Silo is such a complicated show that even its showrunner gets confused sometimes. While filming the final seasons of the Apple TV sci-fi thriller, Graham Yost remembers two instances where he messed up details: once it was an actor who realized that a conversation they were about to shoot should’ve already taken place, the other involved the Japanese localization team pointing out that a subtitle didn’t match what was going on onscreen. In both instances, the problem was ultimately fixed, but Yost’s reaction was the same: “Oh shit, you’re right.”
Technology
Clever trick to make a connection faster on your Wi-Fi network
Do photos take forever to load on Instagram on your phone?
Does Netflix endlessly buffer when you try to stream your favorite TV show or movie on your smart TV?
Does loading a web page feel like it takes an eternity on your computer?
You might have too many devices using your Wi-Fi. However, there’s a simple fix to this: prioritizing your device. All you have to do is change your “quality of service” settings.
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Numerous people using Wi-Fi on their laptops in a conference room (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What is ‘quality of service?’
In basic terms, “quality of service” determines how much bandwidth to give a certain device on your Wi-Fi network. It can prioritize certain devices or programs based on factors like how much bandwidth they need, how much data they use, and how much data they lose.
Prioritizing is what “quality of service” is all about. It makes applications that do critical functions get the right amount of data and bandwidth needed to accomplish their task.
Benefits of prioritization
Prioritizing your device isn’t just about convenience, it’s a game-changer for your online experience. By allocating the right amount of bandwidth to your device, you can:
- Stream your favorite shows and movies without buffering interruptions
- Enjoy lag-free online gaming sessions
- Speed up downloads and uploads
- Ensure your critical tasks, like video calls or remote work, have a seamless connection
Things to consider before prioritizing your device
“Quality of service” comes with a lot of advantages, but you also run the risk of slowing down important processes by changing priorities. Let’s say you prioritize Netflix over a new Windows Update. You could be leaving your computer at risk because the update takes longer to download. Also, you might not be able to access those settings. It all depends on your router, and usually, routers with more “quality of service” settings are pricier.
For some people, though, it might be worth it to boost your Wi-Fi speed on a certain device. If you choose to prioritize certain devices, you can do it yourself. All you have to do is access your router settings. Here’s how.
Changing the “quality of service” settings on your router
Google Nest routers
- Open the Google Home app on your phone and select Favorites
- Select Wi-Fi and then click Devices
- Choose the device that you’d like to prioritize
- Select how long you want to prioritize the device for and then hit Save
- To prioritize an activity, select Wi-Fi
- Click the Settings icon and then choose Preferred activities
- Select the activity type you’ want to prioritize
A TP-Link router (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
TP-Link routers
- Log onto tplinkwifi.net/
- Click Advanced, and then select QoS
- Pick Device Priority
- Choose your Wi-Fi’s Total Bandwidth and click Save
- Select the device you want and turn on the Priority Switch
- To set application priority, click Advanced, and then select QoS
- Click Application Priority
- Choose your Wi-Fi’s Total Bandwidth and click Save
- Select the activity type you’ want to prioritize
MORE: HOW TO SPEED UP YOUR WI-FI AND INTERNET CONNECTION
NETGEAR routers
- Log onto www.routerlogin.com
- Click Advanced, then select Setup
- Click QoS setup and select Setup QoS rule
- Pick Add Priority Rule
- Choose a Priority Category and customize itSelect Priority and set the level to Highest, High, Normal, or Low, then click Apply
Co-workers using Wi-Fi in a common area (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: BEST WAYS TO BOOST YOUR INTERNET WI-FI SIGNAL IN YOUR HOME
Linksys routers
- Log onto http://192.168.1.1
- Choose the Applications & Gaming tab and then click QoS in the sub-tab
- Select Enabled under Internet Access Policy Priority
- Set your Upstream Bandwidth to Auto
- Use the drop-down menu to choose the right Category
- Name your device and add its MAC Address
- Set the priority level and click Apply
MORE: HOW TO SET UP A SEPARATE WI-FI NETWORK FOR YOUR GUESTS
Troubleshooting tips
Sometimes, things don’t go as smoothly as planned when changing the “quality of service” settings on your router. Here are some common issues and how to address them.
Device not appearing: If your device doesn’t appear in the list, ensure it’s connected to the Wi-Fi network and try refreshing the device list.
