In partnership with
📬 Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here. Tomorrow: Your email is the master key to your money. I’ll show you how to build a secret “vault” inbox in minutes
Let’s get this Monday started on the right foot, {{first_name | friend}}. Oh Google Maps, our glowing rectangle oracle that decides whether you take the highway or spend 17 minutes behind a school bus.
This is wild. An artist created a fake traffic jam on a completely empty street. No cars or crash. Just him, walking slowly, pulling a wagon.
🛞 How does Google Maps determine there’s a traffic jam? A) Cameras on every highway, B) How fast phones are crawling down the road, C) Satellites snapping photos of the roads every few seconds or D) It counts the honks? Make your guess. The answer is idling at the end.
🔒 They found a notebook in the killer’s car: When police searched the man who assassinated a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband in their own home, they found a handwritten list of 11 websites. Not weapons sites. People search sites, the kind that sell your home address for a couple of bucks. Type your name into one right now, and there you are: your address, your phone, your family, a photo of your front door. That’s why I use Incogni. It makes it go away. Get 60% off.*
🎤 Miss the show this past weekend? I got you. — Kim
TODAY’S DEEP DIVE
Eight Expectations
Image: ChatGPT/Kim Komando
🤯 WOW! Don’t buy a Wi-Fi 8 router. Fix the one you have, and if it’s old, grab a Wi-Fi 7 router while it’s on sale. Steps below.
📖 Read time: 2 minutes
There’s always something new in tech that promises to make your life better. It’s tempting to buy into the manufacturer’s hype. In case you hadn’t noticed, the router aisle has a new shiny object, and it has an 8 on the box.
Wi-Fi 8 is here. Buying it in 2026 isn’t smart. Let me explain.
📶 Why the new number won’t help you
It’s not finished. The official Wi-Fi 8 standard isn’t due for final approval until May 2028. Today’s routers run on a draft and promise to add features later with software updates. (Translation: you’re the beta tester.)
It isn’t faster. Even Asus says the theoretical top speed is unchanged from Wi-Fi 7. Wi-Fi 8 is about fewer dropouts and less lag.
Your gadgets can’t use it. Almost no phones or laptops support Wi-Fi 8 yet. Your current devices connect the same way they do today.
Your internet plan is the real speed limit. The typical U.S. home gets about 314 Mbps, according to Ookla’s September numbers. A decent Wi-Fi 6 router handles that without breaking a sweat.
Asus’ first Wi-Fi 8 router went on sale for about $940. Wow is right, that is one bad connection.
🛠️ The 15-minute fix beats a new router
Do these before you spend a dime:
Test it. Run a test at speedtest.net or fast.com next to the router, then in your worst room. Fast by the router but slow upstairs? That’s a placement problem, not a router problem.
Move it. Get the router out of the cabinet, off the floor and away from the TV. Up high and near the middle of the house wins.
Update it. Open your router’s app and install the latest firmware. It fixes bugs and plugs security holes.
Plug in what doesn’t move. Run an Ethernet cable to your smart TV or game console. Wired beats wireless every time.
Still have dead zones? A mesh system with two or three units covers a big house for far less than a flagship router.
Here’s the twist: Wi-Fi 8 is good news for Wi-Fi 7 shoppers. Wi-Fi 7 is finished, every iPhone since the 16 already speaks it, and prices are falling. Router five years old or out of security updates? Buy Wi-Fi 7. On Amazon right now, I’d get the Eero Mesh System that cover’s up to 4,000 sq feet. It’s a solid choice.
Just because, did you hear that two Wi-Fi antennas got married? The reception was fantastic!
🗣️ TEXT/POST THIS STAT: The first Wi-Fi 8 routers are on sale two years before the standard is finished, and they’re no faster than Wi-Fi 7. Do Kim’s 15-minute Wi-Fi fix instead. GetKim.com
📩 Forward this newsletter to someone who blames the router every time Netflix buffers.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
They can’t scam you if they can’t find you
Your personal information fuels almost every scam out there, including those fake IRS calls, phishing texts, “bank account alert” emails and insurance fraud. It starts with shady data broker sites quietly collecting and selling your information to the highest bidder.
Incogni has completed 3,014 removal requests to have my personal information removed. It works behind the scenes to delete your data wherever it’s exposed online. They cover more than 420 data broker and people-search sites, and they continuously remove your information as soon as it shows up again. Instead of spending hours trying to track down and request removals yourself, let Incogni do the heavy lifting for you.
