Making my desktop PC wireless

Dogboy73

Dogboy73

Dogboy73

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Joined
27 May 2004
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693
Location
UK
I've never had to do this before because I usually just used a wired connection to a router. But that's not possible in my current set-up - living with the in-laws after moving to Australia! We have access to their wireless broadband and I can connect to this on my iPad or wife's laptop pretty much anywhere in the house. So I was thinking I could buy a wireless adapter PCI card for my desktop PC and get onto their wirless broadband this way. Is this the bet solution?

Unfortunately it's just not possible to run a network cable from the router to my PC, otherwise I would do this. But I'm sat next to my desktop now typing this on my iPad and I can get onto the router just fine. So should I be able to pick up the router just as well on my desktop with a wirless adapter? Cheers ;)
 
A USB, PCI or PCI express wireless adapter should do what you want. I do personally prefer the USB option as a simple extension cable allows plenty of flexibility on the positioning for a good signal.

Any chance you could use Powerline adapters? They're usually better than wireless for fixed equipment.
 
If you plan on gaming I'd recommend a PCI or PCI-E Wireless card. mine came with an extension so I can sit the aerial on my desk. I had terrible problems with a belkin USB adaptor but haven't really tried any other types.
 
Problems with a Belkin wireless adapter of any sort wouldn't surprise many people. The same applies to their routers.

It's never made much sense why products on this side of their business have been so poor.
 
Dogboy73 said:
So should I be able to pick up the router just as well on my desktop with a wirless adapter? Cheers ;)
Click to expand...

Entirely depends on the card you get. I'm using a Dlink DWA-547 in this machine right now. It's a great card I've had for quite a few years and the reception is excellent. It works without needing to install the drivers from CD on Windows and it works without needing to compile the drivers by hand or use ndiswrapper on Linux.

In fact, I love this card so much, I ordered another one the other day to add to a box I'm intending to sell. However, it's a later revision. And this revision has been a nightmare. Off the bat, Windows won't automatically install the drivers for it. I think because the earlier version in this machine is using the Atheros ath5k chipset and the new revision uses the Atheros ath9k chipset (though on Linux there's no such ath9k driver problems since Atheros chipsets are well supported). The speed has been atrocious and a bit of googling finds I have to start messing with the band and channels in the router to see what best fits the card. But there's the risk of doing that, causing problems with the card I'm already using. And that's without taking into consideration that the revision clusters the antenna closer together, so there might be a problem with that not being able to penetrate the walls as well as my earlier card with the antennas more spaced out (who knows, wireless is fickle).

The only reason I'm not returning the card or messing with the router, is I'm getting fibre connected at the end of the month. So I'll see what the router is like they're sending out (if it doesn't do what I need it to do, I'll buy something like the TP Link) and if the card is still a problem I'll return it and get something else.

TL;DR... Try and get something with Atheros chipsets, as I've found for the most part they're better than others (especially on Linux). And if you can't decide, buy two or three different cards, test them all and keep the one you like and return the others under DSR. DO NOT BUY THE NETGEAR WG311v3 for it is Satan with antennae!
 
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Thanks for the replies ;)

One other thing I wanted to do was to set-up an ad hoc network between a desktop and my iPad. This is not so I can get online. I just need to connect an editor that runs on a PC/Mac to an App I use on the iPad. So the desktop needs to be Wi-Fi. Would I be able to do this with one of those Wi-Fi/wireless USB dongles?
 
Are you still in the UK or now in Aus? I have lots of PCI Wireless cards kicking about from an old project that are surplus to requirement if that'll help? Don't fancy posting on to AUS tho
 
Terrier_Jimlad said:
Are you still in the UK or now in Aus? I have lots of PCI Wireless cards kicking about from an old project that are surplus to requirement if that'll help? Don't fancy posting on to AUS tho
Click to expand...

I might be in need of two of these in the very near future if you could help me out, I'm in england.
 
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