Errors in settings: Double-check your settings for any typos or incorrect entries.
Router model compatibility: Some older router models may not support advanced QoS settings. In such cases, consider upgrading your router for better performance.
NEW TECH PROMISES TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW IN MAJOR CITIES, EXPERTS SAY
Security considerations
While accessing router settings, it’s crucial to prioritize security.
You’ll want to change the default router login credentials (username and password) to prevent unauthorized access. Consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords. Only access router settings from secure devices and networks.
Also, strengthen your network’s privacy and security by integrating a VPN application with your router. Installing a VPN directly onto your router ensures that all devices connected to its network are safeguarded. Here are the top routers for best security.
Here’s my list of the best routers recommended for their security features and also for their compatibility with a VPN service.
Alternative solutions
Although prioritizing your device is highly effective, consider these 3 alternative strategies to enhance your network performance: First, upgrade your internet plan to a higher speed tier.
Second, optimize your device settings for improved performance. Third, use wired connections (Ethernet) for bandwidth-intensive tasks.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Now you know what “quality of service” is and how it can improve your Wi-Fi performance. By prioritizing your device, you can have a faster and smoother online experience. However, you should also be careful not to neglect other important processes or devices that need bandwidth. And remember, not all routers have the same “quality of service” settings, so you might need to do some research before you change them.
Do you have any concerns about changing your “quality of service” settings? Also, what are some of the common Wi-Fi issues that you face? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more of my tech tips & security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
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Keeping everything straight is one of the big challenges of working on such a complex series, and as Silo enters into its final two seasons, the challenge has only increased. So it’s a good thing Yost has a team working alongside him looking for those mistakes. “It’s a lot to keep track of, but everyone is pitching in,” he says, “and I love this sense of collaboration.”
Season 3 of Silo starts streaming on July 3rd, and it expands the story’s scope quite a bit. The series follows the lives of the residents of a huge underground bunker hundreds of years in the future. The silo is home to 10,000 people who essentially live in a vertical city, one divided into layers that each have their own jobs and cultures, from the mines at the bottom to the government up top. The only way to navigate the silo is through a massive spiral staircase that goes from top to bottom, creating a very physical form of class division.
Initially it seemed the residents were the last remnants of humanity living in a postapocalyptic wasteland. But over the course of the first two seasons, it became clear that they lived in but one silo of many, each housing their own communities while isolated from the rest. Season 3 adds a new wrinkle: showing how the world came to be this way in the first place, a process that starts in a world that looks much like our own.
The season 3 premiere constantly jumps back and forth between the bleak future where we’ve spent the last two seasons and our present day, when the decisions were made that led to everyone being trapped inside of underground bunkers. Things are already complicated as the show picks up from last season — protagonist / silo mayor / reluctant revolutionary Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) has just become the first person to venture between silos and is now suffering from memory loss — and the multiple timelines only ratchets that up.
“It’s a lot of pieces you’re trying to put together.”
The cast of Silo all have different techniques for dealing with this challenge, which becomes even harder given that scenes are rarely shot in chronological order. For some, daily team meetings with directors can be an invaluable tool. “A lot of days, we’d start the day with story time, and the director would go through where we’re at, where we just came from, what happens next,” explains Alexandria Riley, who plays newly promoted authority figure Camille Sims in the show. “It’s already a complicated story anyway, but then when shooting out of order, you do get a bit foggy.” Ferguson notes that the hair-and-makeup team can be particularly helpful in tracking the story, as they need to be on top of things like scars and burns to maintain consistency. Every detail counts. “The little changes that you do have enormous ripple effects going forward,” she says.
“It’s a lot of pieces you’re trying to put together,” adds Common, who plays Camille’s husband Robert on the show. “It is our job to know where we are, but thank god we had support, too. There are times when I’d have to talk to Alex about something just to be reminded.” The two actors even had separate rehearsals together to make sure they had everything down.
Others took a different approach. Jessica Henwick, for instance, joined the main cast as the present-day investigative reporter Helen in season 3, and says that “I didn’t read any scenes except my own. Because I’m a fan of the show, I wanted to preserve that experience. I will watch season 3 as a fan and see what happens. I don’t know what happens except in our storyline.” (Henwick is such a fan that, soon after she was cast, she had a single goal in mind: “I went to the set and explored the stairs.”)
