Wifi card

slinga

I'm not a techie but reading the Wireless card or dongle thread makes me want some clarification with a problem I have.
I have a three year old desktop and over the past 12 months the wifi connection has been cutting out now and again on a daily basis.


I got fed up with this so connected using a ethernet cable and for the last 2 months no cut out on the connection.


Also impossible to connect by mirroring and/or Chrome casting to my Smart TV.


So I'm wondering if I can change my wifi card and would this help.
My existing wifi card is I think Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 #2


Is this easy to change and how much is a new wifi card.


I've been able to change RAM:rotfl:

DoaM

Is the WiFi card a device that plugs into the motherboard and has an aerial sticking out of the back of the desktop? If yes then an aerial on a lead might be better - this could be placed up on the work surface or in a location that maximises WiFi signal strength. (The aerial is usually detachable by unscrewing).

That said, your connection via Ethernet cable will always be better than WiFi.

arciere

If you had problems with your computer AND you can't mirror to the TV (which I presume is also wireless), then the problem is not your computer but your WiFi network.

Most plausible cause is that your WiFi router is too far away from your devices.

What's the signal like when you use the WiFi?
Also, if you can use the cable on the computer, rather than WiFi, keep it like that, you can't beat the speed and reliability of a wired connection.

Cisco001

Have you try update the driver?

If you have spare usb port, I would just grab a £10 usb adpater on ebay instead, this make life easier.

slinga

arciere wrote: »

If you had problems with your computer AND you can't mirror to the TV (which I presume is also wireless), then the problem is not your computer but your WiFi network.

Most plausible cause is that your WiFi router is too far away from your devices.

What's the signal like when you use the WiFi?
Also, if you can use the cable on the computer, rather than WiFi, keep it like that, you can't beat the speed and reliability of a wired connection.

Router to desktop is through Home plug and ethernet cable from the Homeplug. As I say above the wifi from my Homeplug to Desktop is a bit iffy so I don't use it. I get a download speed of over 200Mbps through my Ethernet.

My TV is a Smart TV and the computer can pick up the TV as a possible display but won't actually connect.


Does the wifi from my Desktop to my Smart TV go directly from my TV or does it go back through my Homeplug?

arciere

Your signal to the TV goes to the main router and then to the TV (because it's connected via WiFi), so it doesn't matter if your PC is using the WiFi or the wired network.

aardvaak

slinga wrote: »

I'm not a techie but reading the Wireless card or dongle thread makes me want some clarification with a problem I have.
I have a three year old desktop and over the past 12 months the wifi connection has been cutting out now and again on a daily basis.


I got fed up with this so connected using a ethernet cable and for the last 2 months no cut out on the connection.


Also impossible to connect by mirroring and/or Chrome casting to my Smart TV.


So I'm wondering if I can change my wifi card and would this help.
My existing wifi card is I think Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 #2


Is this easy to change and how much is a new wifi card.


I've been able to change RAM:rotfl:

I have had only yesterday a wireless card fail (my first) I had another here from another laptop - it was very easy to change if you have done Ram you can easily do this.

slinga

arciere wrote: »

Your signal to the TV goes to the main router and then to the TV (because it's connected via WiFi), so it doesn't matter if your PC is using the WiFi or the wired network.

So let me see if I've got this right?


Router > Homeplug by ethernet > Homeplug to Homeplug > Homeplug to desktop by ethernet > choose youtube or whatever I want to watch on desktop and send back to back to router using reverse path as above > router to TV by wifi. ???

wongataa

slinga wrote: »

So let me see if I've got this right?


Router > Homeplug by ethernet > Homeplug to Homeplug > Homeplug to desktop by ethernet > choose youtube or whatever I want to watch on desktop and send back to back to router using reverse path as above > router to TV by wifi. ???

Yes.


You don't choose the routing though. The network uses whatever connections are available. All network traffic will go via your router.

arciere

Basically, the short answer is: as long as your computer is connected to the network, no matter if WiFi or wired, you will be able to talk to your TV (as long as also the TV is connected to that same network, either WiFi or cable).

slinga

arciere wrote: »

Basically, the short answer is: as long as your computer is connected to the network, no matter if WiFi or wired, you will be able to talk to your TV (as long as also the TV is connected to that same network, either WiFi or cable).

That's what I thought.


But it ain't happening.


TV can see desktop.


Desktop can see TV.


But they won't talk to each other.