“I finally used your link for Incogni, it’s amazing! I’ll no longer be a target for spam or junk. It’s so easy to set up and they respond quickly to any questions. Thank you, Kim!” — Lisa
✅ Glad to hear, Lisa. Get my spam-busting deal of 60% off with code KIM60. →
I am so glad I have Incogni. BTW, I get no kickbacks or residuals if you get it.
Thank you for supporting our sponsors, who keep this newsletter free.
📺 YOUTUBE: THE KIM KOMANDO SHOW
Is it safe for AI to photoshop kids?
Bill uploaded his grandkids’ photo to ChatGPT. His daughter freaked out and warned him about AI misusing the kids’ likeness. We sort out what’s true and false and how to protect your family’s pictures.
Watch now before everyone else is talking about it. 👇
▶️ Watch on YouTube →
WEB WATERCOOLER
🔥 Hot water, cold cash: Your water heater could soon mine Bitcoin. Heatbit’s $899 Bitwater swaps the heating element in a standard electric tank for 20 crypto-mining chips. They heat your water while earning Bitcoin, about $1 to $1.25 a day by the company’s own estimate, with no guarantees. A regular element costs under $30. It ships early 2027. Bitcoin swings wildly, so do the math first. Finally, a legal way to get into hot water.
🔊 Tired of saying “What?” You know the drill. The TV’s blasting loud enough for the neighbors to follow along. You’re nodding at dinner like you heard the joke. You’re skipping parties because it’s too exhausting to keep up. David has the Horizon IX hearing device and told me, “I hear things like never before!” I believe him. This tiny device zooms in on voices, drowns out background noise and fits comfortably in or behind your ear. No awkward bulk. No more missing punch lines. Simply crystal-clear sound. Try Horizon IX risk-free for 45 days!*
Bots pick presents: Shoppers are asking chatbots for gift ideas and direct links. Adobe expects AI-referred traffic to retail sites to climb 130% in November and December. If you sell stuff on the internet, don’t miss out on this new wave. Clean up names, prices and photos before a sleepless robot sends Aunt Linda elsewhere for oven mitts.
Trick or trail cam: Here’s Halloween fun with zero candy calories. Mark Girardeau set trail cameras around fresh pumpkins in the Santa Ana Mountains. He caught a mountain lion, a gray fox, a bobcat and deer checking out his spooky display. The fox even paused for a close-up. Got a trail camera or a doorbell cam? Point it at your pumpkins this week and see who shows up at night. Talk about a real pumpkin spy-ce latte.
📺 TV has big ears: Weirdly targeted ads made a bug bounty hunter crack open his own 2025 Samsung TV. His claims: code that sorts audio, grabs screenshots and tracks which ads you skip. No mic? He says it hunts for one in your soundbar. Samsung hasn’t responded. Go to Settings > General & Privacy > Terms & Privacy and turn off Viewing Information Services. Your TV’s not alone. Your vacuum’s been gathering dirt on you for years.
DEVICE ADVICE
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: “It’s on the website” isn’t helpful when the page goes on forever. In Safari, tap the page menu, then Find on Page. In Chrome on Android, tap the three dots, then Find in page. Enter a word like “parking,” “refund” or “ingredients” to jump to matches. There it is. About six thumb-swipes past where you gave up.
Run a small business website? Call your web host today. AI tools found serious holes in PHP, the code behind roughly 70% of websites, including WordPress. Some flaws hid for over a decade. Fixes came out Oct. 21, and hacking attempts are climbing. The FBI warns crooks could hijack unpatched sites. That’s why I moved Komando.com to Hostinger. It runs faster, and I’m saving about $3,395 a month. You can save big too. Go to Hostinger.com/Kim.
💾 What’s taking up all that space? Let Windows dig. Open Settings > System > Storage > Cleanup recommendations to find large or unused files, cloud copies and apps you barely touch. Review the suggestions before clicking Clean up, especially anything in Downloads. Better than opening folders and wondering what “stuff2” means.
That crop looked better in my head: On your Mac, open the picture or PDF in Preview, then choose File > Revert To > Browse All Versions. Use the timeline to find an earlier version, select it and click Restore. Handy for undoing an overenthusiastic crop or a misplaced annotation. You may not have ruined it after all.
👥 Another friend request from someone you know: It could be a scammer copying their profile. A public Facebook friends list makes finding targets easier. Open Settings & privacy > How people find and contact you and set Who can see your friends list? to Only me or Friends. While there, limit friend requests to Friends of friends. No need to hand over the address book.
