cheapish dongle

silkyuk9

ok something new to me. daughter has just got a pc and needs a dongle, we have good vodafone signal so im thinking vodafone is the way to go.

what she wants is a dongle then just go to the shop and top it up like she does with her mobile fone.

not sure what im on about as never used one before.

anyway, can i pick up a free doble or do i have to pay for one. then all i need is it topping up when it needs credit.

help required please

macman

Since a PC is not portable, would it not be better to just connect it to your existing landline broadband connection, if you have one? (I'm assuming that she is at the same property).

Donnie

Cheapest at the moment at £15, but not really cost effective for home use. Why not the ADSL aforementioned by macman?

'Good Vodafone signal' on a mobile telephone does not indicate a good mobile broadband signal. You should use Site Finder to find UMTS masts close by.

silkyuk9

macman wrote: »

Since a PC is not portable, would it not be better to just connect it to your existing landline broadband connection, if you have one? (I'm assuming that she is at the same property).

i have my pc downstairs, how could she get connection running through my router?? what do i need

Donnie

If yours is a Wireless router and her's is a PC and not a laptop; something like this for £5.90 or this for £6.85.

The first is the easiest and will work with a laptop or a PC, but the second is more reliable; though will take five to ten minutes of your time to fit.

silkyuk9

Donnie wrote: »

If yours is a Wireless router and her's is a PC and not a laptop; something like this for £5.90 or this for £6.85.

The first is the easiest and will work with a laptop or a PC, but the second is more reliable; though will take five to ten minutes of your time to fit.

yes i have a wireless D-link router though im not using the wireless feature on my pc as my phone line is directly behind the pc so i didnt bother using the wireless feature, however, it must work because my son uses his ps3 on our tv and he plays online.

macman

So just connect her with a wireless adapter, USB or PCI, as Donnie suggested. A lot cheaper and better than a dongle!

silkyuk9

will the second one fit inside her pc, its Dell, thats all iknow. however, if the first one works fine im not bothered, however, her pc is in her bedroom upstairs my pc is located downstairs.

will the signal from my router be stronge enough to reach upstairs??

benjus

If it's just one floor the wireless signal will probably be fine. It might not be a bad idea to try a wifi device (smartphone? your son's PS3?) in her bedroom to see if the signal is OK. If there are any signal issues, you could try:

* Moving the wireless router to a more central place
* Running a cable to her bedroom
* Using homeplugs (e.g. http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150039 )

macman

Any Dell PC will have a spare PCI socket. That's the neater solution, fitting takes 5 minutes.
The USB adapter will require a spare USB port and stick out of the case-more vulnerable to damage.

silkyuk9

macman wrote: »

Any Dell PC will have a spare PCI socket. That's the neater solution, fitting takes 5 minutes.
The USB adapter will require a spare USB port and stick out of the case-more vulnerable to damage.

ok i think i will go for the second option im confident of fitting that, i have put new hard drives in my pc and game cards and dvd rewriter so im ok with that.

apart from that what is the install proceedure, what will i need to imput in terms of things from my D-Link router etc.