"Ten minutes … "

This is the sound of school resuming at households around Mississippi this week as students return to the classroom — the virtual classroom, that is. Thousands of students across the state are joining their classmates virtually, relying on their home internet connection like never before.

Would you leave your home for vacation with the doors unlocked and a window open? Probably not. But did you know you may be leaving your home network wide open to internet hackers without knowing it?

Today, there are an estimated 30 billion smart-home devices in use. Each of them is connected to a home network, and 70 percent of the most popular IoT devices are not secure.

Parenting in the digital age requires internet savvy and a commitment to keeping up with the rapidly changing online landscape. When your child logs onto a tablet, laptop or mobile phone, the world is at their fingertips. And sometimes that can lead to a world of trouble.

C Spire announced plans today to begin construction on a Gigabit-speed fiber internet network in Alabama, beginning in the luckiest neighborhoods of Trussville and Jasper. If you live in either of those cities, you can visit cspire.com now to check your address for fiber availability and pre-order C Spire Fiber internet services.

Looking for a way to stay up to date with the latest news, or looking for some new entertainment options for you and your family while you’re stuck at home? There are now several options available to access streaming services for free or as part of a free trial.

Here are our picks for the best free streaming TV apps for you to discover.

The widespread availability of broadband internet, and especially symmetrical fiber networks, have enabled online gaming to become truly global.

As players of all ages logon to their favorite games to play alongside or against friends and strangers around the block and around the world, parents are facing a new dilemma: What games are safe for their kids?