Too many words before coffee: Google Docs can turn pages of text into a quick audio summary. It picks out the main points instead of reading every word aloud. Open the file, then click Tools > Audio > Listen to document summary. Don’t see the option? Join Workspace Experiments for free and refresh. Your eyes can clock in later.
💧 I write this for you: Get my Splash of AI free newsletter every Tuesday and Thursday. Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to turn crumpled receipts into expense reports, make Google your free marketing department, hide sensitive ChatGPT conversations from prying eyes and understand why tech CEOs keep promising AGI. Yours free. Sign up now at SplashOfAI.com, so it hits your inbox tomorrow morning.
KIM’S DAILY DEALS
As an Amazon Associate, some links pay us a commission at no extra cost to you. Keeps this newsletter free. Thank you.
🧑🍳 Dashes of kitchen magic
Prep, cook and serve without the fuss.
🧂 Spice things up: Salt and pepper grinders (30% off, $35)
4.6 ⭐ 400+ reviews
Cooking with one hand on the pan? Flip a grinder over, and it does the work automatically. Six settings let you go from fine to chunky. An LED light shows how much you’re adding. No more overdoing the pepper.
Image: CIRCLE JOY
🔪 Sharp storage: Get your knives out of the drawer with a 16-inch magnetic holder (15% off, $22). Mount it with screws or stick it on your fridge.
Knock on wood: Solid wooden utensils (26% off, $29) handle hot cooking and won’t scratch your nonstick pans. Great holiday gift, too.
🧅 Control the chaos: These pantry organizers (23% off, $24, two-set) pull double duty. Trash bags go below, onions and potatoes ride on top.
Temp check tech: Alpha Grillers’ digital meat thermometer (13% off, $14) shows you a reading in seconds. Turkey Day is coming. Be ready.
😋 Craving seconds? Browse all my kitchen picks before your next grocery run. →
Prices and deals were accurate at the time of publication.
WHAT THE TECH?
Image: Warhound
🐕 Bark to the future
Your goldendoodle’s idea of guard duty is barking at the Amazon driver. Warhound wants more.
Here’s something I never thought would happen. The new startup, valued at $1.2 billion, raised $200 million to gene-edit military dogs that are faster, healthier and better at sniffing out bombs. Its co-founder runs Colossal, the company behind the “dire wolves.” Anduril will add goggles and sensor-packed vests that feed data to handlers. Think German shepherd meets Captain America. The first cloned pups are due early next year.
Check it out here. Some dogs are bred for battle. Mine’s pure bread.
LOGGING OUT …
🎓 What you learned today: Wi-Fi 8 routers are on sale two years before the standard is finished, and a 15-minute fix beats buying one. Your Samsung TV may know which ads you skip, and your water heater could soon mine Bitcoin. Plus, one setting hides your Facebook friends list from scammers, and Windows will tell you exactly what’s eating your storage. You’re so smart now!
Tomorrow: Every bank password reset lands in one inbox, and most of us use that same inbox for coupons and newsletters. I’ll give you the free fix that cuts crooks off at the door.
📲 The answer: B) It tracks how fast phones are moving on the road. Yep, when lots of phones with location turned on crawl along the same road, Google paints it red. (The data is anonymous, Google says.)
In 2020, artist Simon Weckert loaded 99 secondhand phones into a wagon, all running Google Maps, and strolled down the street. Google saw 99 “cars” barely moving and flagged a jam.
Want to help your neighbors? Report crashes and slowdowns right in the app while you’re navigating. What do cars put on their toast? Traffic jam.
🔒 You lock your doors every night. Tonight, lock down your address. Those data broker sites sell your home address, your phone and your family's names to anyone with a few bucks, and you'll never know who looked. Incogni scrubbed me from over 400 sites while I did exactly nothing. So the next time a stranger searches your name, let them find nothing. Use this link to get 60% off.
💛 Most of the time, the thing we already have works fine. It needs a little attention and a better spot in the room. Same goes for routers. Same goes for people. Make it a great day! I love writing this for you! — Kim
Kim Komando • Komando.com • 510+ radio stations • Trusted by millions daily
🏆 THE KIM CHALLENGE: Forward this to ONE person who needs to hear it today. Pick the person who popped into your head while reading. You know who it is.
Photo credit(s): ChatGPT/Kim Komando, CIRCLE JOY, Warhound
Companies and products denoted by an asterisk (*) within this publication are paid sponsors or advertisements. As an Amazon Associate, the publisher earns from qualifying purchases. Statements regarding products denoted by a double asterisk (**) have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; such products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This newsletter is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice of any kind. Readers should consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on this content. The publisher disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, or injury resulting from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein.