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View IP Addresses of LAN Devices from Command Line in Mac OS

Nov 3, 2016 - 7 Comments
Terminal in macOS

If you need to view the IP addresses of other hardware on the same LAN (Local Area Network) as a Mac, the command line arp tool works quite well. You’ll quickly find other devices IP and accompanying MAC addresses, which can make direct network connections easier and be helpful for many other network and troubleshooting … Read More

Auto Connect to VPN on Boot & Login in Mac OS X

Aug 10, 2016 - 38 Comments
Auto connect to a VPN on Mac

If you use a VPN with a Mac for either work or personal reasons, you may wish to have the Mac automatically connect to the VPN service when the Mac is booted or upon login. Or maybe you just want the VPN to automatically reconnect if the connection drops and disconnects. This is easily accomplished … Read More

How to Find a Router IP Address from iPhone or iPad

May 5, 2016 - 6 Comments
Find router gateway IP address info in iOS

Getting the IP address of a connected router or default gateway is pretty simple in iOS, so if you find yourself in a situation where you’re using an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and need to get a connected router or gateway address, you won’t have to leave iOS to do so. This is frequently … Read More

The Mac Hosts File: How to Modify /etc/hosts in Mac OS X with TextEdit

Feb 29, 2016 - 15 Comments
How to Edit the hosts file in TextEdit in Mac OS X

The Mac hosts file is a system level file located at /etc/hosts which maps IP addresses to host names for Mac OS X networking. Many users edit and modify the hosts file so that they can point a domain to a different IP address, whether for the purpose of local development, blocking sites, or simply … Read More

AirDrop Not Showing Up in iOS Control Center? This is the Easy Fix

Feb 1, 2016 - 42 Comments
Set AirDrop to be available to Everyone

AirDrop is a great file sharing protocol for iOS and Mac OS that allows users to quickly and easily send files, photos, contacts, and other data back and forth between iPhones, iPads, iPod touch, and Mac OS X. But sometimes AirDrop doesn’t show up at all in iOS, which obviously prevents the feature from working … Read More

How to Change DNS Server Settings in Mac OS X

Dec 5, 2015 - 17 Comments
Adding and changing DNS servers in Mac OS X

Having appropriate DNS settings is essential for a Mac to be able to successfully access internet domains, whether it be a website like https://osxdaily.com or a remote server. DNS, which stands for Domain Name Server, essentially translates numerical IP addresses to the readable domains that most internet users are familiar with, and thus without properly … Read More

How to View & Watch the Firewall Log in Mac OS X

Nov 24, 2015 - 6 Comments
View the application firewall log in Mac OS X with Console app

Users who have enabled the firewall in Mac OS X may find it useful to be view, read, and monitor the associated logs with the system firewall. As you’d expect, the app firewall logs show you what applications and processes have attempted to connect to the Mac, including accepted and refused connections. There are several … Read More

How to Enable Stealth Mode in Mac OS X Firewall for Added Security

Nov 18, 2015 - 19 Comments
Enable Stealth Mode Firewall in Mac OS X

Mac users who want a bit more network security can turn on an optional firewall feature in Mac OS X called Stealth Mode. With Stealth Mode enabled, the Mac will not acknowledge or respond to typical network discovery attempts with ICMP ping requests, and will not answer connections attempts made from closed TCP and UDP … Read More

Fixing Wi-Fi Issues in OS X El Capitan

Oct 16, 2015 - 273 Comments
Fix Wi-Fi Problems in OS X EL Capitan

Though Apple has largely resolved the wi-fi issues that persisted in some Macs with prior OS X releases, some users with OS X El Capitan may encounter wireless networking issues after updating to the latest OS X release. Typically the wi-fi problems are in the form of dropping connections or strangely slow speeds, and the … Read More

Find Detailed Wi-Fi Connection History from Command Line of Mac OS X

Jun 3, 2015 - 12 Comments

There are some situations where knowing exactly what wireless networks a Mac has connected to and when that connection was last established can be helpful. We’ll demonstrate how to uncover a comprehensive listing of specifics about previously joined wi-fi networks on a Mac, which will include the last connection date and time (to the second!), … Read More

How to Read .cap Packet Capture File on Mac OS X with tcpdump

May 1, 2015 - Leave a Comment

Whether performing a packet trace or sniffing and capturing packets from a network, the result is usually the creation of a .cap capture file. That .cap, pcap, or wcap packet capture file is created regardless of what you’re using to sniff a network, a fairly common task among network administrators and security professionals. Perhaps the … Read More

How to Sniff Packets & Capture Packet Trace in Mac OS X the Easy Way

Apr 23, 2015 - 15 Comments
Reading a captured packet trace PCAP WCAP file in Mac OS X With Cocoa packet Analyzer app

The Mac includes a variety of powerful wireless network tools that offer many features which are helpful for administration and IT purposes, including the ability to sniff packets. Here we will demonstrate how to perform a packet trace in OS X easily by using the built-in Wi-Fi Diagnostics app. Using Wi-Fi Diagnostics Sniffer function is … Read More

Disconnect from Wi-Fi Network in Mac OS X Without Turning Off Wireless

Apr 19, 2015 - 4 Comments
Disconnect from a Wi-Fi network in Mac OS X quickly

Mac users can quickly disconnect from a wi-fi network by using the wireless menu in Mac OS X. This simple task is incredibly useful for managing and juggling multiple networks, whether for something as simple as using iPhone Wi-Fi Hotspot or even a more advanced task like packet sniffing. It’s important to note disconnecting is … Read More

How to Clear & Flush DNS Cache on iPhone & iPad

Mar 31, 2015 - 5 Comments
Clear DNS cache in iOS

If you ever need to set custom DNS or change the DNS settings on iOS devices for using an alternate domain name server or a faster one, you’ll probably want the DNS changes to take effect immediately, which requires the flushing of DNS caches on the iPhone or iPad. There are actually several ways to … Read More

How to Connect to Invisible Wi-Fi SSID Networks from Mac OS X

Mar 30, 2015 - 7 Comments
Join a hidden wi-fi network from Mac OS X

A fair amount of wireless routers choose not to broadcast their identity (called an SSID) as a simple security precaution, thus knowing how to join an invisible network from a Mac is important.

Perform Detailed DNS Lookups with host Command in OS X

Mar 19, 2015 - 3 Comments
Terminal in macOS

All domains are associated with an IP address, whether it’s for a website, mail server, or whatever else. While using nslookup offers a simple way to get DNS information and an IP for a specific website or domain, if you want a significantly more detailed retrieval, you can use the host command instead. The host … Read More

How to Join a Hidden Wi-Fi Network with No Broadcast SSID from iOS

Mar 18, 2015 - 11 Comments
Connect to a hidden wi-fi network in iOS

Hidden wi-fi networks are becoming more common as network administrators look for additional measures to secure wireless connections. Hiding the network functions as a means of security by obscurity, but the main user-side issue with a hidden Wi-FI network is that the routers SSID is not broadcast which can make it difficult to find for … Read More

Connect to a Server Often from Mac? Add it to Favorite Server List in OS X

Mar 17, 2015 - 16 Comments

If you find yourself frequently connecting to a network share or remote server from your Mac, you should do yourself a favorite and add it to the Favorites list in the Connect to Server screen of Mac OS X. Though the feature is right in front of our faces, very few Mac users seem to … Read More

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