As the top says.
Recently I set up an old-ish desktop PC for study purposes and thought I could get away with not having internet (was mostly just going to be for Word), but I've since realised that was naive to assume
My friend mentioned an adapter or dongle that could allow WiFi?
What's good and cheap that could solve the issue?
What's the general quality/price ratio?
While I understand a $170 dongle will be decent, it will also cost more than my current computer+monitor+keyboard+mouse+desk set up combined.
Is there anything cheaper, but still decent?
WiFi has different protocols, and the speed of your connection decreases with distance away from the router.
A better quality dongle will give you better speed when you’re close to the router… and its performance will decrease less rapidly as you get further away. (There are a lot of factors that determine “better” in this context.) An expensive Wifi dongle might support more types of protocols and features.
However: you don't really need the fastest if you don't actually need all that speed. For general web browsing you can get away with unbranded dongles, like this one https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/676294
If your desktop has PCIe slots you should probably opt into installing a PCIE network card instead (example: TP-Link Archer T4E, T5E or T6E). They have more antennas and generally perform a little better than USB dongles.
i bought mine off ebay for $10, it worked perfectly and was just as fast as the wifi that was in my laptop(which stopped working), before you buy an expensive one, try a cheap ebay one, they work fine
I got one like this for my mother when we changed her over from mobile broadband to NBN https://www.ijk.com.au/branch/ijk/product/157976m1094/NW611.… and it has been fine for her needs.
Just get one of these and you’ll be set.
TP-Link 150Mbps Wireless N Nano USB Adapter (TL-WN725N) https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B008IFXQFU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_g…
Based on the 2 upvotes and familiar brand name, I've gone with this
Thanks for the help 👍
Will work if you do not have to go through walls or only one wall that is not solid.
That’s not true - I’ve used these through brick walls, from one end of a house to another through many walls.
Did not work for me, but at the time my modem was only a 300MB with 3 antenna from memory as it was years ago.
It's basically a direct line of sight, though different rooms from the router
Given that any two points in the universe are " line of sight" if you ignore walls, stars and planets between them, I can't argue with that:-p
Plenty of good cheap solutions offered here another option for you is to chuck your mobile phone on a cord and connect it to the PC and feed it the internet that way
One of these will work better than the nano adapters:
https://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=TL-WN822N
There are others that TPlink USB adapters that support higher speeds and dual bands:
https://www.tp-link.com/au/home-networking/high-gain-adapter…
I bought a Simplecom NW621 AC1200 USB WiFi Adapter Dual Band with 5dBi High Gain Antenna over a year ago and it works a treat.
Plugged it in and the PC found it straight away.
External antennas always have more gain than internal ones.
Edit: Forgot to add that they are around $30 on eBay.
Which router did you get since 2 years ago?
Some above suggestions above may not work if your 2.4GHz is still non existent.
Assuming your old PC/laptop only has USB2.0, something like Archer T3U for $50 would work. If you have USB3.0 even better. You can also use it on another computer.
New router since then. I forget what it's called, but that issue is fixed 👍
I'll keep this in mind in case the cheaper one is no good
Before you buy a WIFI adapter, can you check / confirm if your old desktop PC already has one? Assuming you are running a version of Windows OS, you can check using "Device Manager" under "Network adapters" If you are not sure, you can post a screenshot / picture, and we might be able to help you.
If you do already have built in WIFI, then you just need to set it up in Windows with SSID and password …
Cheers
Telcos sell USB adaptors enabling you to then access the internet
I found that a long Ethernet cable from my PC to the back of my wifi router gave me a solid connection, even without line of sight.
This is obviously the preferable scenario, but it would require a 10+ metre cable to avoid becoming a tripping hazard given the layout of the house
do not know where you are but if pssible check out msy bought a ouple od wifi adaptors and thy did not cost the earth
Thanks OP… you've reminded me why I installed extra data points and CAT6 cabling around the house build.
A usb Wi-Fi adapter and away you go.
https://www.google.com.au/shopping/product/47907748897988388…