Wireless Wifi Receiver

[Johnbee58]

Hey!

On the PC I use in my music room (which is dedicated to music production) I have it in an area that's rich in electronics and under the desk which means that it drops the connection on a very regular basis.  The PC is a Windows 8.1.  I was advised last year to buy a USB based receiver for it (kind of like an antenna to pick up the WIFI from my network).  I haven't bought one yet.

Here's the situation.  I already have a USB WIFI receiver, but I don't know if it's the right kind.  I bought it about 10 years ago for my Windows XP machine that had no internal receiver.  My current PC HAS an internal receiver and does pick up the signal about 60-70% of the time but I get so tired of having to go into the modem setting and restart it when I see the damned exclamation point (!)

The receiver I have is a Belkin and it's just a little square thing about 1 inch by 1.5 inches that plugs into any USB port.  The reason I haven't just taken it and plugged it in to try it is that I don't want to take a chance on ruining or frying anything.  I don't want to destroy any of those USB port because I use them frequently for backups and stuff.

Would I be risking the integrity of my USB ports just trying it? How well do you think it would work?   Should I just buy a new receiver?

Thanks

?John B.

Edited August 4, 2019 by Johnbee58

[msmcleod]

Have you thought about getting a WiFi repeater?

My Studio is in the back of my garden, and my WiFi router is at the front of my house. I've got a WiFi repeater in the kitchen, which is in the back of my house and makes a huge difference.

Something like this should do the trick:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Extender-External-Antennas-TL-WA855RE/dp/B0195Y0A42/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=WiFi+repeater&qid=1564926791&s=gateway&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sr=8-3

[Kurre]

I also recommend a repeater.

[Johnbee58]

I checked this out.  A bit concerned about the security aspect.

Thanks

?JB

[Gswitz]

Wifi Repeaters usually broadcast another ssid and relay the traffic rather than repeat it. This creates cross talk between the two ssids that makes everything work less well. If your stuff is fairly stationary, it will be fine because you can put one desktop on ssid bekan1 and the other on bekanomgbekan and be good to go. If it is your phone though, you will have to switch from one to the other depending on your room and that is a pain.

My wifi repeater is in a drawer.

If your Wi-Fi device is usb, how about a maximally long usb cable for 5 dollars? That might help you place it for better reception. Also, turn off power suspend setting in device manager to ensure you stay connected.

Edited August 6, 2019 by Gswitz

[InstrEd]

If buying new. Look into a MESH system. I got a Linksys MR8300.  They are replacing repeaters.   I got the MR8300 because I wanted the connections to connect my printer etc.  Then you add extra mesh units as needed. Like these.  https://www.linksys.com/us/c/whole-home-mesh-wifi/

So far so good.  Only thing I don't like about them is you have to use android or ios to setup the unit. You can't set up by computer web browser

 

[craigb]

If you decide to go with the long CAT6 cable route, here's where we get all our stuff when we wire clients up:

https://www.pchcables.com/

 

They're right next to the Intel campuses out here in the Pacific Northwest, but you can obviously order online and get things shipped!  I mean, a 100' CAT6 cable for only $24.11??!  Most places charge that for a three foot cable!

[Johnbee58]

All these suggestions sound more complicated than I want to go, but thanks for taking the time to suggest them.

?JB

[msmcleod]

Rather than a usb dongle that sticks out the back of your PC, you could consider is one with an external antenna.

This is the one I use in my studio:

https://www.ebuyer.com/262952-tp-link-tl-wn822n-300mbps-high-gain-wireless-n-usb-adapter-tl-wn822n?mkwid=sIWICnDdL_dc&pcrid=51482427899&pkw=&pmt=&gclid=CjwKCAjwyqTqBRAyEiwA8K_4OzRapFqYpCEoJfHwd_EuFSXi6BM3qAOLFBaZ9xjbwQlbO1Bs6kRR7RoCT9sQAvD_BwE

Because my studio is sound proofed, I run a 5m USB cable through the walls with this "looking" through the window to the house. 

