USB wi-fi dongle for desktop PC


  1. Posts : 116
    win 10 professional
       #1

    USB wi-fi dongle for desktop PC


    I live in the UK and recently decided to upgrade my home system.
    I previously used a Dell PC in my conservatory and an identical one in the main house, upstairs in an office (small bedroom).
    The office has a phone socket that runs outside the house and is joined to the BT cable via a star connection.

    The upgrade to BT fibre broadband now gives 37Mbps in the conservatory, but the guy from BT Openreach disconnected my office feed as he said it's no longer allowed to star wire.

    How can I get a signal to my office PC, as it's too cold to use the conservatory in the winter?
    I thought about using a wi-fi dongle and want to get something decent, compatible with Win 10, please.
    I could run about 40 metres of cable from the router, but it's messy and hard to hide. Much better if wi-fi is any good.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 16,325
    W10Prox64
       #2

    Hi.
    Did the BT guy say if the equipment he installed sends out a wifi signal? If so, I would go ahead and get a wifi dongle for your office computer - should work fine. I live in the US, so not familiar with BT equipment. But, I have wifi-connected equipment all over my house and it all works well, even streaming.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 116
    win 10 professional
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thank you.
    Yes, the new router (Technicolour) sends out a wi-fi signal which seems very good.
    I've been changing network names and passwords for:
    Samsung tv
    Samsung BD6500 smart hub blu-ray player
    Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge phone
    Sony Playstation

    All picked up the wi-fi, no problem.

    The reason for my question here is that I've read lots of comments about wi-fi USB dongles for PCs giving up due to Win 10 driver problems.
    The Netgear N600 seems very prone and gives Win 10 users BSOD.
    I want to avoid that.

    Many thanks for your help.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 16,325
    W10Prox64
       #4

    Well, I just bought this to use when people bring their systems over for me to work on. It's an off-brand, and works fine so far on W10 v 1709 and v1803.

    Amazon.com: WiFi Adapter AC600 USB Wireless Adapter 2.4GHz/5GHz Dual Band Network LAN Card with External Antenna for Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista/Mac OS10.6-10.13: Computers Accessories

    USB wi-fi dongle for desktop PC-image.png

    Maybe just keep the driver handy in a file you can easily find, so if Windows decides to update your driver and it no longer works, you can reinstall the working one.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 116
    win 10 professional
    Thread Starter
       #5

    How very kind of you. Thanks very much.
    I've looked on Amazon.co.uk
    Just look at the price difference:
    EDUP Wifi Adapter 600Mbps Wireless Usb Adapter ac600 2.4GHz/5.8GHz Dual Band Usb Adapter 2dBi External Antennas Supports Windows, Mac OS: Amazon.co.uk: Computers Accessories
    $16 to you and $40 to me here.
    I'll still buy one.
    Thanks again, very pleased with you.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 16,325
    W10Prox64
       #6

    sean5302 said:
    How very kind of you. Thanks very much.
    I've looked on Amazon.co.uk
    Just look at the price difference:
    EDUP Wifi Adapter 600Mbps Wireless Usb Adapter ac600 2.4GHz/5.8GHz Dual Band Usb Adapter 2dBi External Antennas Supports Windows, Mac OS: Amazon.co.uk: Computers Accessories
    $16 to you and $40 to me here.
    I'll still buy one.
    Thanks again, very pleased with you.
    Oh my goodness! Perhaps you should have a look for another, similar one... honestly, I don't think you'll have much problem with any of them. BTW: mine came with a driver mini-CD, and it said to install the driver first before physically connecting the adapter. But the seller says it's plug 'n play for W10. Still, I figured it best to install the driver first, just to be on the safe side. Cheers!
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 116
    win 10 professional
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Very grateful to you.
    You are a credit to the forum.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 16,325
    W10Prox64
       #8

    sean5302 said:
    Very grateful to you.
    You are a credit to the forum.
    Thanks! Not a problem at all; glad to help.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 31,465
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #9

    sean5302 said:
    ...I could run about 40 metres of cable from the router, but it's messy and hard to hide. Much better if wi-fi is any good.
    Your main concern with WiFi would be the distance. 5.0GHz gives faster speeds, but 2.4GHz has a longer range. Depending on how far it is to the conservatory you may not get a reliable 5.0GHz signal so would be using 2.4GHz.

    A general rule of thumb in home networking says that Wi-Fi routers operating on the traditional 2.4 GHz band reach up to 150 feet (46 m) indoors and 300 feet (92 m) outdoors. Older 802.11a routers that ran on 5 GHz bands reached approximately one-third of these distances. Newer 802.11n and 802.11ac routers that operate on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands vary in the reach similarly.
    What is the Range of a Typical Wi-Fi Network?

    Some ideas of real-world achievable speeds here: https://www.speedguide.net/faq/what-...f-wireless-374
      My Computers


 

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