Image: Apple
One thing that doesn’t help much, however, is delving into the source material. Silo is based on a trilogy of books by author Hugh Howey; the first two seasons explored the first book, while the final two will wrap up the rest of the story. But much has changed in the adaptation as the TV show attempts to both make Juliette a more visible figure in the central part of the story and update some of the plotlines to reflect present day concerns like AI.
“I started reading the books and realized very quickly that that wasn’t going to help, because the books are so different,” explains Ashley Zukerman, who plays a congressman in the present day storyline. He says that keeping both the novels and the TV show in his mind at the same time wouldn’t be helpful and instead found “that reading the whole scripts and then finding a way to forget [what his character wouldn’t know] was useful.”
With two seasons to go, Silo is racing toward a conclusion as it attempts to wrap everything up. Yost says that four seasons was always the plan, so the process has been figuring out how to fit everything into a set number of episodes. But since the final two seasons were filmed back to back, it also means that the Silo team are done having to worry about keeping all of those complicated plotlines straight. And as much as she says she’ll miss the experience of working on the show, there is one thing Ferguson is excited to be done with beyond memorizing storylines.
“I fucking hated running up and down those stairs,” she says.
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You found the flight, booked a hotel, and gave them your name, passport details and everything else they asked for. At this point, most of us close the laptop and start counting down the days.
But nobody warns you that the moment you hit “confirm,” your trip stops being only yours. Just this spring, hundreds of thousands of travelers learned the hard way what happens when the personal details you share with those companies get out (and how easily they get out).
Some got a scam text quoting their real hotel and check-in date before they were even told their information had been stolen. If you’ve got a trip on the calendar, this is worth ten minutes.
TRAVEL MISTAKE PUTS PHONE, LAPTOP AND STREAMING ACCOUNTS AT RISK
A single summer travel booking can hand over your name, contact details, trip dates, payment information and even passport data. (Neil Godwin/Future via Getty Images)
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What a single booking hands over
A travel booking may look like a routine form, but it can collect enough personal details to map your trip and your life back home.
- Full name
- Home address
- Phone and email
- Travel dates
- Payment details
- Passport number
Individually, none of it feels alarming. Together, it’s a complete snapshot of who you are, where you live, and when you won’t be home. That is the kind of profile scammers dream of.
How scammers use that data
A criminal who knows your hotel, dates, and confirmation number can send a message that looks exactly like it’s from the hotel: “We couldn’t process your payment. Re-enter your card to hold your room.” It may not feel like a scam. It feels like a headache you want to clear up before your trip. It gets personal, too. If a scammer knows you’re traveling and knows your family, they can call an elderly parent (or you) with a “grandchild stranded abroad” emergency that lands because the timing and names check out.
Trusted travel companies can still expose your data
If your first thought is, “But I only book through trusted companies,” you are not alone.
So did everyone caught in the breaches below. If a single careless business were the problem, I’d just warn you to steer clear of it and call it a day. Unfortunately, it’s more of an industry problem. And the size of the company doesn’t protect you, because the weak point usually isn’t the company itself, but the chain of partners behind it. So you can do everything right and still have your details slip out through one hotel employee’s infected laptop.
Over the past year, the travel sector has been hit again and again.
- Booking.com (April 2026). The world’s largest travel platform warned that “unauthorized third parties” accessed reservation data: names, emails, phone numbers, and details like customers’ hotels, dates, and confirmation numbers. No financial data was taken, and the break-in came through hacked hotel staff. The chilling part: scammers sent travelers WhatsApp messages quoting their real booking details, some before the official breach notice even arrived.
- Amtrak (April 2026). A reported Amtrak data exposure involving more than 2.1 million customer accounts. The exposed information included names, email addresses, physical locations, and customer support records. That kind of data can make a fake “problem with your trip” email feel personal enough to click.
Scammers can use stolen reservation details to send fake hotel, airline or booking messages that look surprisingly real. (Felix Zahn/Photothek via Getty Images)
- Carnival (June 2026). Carnival confirmed a breach affecting nearly 6 million people after a social engineering attack on a single user account. Some exposed data may have included names, contact details, dates of birth and government-issued ID numbers. For cruise customers, that creates an opening for fake trip alerts, identity-verification scams and phishing messages that sound much more believable.