Using something like this gives you the option of positioning the antenna in a more suitable place where the signal is stronger.

[Johnbee58]

2 hours ago, msmcleod said:

Rather than a usb dongle that sticks out the back of your PC, you could consider is one with an external antenna.

This is the one I use in my studio:

https://www.ebuyer.com/262952-tp-link-tl-wn822n-300mbps-high-gain-wireless-n-usb-adapter-tl-wn822n?mkwid=sIWICnDdL_dc&pcrid=51482427899&pkw=&pmt=&gclid=CjwKCAjwyqTqBRAyEiwA8K_4OzRapFqYpCEoJfHwd_EuFSXi6BM3qAOLFBaZ9xjbwQlbO1Bs6kRR7RoCT9sQAvD_BwE

Because my studio is sound proofed, I run a 5m USB cable through the walls with this "looking" through the window to the house. 

Using something like this gives you the option of positioning the antenna in a more suitable place where the signal is stronger.

Yeah, I was considering something like that late last year, but the one I had in mind had poor customer reviews on Amazon.

?JB

[JohnG]

Have you considered using a pair of Powerline Adapters?  tp-link make these too.

For some time the laptop my wife uses has been having issues connecting via wi-fi.

sometimes it works, other times it doesn't, it loses the connection for no apparent reason.

I bought a TL-PA4020P Kit at my local supermarket, plugged it up, switched it on, performed the link up procedure and it was good to go.

She consistently gets slightly more than 400Mbps throughput through the link. Of course the internet connection is nowhere near as fast.

It's been working consistently for about 6 months or so.

Now, whether it suits your mains electricity setup, I couldn't say. But worth a thought maybe?

[msmcleod]

13 minutes ago, JohnG said:

Have you considered using a pair of Powerline Adapters?  tp-link make these too.

For some time the laptop my wife uses has been having issues connecting via wi-fi.

sometimes it works, other times it doesn't, it loses the connection for no apparent reason.

I bought a TL-PA4020P Kit at my local supermarket, plugged it up, switched it on, performed the link up procedure and it was good to go.

She consistently gets slightly more than 400Mbps throughput through the link. Of course the internet connection is nowhere near as fast.

It's been working consistently for about 6 months or so.

Now, whether it suits your mains electricity setup, I couldn't say. But worth a thought maybe?

This is actually a really good idea.

I've always shied away from this, as I thought it might introduce noise into the ground... but I guess the frequencies are too high to make a difference?

Do you find it affects your audio setup at all when it's in use? 

[JohnG]

Well, I haven't had any problems at all, but then my setup is a pretty amateur thing, not really a studio at all.

I think, in the past, that these things were troublesome but I believe they've got most of those problems ironed out.

The kit was just 40 UK pounds from my local Tesco supermarket. I'd have thought, at that price, that it's worth trying.

Maybe you can get the kit on a trial basis?

P.S. I did get a long piece of Cat5 cable (the kit comes with two shorter pieces) so that I could position the box in my room on the other side.

Edited August 6, 2019 by JohnG

[Gswitz]

I have a pair of those things. Cat 5 input.... Plug it into the wall... Take it out of any connected socket in the house and you are connected. Not WiFi... Wired... Using your home's electric cables to carry the signal.

I have a nice studio [my wife thinks] and it does not interfere.

Edited August 7, 2019 by Gswitz

[Johnbee58]

Fellas ?❤️!

Would this work for me?

https://www.amazon.com/BrosTrend-1200Mbps-Wireless-Internet-AC3/dp/B01IEU7UZ0?tag=gadgetj-20

 

Yours in Music;

?John B

 

 

[msmcleod]

21 minutes ago, Johnbee58 said:

Fellas ?❤️!

Would this work for me?

https://www.amazon.com/BrosTrend-1200Mbps-Wireless-Internet-AC3/dp/B01IEU7UZ0?tag=gadgetj-20

 

Yours in Music;

?John B

 

 

Yeah, I think that would do the trick.