming for several states

In 2021, Comcast intends to charge northeastern U.S. customers if they go over 1.2TB of data per month.

Faster, safer WiFi is coming, say Google and CommScope

CommScope, a global technology network company, is partnering with Google to help bring what the companies say is fast and secure WiFi to public areas such as malls and grocery stores while limiting cellular dead zones.

Cumberland County students connect to WiFi using bus hotspots

Students in Fayetteville connect to WiFi using hotspot from buses parked outside their home.

Unblock your Wi-Fi signal

Frustrated with Wi-Fi woes? 5 On Your Side says it might be time for a tuneup.

5 On Your Side reveals what's blocking your Wi-Fi signal

Frustrated with Wi-Fi woes, 5 On Your Side says it might be time for a tuneup.

Monica Laliberte, WRAL executive producer/5 on Your Side reporter

Desperate for Wi-Fi, Many Have Nowhere to Go but a Parking Lot

As the sun set on a recent evening in Rutherfordton, North Carolina, author Beth Revis drove her green SUV into the parking lot of a closed elementary school and connected to the building’s free Wi-Fi. Then, for the third time since the coronavirus pandemic had taken hold, she taught a two-hour writing class from her driver’s seat.

Cecilia Kang, New York Times

TOM WILLIAMS: Broadband access, an essential public education utility for every student

April 27, 2020 -- North Carolina should rightfully be proud to be recognized as a leader in the southeast, as well as across the nation, for investing in an effective broadband strategy and the essential role it plays in the economic, educational, workforce development, cultural, and civic engagement for a better post COVID-19 North Carolina. Our progress is to be applauded. However, let's commit as a state to work together in achieving a common goal to assure that the broadband access and availability gap is not just reduced, but eliminated in the near future.

Working from home? Here's how to boost your wifi

If your home has connectivity dead spots, a mesh system helps boost your signal. Plus, here are some other tips.

Working from home? Here's how to boost your wifi

The COVID-19 office exodus could be causing a major internet slow-down. It may be time for an upgrade.

Monica Laliberte, Executive producer/consumer reporter

Working, learning from home could mean it's time for a wifi upgrade

The coronavirus exodus could be causing an internet slow down. Boosting your wifi can help.

So We’re Working From Home. Can the Internet Handle It?

Derek Pando rarely had problems with his home internet service — until last week. That was when he began working from his house because of the coronavirus.

Davey Alba and Cecilia Kang, New York Times

No GPS inside? NCSU researchers create technique for better indoor navigation

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a technique for measuring speed and distance in indoor environments, which could be used to improve navigation technologies for robots, drones – or pedestrians trying to find their way around an airport.

Protect your data: What parents need to know about WiFi-connected toys

Experts say parents of teenagers, elementary school children and even teenagers need to be cautious when it comes to WiFi-connected toys.

Monica Laliberte, WRAL executive producer/consumer reporter

Residents hold summit to revitalize rural parts of Franklin County

Despite an ever-growing population, North Carolina is still a largely rural state where many communities have no high-speed internet.

Some in NC will get big boost in connectivity

Mobile 5G technology is coming to Raleigh and Charlotte on Friday.