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Making a desktop have wifi -prove my DD wrong!

15 replies

Feelingworriednow · 11/09/2016 11:33

Now my 15 yo DD says that no way will Mumsnet be able to answer my tech question and I should find someone who knows what they are talking about. I launched into a vivid description of the hive mind that is Mumsnet and she rolled her eyes at me. I now HAVE to prove her wrong !

We have moved from Sky to BT this week and I have had to put the BT hub downstairs away from the desktop which is upstairs. There is no way to run a cable between them. Luckily I have a laptop but we do really need to have the desktop connected to the Internet. I understand I could put a wifi chip/card thing in the desktop but that sounds a bit too technical for me. Is there a dongle type thing I can just plug into the desktops USB port that will make it work. And if there is what would you recommend I buy?

OP posts:
dailyarsewipe · 11/09/2016 11:36

There is, we used to have one. Not sure what brand it was but I think it was just from Argos or somewhere.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 11/09/2016 11:38

So the best thing yes would be a card that goes into the computer. You could probably get one fitted for you by any little independent computer shop. I wouldn't let PC World so it (personal preference).
You certainly used to be able to buy a dongle for a usb port that have you WiFi. Belkin certainly did them. That you could buy in PC World or somewhere like Maplin. Or online look at Dabs.

justdontevenfuckingstart · 11/09/2016 11:39

Go to maplins you can get tp link boosters that you plug into a normal plug socket to extend your WiFi signal. Hopefully!

justdontevenfuckingstart · 11/09/2016 11:40

Oh that's not what you meant. Am so not technical here. But yep I had a WiFi dongle that plugged into the USB in the tower. Argos I think too and not expensive.

MrsMushrooms · 11/09/2016 11:41

Yes, you can get a USB wifi receiver. It'll never be as good as a cable or a network card though, so I'd use it alongside a wifi booster if you can!

unweavedrainbow · 11/09/2016 11:43

Yes, it's called-fairly obviously- a USB wireless adapter. It just plugs in to your USB port and lets your PC connect to the internet wirelessly. So far, so good.
Exactly which one to get is a bit complicated. This link explains it quite well. I suspect that as your PC is upstairs and the router downstairs you will want 2.4 GHz which means that you need 802.11n but that probably sounds like gobbledygook right now and is just a suggestion, anyway.

bushtailadventures · 11/09/2016 11:44

You need something like this: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01A0UH4I0/ref=pd_vtph_0_tr_t_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XJQR2S8JBA6WCD7796Q3&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

Basically just plug it in, sign in and go. We had a dongle on the old desktop, worked fine.

FinallyHere · 11/09/2016 12:09

YY to wifi as suggested by bushtail

Interested to know why your BT modem/router has to go downstairs, rather than to replace the previous one? When i got fibre broadband, the instructions were to plug it into the master phone socket, rather than any phone extension socket. I did this at first, til the connection settled down. Then ran a speed checked, move the box back where the original one was and ran the speed check again, no difference, so the route now lives tidily upstairs.

www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk/

All the best, yay fir MN hive mind

Feelingworriednow · 11/09/2016 14:41

Thank you so much! I have ordered the one off Amazon as I have Prime so it will be here tomorrow. Looking forward to DD's reaction!

OP posts:
Ferguson · 12/09/2016 21:21

Not sure what you've ordered, so I hope it's all right!

We have just got a TP-link 600mbs Powerline kit, which superimposes the wi fi signals down the mains electric circuit:

uk.tp-link.com/

OnionKnight · 14/09/2016 12:35

You can either use a wifi dongle or a powerlink that uses the electric circuits within your house to transmit the data, I use a powerlink setup with ethernet cables because the wifi versions can be a bit glitchy.

sureshsingh6117 · 24/05/2017 10:36

You can either use a wifi dongle or a powerlink that uses the electric circuits within your house to transmit the data, I use a powerlink setup with ethernet cables because the wifi versions can be a bit glitchy. appforfree.net/titanium-backup-pro-apk/

keely79 · 24/05/2017 10:37

I was going to suggest the powerline as well - I think signal more reliable.

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