Know your stuff

I know … there’s a lot to keep track of these days. But this article describes some of the things you should keep in your head, or at least at your fingertips.

Accounts. Have you got an email account … or 2 or 3? An Apple account? A BC Hydro account? I suggest you keep a list your accounts, replete with URL (web address), username, password, and challenge questions/answers.

Passwords. Please have a firm grasp on your passwords. Treat them like the keys to your car: you don’t expect to drive your car without keys, so please don’t expect your computer to remember your passwords indefinitely. Your AppleID/password is critical for your Apple devices. Your Google account/password is critical for your Android/Chrome devices and Google services. There will come a time when you need to know each password: particularly for getting into your computer, phone, or tablet.

If you keep this sort of information—like accounts and passwords—written down, you should keep it safe. If it’s on paper, keep it in a very safe place. If it’s electronic, keep it encrypted, or at least password-protected. There are many apps that can do this for you.

Wifi. If you have guests who want to use your wifi, you should be ready to give them your SSID (wifi name) and wireless key (sometimes called a password). If you are lucky, they will be printed on your modem. If you are not so lucky, you should have them in your head, or written down. This info isn’t very sensitive, since anyone with physical access to your modem/router can plug into, or reset, the device to get in.

Hardware. Know the make/model of your main devices. Do you own a Mac or a PC? An iPad or an Android tablet? Is your phone a Samsung, LG, iPhone, etc.? Which model? It’s like knowing the make/model of your car … it can be handy to know that stuff too. There’s a big difference between losing your iPhone 4 and your iPhone 11.