PC gurus...I have a question

[CHenry]

I am wanting to hook my PC to my 70" TV for work tomorrow. I've beebn using the laptop but doing aerial photography of miles of highway on a little screen has gotten to be a real PITA. I've got it hooked up but now I need internet through the WIFI. I know there is some USB devices to make this work but I'm to ignorant to know what to buy. I want to get it on Amazon so if any of you have a recommendation and maybe a link to it from Amazon, I'd appreciate it.

 

[Fyrtwuck]

It it’s like mine, I go to the WiFi settings on my device and it searches for other compatible devices close by.

 

[CHenry]

It it’s like mine, I go to the WiFi settings on my device and it searches for other compatible devices close by.

I dont understand.
This is a tower computer that is not hardwired into the internet.

Is this what I need to make it connect through the WIFI?
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-des...585517671&sprefix=wireless+PC+,aps,187&sr=8-6

I chose this one because several like it were on delayed shipping untill 4/20 but I can get this by Fri.

 

[Tanis143]

That all depends on your router. If you have a high end router that is an AC1900 then you would want a AC1900 wifi adapter to take advantage of that, one like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Netgear-Nigh...id=2528832011&sprefix=usb+wifi,aps,174&sr=8-3

If you have a router that is not rated that high, then a cheaper one will work just fine, like this:

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-AC12...id=2528832011&sprefix=usb+wifi,aps,174&sr=8-1

Or, if you are reasonably close to the router and don't want a bulky stick hanging off the side you could use a smaller one like this:

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-AC12...id=2528832011&sprefix=usb+wifi,aps,174&sr=8-2

Though that smaller package costs almost as much as the higher end one I posted first. Depending on where your pc sits in relation to where the router is will determine if you want to plug it into the front or the back. You basically want the wifi adapter between the router and your computer so the metal frame of the computer does not block the wifi signal.

You could also use a powerline ethernet kit instead, which is a bit more reliable especially in bigger homes. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Netgear-Powe...=2528832011&sprefix=powerline+,aps,175&sr=8-6

If you go that route make sure to plug both adapters directly into a wall outlet as power strips/surge protectors can interfere with the data transmission.

As far as the brand, I chose Netgear to show as I trust their products. TP-Link is pretty good from what I hear, but I have never used them. Avoid Belkin and Linksys products (Linksys used to be good, but they are owned by Belkin now are starting to show this).

 

[CHenry]

Those are all a bit more pricey and wont ship soon enough. My router is no more than 20' from the tower. Its in the top of my coat closet in the entry and my tower and TV are 20-22' away in the living room.
I wish I had gone to best buy before they closed.

 

[beardking]

Those are all a bit more pricey and wont ship soon enough. My router is no more than 20' from the tower. Its in the top of my coat closet in the entry and my tower and TV are 20-22' away in the living room.
I wish I had gone to best buy before they closed.

If you are that close and it's only going to be temporary, I'd go with a long cat5 cable like this one.

https://amzn.to/2UFHoaY

That's what I do for my Xbox when I have a big update to do and want it to be faster than over wifi.

 

[CHenry]

If you are that close and it's only going to be temporary, I'd go with a long cat5 cable like this one.

https://amzn.to/2UFHoaY

That's what I do for my Xbox when I have a big update to do and want it to be faster than over wifi.

Oh sorry, I should have specified, this isnt temporary. Well it maybe on the living room TV, I may move it into the bedroom and hook to that 42" TV that mounts above my desk. after the work from home thing is over. I havent had a tower PC hooked up in here since buying the house 2 years ago this month. I didnt have a hardwire connection and didnt even know till recently that I had options like these. So while the cable is good to know about, I want this to be a permanent fix. I suppose I could run that cable through the attic and down inside the wall but I aint able to do a task like that myself.

 

[Tanis143]

Then go with that TP-link one you posted.

Cat5 would be ok if its not in a walkway unless you have a throw rug to put over it.

 

[CHenry]

Then go with that TP-link one you posted.

So that one will work? Is it going to be slow? I dont want to slow it down so I will pay more for a good connection. My wifi is AT&T and its the lowest speed package which has been fine for streaming TVs and laptop simultaneously.
This is for work right now and I feel its BS they didnt let us take our towers home instead of issuing laptops and giving us a VPN. I didnt get qa work laptop because they ran out so I am using my personal hardware and spending money to make it work for my needs so I want to keep it cheap but completely functional.

 

[NightShade]

Here is the deal, wireless will most always be slower than wired. However if you are not worried about file transfer and things of that nature it doesn't really matter as long as it's faster than your internet connection. So there unless you have fiber or the fastest cable it's probably not going to matter. Even a cheapo should work fine.

That's one of the things you have to think about before buying stuff that is wireless, just because it's fast and fancy doesn't make your internet connection any faster. It's different when you have a server in the house that you are transferring files to and from but even then you have to look at the slowest link in the chain. Sure that AC 1900 can put out 1900 Mbps but if the link from it to the server is only 1024Mbps is it really worth it? That is why when I upgraded the link to my server I also made sure my desktop was on a similar link so that it was useful. Now the slowest thing I have to deal with is the drives in the server... And that is the big issue with technology, you are always chasing down the biggest bottleneck to try and remove it. Don't overthink things when the slowest link is what you get from your ISP.