Dongles? - How do I make my non-wireless PC wireless?

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Dongles? - How do I make my non-wireless PC wireless?

JoJo2

43 posts

Geek

# 214698 24-May-2017 13:25

Hi, I recently upgraded to faster broadband only to find my desktop PC is not wireless. What can you recommend as far as upgrading it to be able to connect wirelessly? I have moved my modem from my office to the lounge and connected in there, leaving my desktop unconnected to the wifi network. Any advice would be much appreciated. I presume I need something like a "wifi adapter" but don't understand the difference between the antenna looking ones and the nice compact ones. They seem to range from $19 to over $100, and I am presuming you get what you pay for, but any advice and comments would be appreciated. Cheers!

1 | 2

1525 posts

Uber Geek

# 1787434 24-May-2017 13:26

One person supports this post

Run a cable.

ubergeeknz

3344 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Vocus

# 1787436 24-May-2017 13:27

2 people support this post

If you just need to connect the one PC, your money would be better spent getting a cable run from your lounge (where the router and presumably the "ONT" is) to your office :)

Wireless is fine as a fill-in and for portable devices, but there's no substitute for a wired connection if you need speed and reliability.

timmmay

15095 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

# 1787455 24-May-2017 13:56

2 people support this post

If you can't run a cable, consider a good brand of powerline networking.

Krishant007

1401 posts

Uber Geek

# 1787474 24-May-2017 14:29

2 people support this post

I actually am on a wireless connection with my PC and fibre router with some caveats:

I have a 3rd party DLink modem capable of dual band and wireless AC
I upgrade the wifi card in my PC so it has dual band
The router is 2m away in another room

I do get 96Mbps speedtest speeds which is awesome. on a 100mb connection.

jonb

1495 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

# 1787502 24-May-2017 15:30

2 people support this post

Something like this would be fine. If it is relatively near to each other (one or two rooms away) then connect using AC on the 5GHz frequency. If you find it occasionally drops out on 'AC' then switch to 'N' on the 2.4GHz frequency. N is fine for normal browsing and gaming but might have issues if using the desktop heavily as a media streaming PC.

hio77

'That VDSL Cat'
10751 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Spark

Subscriber

# 1787504 24-May-2017 15:38

One person supports this post

As above, if running a cable is possible Then go for that.

otherwise the two recommendations would be to trial a Powerline kit - not affected by environmental issues but does not work for all situations.

Finally, definitely a wireless dongle would be your best bet.

There can be a bit of provider fluff in the price, but overall what your looking for is...

5ghz support.

Preferably AC

At-least Dualstream/Channel

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

Crowdie

228 posts

Master Geek

# 1787816 24-May-2017 21:15

2 people support this post

jonb:

Something like this would be fine. If it is relatively near to each other (one or two rooms away) then connect using AC on the 5GHz frequency. If you find it occasionally drops out on 'AC' then switch to 'N' on the 2.4GHz frequency. N is fine for normal browsing and gaming but might have issues if using the desktop heavily as a media streaming PC.

I would disagree. This is a "micro" format device so is OK for very short ranges (wireless router in the same room, wireless keyboard/mouse, etc.) but don't expect fantastic speeds as it is only USB 2.0. 802.11ac USB adapters should be USB 3.

Rikkitic

Fat bottom Trump
10533 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

# 1787833 24-May-2017 23:14

One person supports this post

LAN cable is certainly best, other options mentioned here maybe okay, but techies often tend to go for overkill solutions. Here is a very cheap and nasty wi-fi dongle that may or may not work depending on the quality of your wi-fi signal and what speed you expect to get. I am not recommending it, just pointing out that there are options that might be sufficient depending on your requirements and that don't break the bank. If nothing else, the price is right.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/networking-modems/wireless-networking/adaptors/auction-1331263288.htm

I reject your reality and substitute my own. - Adam Savage

andrewNZ

2123 posts

Uber Geek

# 1787835 24-May-2017 23:23

2 people support this post

What do you actually use the computer for? (Surprised no one has asked this)

For basic things a cheap wireless dongle will be fine, others stuff might need a more expensive one, while for some things wireless is totally unsuitable.

Location: Dunedin

richms

22413 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

# 1787856 25-May-2017 07:38

2 people support this post

If you get a tiny USB device also get a USB extension cable so you can lift it up away from the large chunk of metal which is the PC case. The nano sized ones are particularly useless due to antenna size in them and need all the help that they can get.

Richard rich.ms

JoJo2

43 posts

Geek

# 1787872 25-May-2017 08:05

Thank you all so much, this has made for a really informative read. I use the desktop for work related internet based programs (Xero etc). But in the back of my mind was asking the same question for two PVRs I have due to arrive (vu+ brand). Having read this I take it cable is actually always the best and I now understand why new house builds have cabling through them. Is it an expensive job to get cabling through to a couple of rooms?

Any more comments/advice greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

robjg63

2967 posts

Uber Geek

# 1787873 25-May-2017 08:09

Like andrewNZ said above, what do you use the PC for?
If you aren't doing massive upload/download/streaming activities, then wifi should be ok.
Also depends how far you are from the wireless access point.

Like you, when I had ufb installed the connection moved away from my pc.
I bought one of these:
https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NETTPL0822/TP-LINK-TL-WN822N-300Mbps-High-Gain-Wireless-N-USB

It works very well - pc is upstairs and access point is downstairs. I can stream and upload/download pretty quick. I figured that this was a good device because:
It has a cable which let's me move it around a little to get the best position
Has 2 (small) aerials - I figure the tiny button wifi adapters have very little aerial

I have used powerline devices before but found they sometimes seem to get screwed up.
Running a cable is the best answer if money and logistics is no object, otherwise a wifi adapter will do the job ok.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

1101

1869 posts

Uber Geek

# 1787978 25-May-2017 09:46

- the small USB dongles are fine. If that cant get the signal you are going to have wifi issues in that room regardless
- you can get USB wifi adapters that work better than the small dongles , but if wifi is sketchy, do you really want to use it ?
- how many walls & floors . For each wall the signal will loose about 1/2 its strength
- some sites wifi works fine across many rooms, other sites its almost unusable. Its a matter of try it & see how well it works
- 5.8G is more affected than 2.4G by walls/floors/obstacles . Just physics, the way it is.
- if the wifi receiver(PC) isnt Wifi AC complient , Wifi AC wont really help

Often you cant "just run a cable". Its a home, not an office block.
Powerline Networking is the next best option (usually)
Powerline Networking SOMETIMES wont work either, or wont work in some rooms (power cabling issues, powerlines too noisey etc)
Again, its a matter of try it & see if it works, usually does.

Crowdie

228 posts

Master Geek

# 1788330 25-May-2017 19:32

robjg63:

Like you, when I had ufb installed the connection moved away from my pc.
I bought one of these:
https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NETTPL0822/TP-LINK-TL-WN822N-300Mbps-High-Gain-Wireless-N-USB

How can you call this "high gain" when it has 3 dBi dipole antennas? A standard dipole antenna is around 2.15 dBi so describing this as "high gain" is just marketing rubbish preying on people who don't know any better.

Crowdie

228 posts

Master Geek

# 1788335 25-May-2017 19:42

1101:

- if the wifi receiver(PC) isnt Wifi AC complient , Wifi AC wont really help

If you are going to purchase a wireless adapter purchase an 802.11ac model as:

You may upgrade your wireless router in the future.
The 802.11ac wireless adapter will have a reasonably new radio and antenna. The antenna is one of the most important, and commonly overlooked, components of the wireless adapter.

1 | 2