Wesley Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 (edited) The title says it all; doesn't it? At the moment I'm hooking my PC up to my Mac, which connects to a BT Hub wirelessly. Fancy, eh? So I am looking for a wireless solution for my PC. But I'm not versed in the wireless networking... stuff. So what are my options? USB dongle - surely that's weak and a stupid option for stupid people who browse stupid websites? A wireless network adapter - surely that's a shitty strength being at the back of my PC, which sits at my feet begging for food? Also: I'm looking for something that will allow me to connect to the internet but ALSO ALSO ALSO ALSO ALSO let me connect to another wireless device. I have some crafty business I want to do. Sorry for speaking like a twat I hope you'll still help me. OOOOO THE BUDGET! Less than £50? I guess. If it's more you can lend me some caaaash? I'm a little fish and you're the river Living in a boat that's underwater We can tip, tip, tip it over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111234567890 Edited August 23, 2009 by Wesley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raining_again Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 Don't get a dongle - its nothing but a nightmare. Card is the best way to go and if its a good one, the fact that its on the back of your pc won't be relevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesley Posted August 22, 2009 Author Share Posted August 22, 2009 Do you have any suggestions? I'm thinking that going with a brand name is a good idea for the quality... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raining_again Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 There are tonnes of them on amazon. If you are concerned about the signal maybe get one with an external wifi base thinger (good terminology right?!) Always worth have a search, checking prices, reviews etc. I had a usb wifi dongle a long time ago, was a Belkin one.. and the thing would just refuse to work - windows disagreed with the software, the dongle disagreed with windows wifi settings... Absolute nightmare. And the usbness just makes it slower. A card will start immediately (being internal) and you wont have to fanny around as much.. I ended up getting my dad to route a 15 meter cable through the entire house by the end of it... he's a NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR and couldn't get the bloody dongle to work ¬_______¬ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deathjam Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 There are tonnes of them on amazon. If you are concerned about the signal maybe get one with an external wifi base thinger (good terminology right?!) Always worth have a search, checking prices, reviews etc. I had a usb wifi dongle a long time ago, was a Belkin one.. and the thing would just refuse to work - windows disagreed with the software, the dongle disagreed with windows wifi settings... Absolute nightmare. And the usbness just makes it slower. A card will start immediately (being internal) and you wont have to fanny around as much.. I ended up getting my dad to route a 15 meter cable through the entire house by the end of it... he's a NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR and couldn't get the bloody dongle to work ¬_______¬ The dongles are truly terrible. It's also annoying when you do get them working, and then some nob end (sometimes myself) walks past them, knocking it, and destroying the dongle altogether. Card is was to go but personally, i just go wired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raining_again Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 The dongles are truly terrible. It's also annoying when you do get them working, and then some nob end (sometimes myself) walks past them, knocking it, and destroying the dongle altogether. Card is was to go but personally, i just go wired. Yeah, I had mine on a usb extension cable, attached to the wall at an exact position, and if it moved the signal fell on its arse! >___< I would go wired on a pc myself every time, but there can be practicality issues. I'm lucky my dad is very technically and DIY minded (having a network admin and ex-raf pilot engineer in the house is very handy ;P) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deathjam Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 Yeah, I had mine on a usb extension cable, attached to the wall at an exact position, and if it moved the signal fell on its arse! >___< I would go wired on a pc myself every time, but there can be practicality issues. I'm lucky my dad is very technically and DIY minded (having a network admin and ex-raf pilot engineer in the house is very handy ;P) Yeah the long wires running around the house can make for some rather amusing anecdotes later on. Trippings, knocking of routers, yanking of cable to detriment of what is on the end. Just, wireless for me has always been bad. I don't think living in a flat has helped. Another alternative is those Wireless plug things but they can be very expensive and they take up a socket. Very Reliable and fast from what I have heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesley Posted August 23, 2009 Author Share Posted August 23, 2009 Hum.. so I'll definitely go for a network card then.. cheers for the help guys. I would also normally go for a wired option, but this place I'm at only has wireless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shino Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Try going for the same brand as the router if it isn't to expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McPhee Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Don't get a dongle - its nothing but a nightmare. Card is the best way to go and if its a good one, the fact that its on the back of your pc won't be relevant. I've had the opposite experience, bought a PCI card and it was a nightmare to install. You had to install part of the drivers, power down the PC, install the hardware, reboot and then finish installing the drivers. Not too hard. The problems came when i'd reinstall the OS and forget to take the card out before hand. As soon as you do this the drivers won't work and i'd find myself reinstalling the OS. Not fun when you're trying to keep up with Win7 Beta builds. The best networking solutions are Homeplugs, really can't be beaten for simplicity. No hassle, you just plug em in and forget about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deathjam Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 I've had the opposite experience, bought a PCI card and it was a nightmare to install. You had to install part of the drivers, power down the PC, install the hardware, reboot and then finish installing the drivers. Not too hard. The problems came when i'd reinstall the OS and forget to take the card out before hand. As soon as you do this the drivers won't work and i'd find myself reinstalling the OS. Not fun when you're trying to keep up with Win7 Beta builds. The best networking solutions are Homeplugs, really can't be beaten for simplicity. No hassle, you just plug em in and forget about it That's what I was talking about earlier. Heard and read very good things about them but they are a tad expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ike Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 The best networking solutions are Homeplugs, really can't be beaten for simplicity. No hassle, you just plug em in and forget about it How good are these, I was thinking of getting one for my laptop since I usually only get around 11mbps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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