(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best usb network adapters

I too am starting out and evaluating Home Automation solutions.

BASIC HOME AUTOMATION ARCHITECTURE

The Basic Home Automation Architecture, independent of a specific technology stack, entails:

1. CENTRAL CONTROLLING SOFTWARE.

The controlling software might be:

• Installed on your PC. For example HomeSeer's HS2;
  
• Implemented as firmware on a dedicated hardware device supplied by the manufacturer. For example Mi Casa Verde's VeraLite or HomeSeer's HomeTroller-SE; or
  
• Running on a mini PC you build for the purpose. For example running HomeSeer's HS2 on a Intel NUC Kit DC3217IYE.
  
  As for Raspberry PI ... Mi Casa Verde's VeraLite runs on its own dedicated Linux box. I don't know of any Home Control Software that is offered as Linux Software only. A Raspberry Pi, although a linux platform, therefore wouldn't seem to be a solution to work with Mi Casa Verde.
  
  HomeSeer HS2 only supports windows. HomeSeer HS3, the next software version to be released, is meant to support Linux (in addition to windows). So although Raspberry PI does not support Windows and does not run WINE, perhaps HomeSeer's HS3 will run on it. Or maybe Raspberry PI is not powerful enough.
  
  This software that (centrally) controls your devices is exposed to you as a web interface for setup, direct device control, scripting scenarios, and monitoring power. So the web interface works in a similar fashion to the web interface your router exposes.
  
  2. HARDWARE TO RUN YOUR CENTRAL CONTROLLING SOFTWARE.
  
  See above.
  
  3. PROTOCOL INTERFACE HARDWARE
  
  Either:
  
  
• As an additional piece of hardware, like Homesetting's Zwave USB Controller's or (preferred) Aeon Labs Z-Wave Z-Stick Series 2 USB Dongle. This will plug into whatever hardware is running your (central) controlling software; or
  
• Built into the Central Controlling Hardware Unit (e.g. Mi Casa Verde's VeraLite has a built in Protocol Interface for Z-wave).
  
  There are many Home Automation Protocols. These include Insteon, KNX, UPB, X10, Zigbee, Z-Wave. Z-Wave seems to be emerging as the most popular. X-10 seems to be dying. HomeSeer supports, with an accompanying Hardware Protocol "Interface", all of the protocols except for Zigbee and KNX. Mi Casa Verde supports (built-in) Z-Wave only.
  
  Z-Wave is cool because it is: wireless; mesh (proximate nodes in the network can make distant nodes accessible to the Central Controller that otherwise would not be); and has many cool products already available.
  
  4. END USE DEVICES.
  
  This includes switches (in wall or plug in), motion detectors, lights, cameras, etc. These end use devices support one protocol. That is, one of Insteon, KNX, UPB, X10, Zigbee, Z-Wave, etc.
  
  Aeotec (also referenced as "Aeon Labs") has several cool Z-wave products.
  
  CONTROLLING YOUR FAN
  
  > It makes it look like you can put this behind a regular, non-zwave switch... after which both that switch and the zwave switch can turn a light on and off.
  
  > Could this be used inside the light fixture of a ceiling fan? I'd like to be able to use the chain, and those are simple toggle (mechanical) switches as well.
  
  I don't have the personal experience to verify all this but it looks like the product you linked to is one of three types of Aeotec Aeon Labs "In-Wall Z-Wave Control"s. The three being:
  
  
• "Micro Smart Dimmer", for lights.
  
• "MIcro Smart Switch", for your power outlets (for any appliance including plug in lights). This seems to be the product you linked to.
  
• "Micro Smart Motor Controller", which presumably will be suited for fan control (???). This is said to be able to "Open/Close control via Z-Wave, manual wall switch, and/or built-in button". So I see no reason why you couldn't just pull the chain to override whatever Z-wave commands you had previously sent (but someone with personal experience needs to chime in here).
  
  WHICH HOME AUTOMATION SOLUTION?
  
  I'm tossing up between Mi Casa Verde's VeraLite and a HomeSeer Solution. Edit: But a Raspberry Pi solution needs looking into. That has the potential to blow these competitors out of the water.
  
  Mi Casa Verde is much cheaper, a little more open in broad terms, has an outstanding user created and free Android Client (AutHomationHD), and sufficient energy monitoring options. But it has has poor documentation, messy security issues, scripting deficiencies (mitigated by user created plug-ins).
  
  HomeSeer is expensive, a little bit closed in broad terms (they don't like you talking about competitor's products in their forums for example), doesn't yet have a polished native Android Client (they do have an Android solution that works), energy monitoring I have yet to research, relatively good documentation (but could be improved), apparently solid security solutions (more research by me required), and good scripting/programming options.
  