- KLM and Air France (August 2025). A third-party customer-service platform was breached, exposing names, contact details and frequent-flyer numbers, which is plenty of material for a convincing “there’s a problem with your flight” call.
GLOBAL SCAM CRACKDOWN LEADS TO 276 ARRESTS
Curious how exposed you already are? Run a free scan to see where your information is showing up online-results usually land within an hour. Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: CyberGuy.com.
How to protect yourself before your next trip
You don’t have to stop booking trips online, but you do need to make it harder for scammers to turn your travel details into a payday.
1) Verify every booking message directly
Treat every “problem with your booking” message as suspect, especially if it asks you to click a link, re-enter your card or confirm personal details. Instead, open the airline, hotel or booking site directly through your browser or app. You can also call the company using the number on its official website, not the number in the message.
2) Use a credit card or virtual card when possible
A credit card usually gives you stronger fraud protection than a debit card. If your bank offers virtual card numbers, use one for hotel and travel bookings. That way, if the card number gets exposed, you can shut it down without replacing your main card.
3) Turn on travel account alerts
Before you leave, turn on transaction alerts for the card you use to book travel. Also check the security settings on your airline, hotel and booking accounts. Use a password manager to create and store strong, unique passwords for each account. Strong passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA) can make it much harder for someone to break in, even if your email address or phone number leaks.
4) Don’t store your passport or card in travel apps
Saving your passport, ID or payment card may save a few seconds next time. But if that account gets compromised, those details become part of the damage. After your trip, remove stored passport information, old cards and any documents you no longer need in the account.
5) Set a family code word
A word only your family knows can stop the “stranded grandchild” or “relative in trouble” scam fast. If someone calls claiming there’s an emergency, ask for the code word before you react, send money or share information. That tiny pause can save your family from a very expensive mistake.
6) Shrink your data-broker footprint with Incogni
A travel breach becomes more dangerous when scammers can match it with your home address, relatives, phone numbers and other personal details sitting on data-broker sites. That extra information can help them make a fake hotel message, family emergency call or identity scam feel much more convincing.
You can try to remove your information yourself, but the process can be frustrating. There are hundreds of data brokers and people-search sites, and each one may have its own opt-out process. Even worse, your information can show up again later.
A data removal service can help by sending removal requests on your behalf and checking whether your information reappears. It will not erase every trace of you from the internet, but it can shrink the amount of personal information scammers can easily find and connect to your travel plans.
Shrinking your online data footprint before you travel can make it harder for criminals to connect your trip details to your home and family. (Al Drago/Getty Images)
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting CyberGuy.com.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Every travel booking bundles your name, address, trip dates and contact details into one valuable package. Once that information moves through hotels, airlines, booking platforms and outside vendors, it may not stay where you think it does. That is why stolen reservation details are so dangerous. Scammers can use them to impersonate your hotel, send fake payment alerts or target your family while you are away. Book the trip and pack your bags. Just verify messages directly, use a password manager, turn on account alerts and shrink the personal data brokers keep on you.
What extra step do you take before traveling to keep your personal information out of scammers’ hands? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Apple is working on a “revamped” version of its entry-level MacBook Pro that it could launch as soon as the first half of 2027, Bloomberg reports. The company is also testing four new iPad Pros that are set to launch in the spring with a focus on “internal improvements.”
The updated MacBook Pro, which will keep the 14-inch screen size, will have a design that’s “in line” with what Apple is planning for the touch screen MacBooks it also has in the works, Bloomberg says. Those new touch screen laptops are set to be released between “the end of this year and early next year,” and Bloomberg has previously reported that they will get a Dynamic Island-like pill at the top of the screen.
Apple last updated the base MacBook Pro in October with an M5 chip bump. The company is working on an M6 processor, and Bloomberg says that Apple “finished work months ago” a different base MacBook Pro upgrade that keeps the laptop’s present design and is scheduled to launch this year. Apple will quickly move to the M7 line in 2027, including new Pro and Max chips, Bloomberg previously reported.
As for the iPad Pros, Bloomberg says that they’ll retain 11-inch and 13-inch screens. Apple last updated the iPad Pro line last October with the M5 chip.
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