  HomeSeer uses exposes a .Net and .Aspx Api which I favour. Mi Casa Verde exposes "Luup (Lua-UPnP) is Mi Casa Verde’s new software engine which incorporates Lua, a popular scripting language, and UPnP, the industry standard way to control devices." http://wiki.mios.com/index.php/Luup_Intro. I'd never heard of this "popular scripting language" before. I'm loathe to learn a new one (on top of those I do know or am learning).
  
  http://www.smartthings.com/ requires a connection to the cloud. I don't like that as a requirement. For security reasons I'd like to be able to either have the option to disable remote access or have remote access with my own certificates. Cloud solutions make it easy, moreover, for companies to subscribe your arse.
  
  As for the Protocol, I'm set on Z-wave. I intend to purchase Aetoc:
  
  
• Z-stick, as the Hardware Protocol Interface; and
  
• Several Z-Wave Plug-In Switch Controllers;
  
  HOLD OFF FOR 3 - 6 MONTHS?
  
  It might be prudent to wait for 3 to 6 months to see how the Home Automation scene will shake out:
  
  
• HomeSeer is yet to release it's HS3 which is a substantial rewrite. It might be worth letting that release stabilise.
  
• Google might be in the wings ready to pounce with its Android @ Home solution. But I worry about any Google solution requiring a cloud connection.
  
• Mi Casa Verde might get its act together with respect to documentation and security issues.
  
• Another company might come along and do it right.
  
  Aeotec have yet to release their LED Bulb which will be: directly controlled (wirelessly with Z-wave); dimmable; and variable over the full colour spectrum. While there is no need to wait for this to setup a Home Automation System I would hold off on those parts of the lighting solution. For example I wouldn't bother installing light wall switches or buying a Phillips Hue setup.
  
  At the moment there exists no Home Automation company/solution that does it right. It therefore remains wide open as a opportunity for: an open source project; a business started by some tech savy entrepreneur.
  
  EDITS
  
  Edit 01: A shit load of editing and tidying up ... still ongoing.
  
  Edit 02: Under "WHICH HOME AUTOMATION SOLUTION?" Added explicit mention of which protocol I intend to get: Z-Wave.
  
  Edit 03: But a Raspberry Pi solution needs looking into. That has the potential to blow these competitors out of the water.
  
  Edit 04: Formatted the parts of Basic Home Automation Architecture into subheadings.
  
  Edit 05: Added info about the Central Controlling Software exposing a web interface. Added info about end use devices only supporting one protocol.

> That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I believe you ;)

> One thing I just came to realize, and I have no idea why I didn't see it before, but this PiDrive thing doesn't have an opening for the network cable, meaning I'd have to get a wireless dongle thing.

That's something I said as well in this reply:

>> On the other hand, the enclosure makes it a lot more difficult to connect other USB devices or an ethernet cable to the Pi.

The downside of the PiDrive enclosure, at least of the 6x6 inch one you've chosen, is that it doesn't expose any of the USB or ethernet ports directly to the outside. You have to insert the cable into the enclosure first and there's only one narrow opening for the power cable. You can see that in the official product overview video you linked to earlier (if you click on this link, it'll start at the relevant passage). I'm sure you can use that for a second cable, but after that it might be too narrow for more.

> I'd consider perhaps buying something as simple as a TP-Link TL-WN725N

I think the last point has already made this superfluous but I'll reply anyway.

Don't buy a nano adapter like that unless you put a device, if not directly next to the router, then at least in the same room. The wifi quality will probably be better than Raspberry Pi's own, but in many cases you can get extra stability and transfer bandwidth if you use a more substantial adapter. Yeah that may not look as impressive but I take better network performance over better optics any day.

I can suggest this page to you, it has a list of wifi products and how well they work with Linux in general. The link is filtered on USB only, but it has other lists too. Also, just in case you find this misleading, a "green" value means the adapter works well on Linux, not that it works out-of-the-box. Another important resource for this case is the Raspberry Pi list of verified peripherals USB wifi subpage.

Anyway, I did already mention some good chipsets for wifi adapters in the past (I mentioned that Ralink 3070, Atheros AR9271 and Realtek 8187 were the most common that worked well), but generally speaking you should buy hardware the other way around. Decide on a nice item, then research if it works on Linux and/or how complex it is to set up. If the results are good, great; if not, look for another product. Rinse and repeat until you've found one.

The biggest thing you'll have to learn if/when you become a Linux user yourself is that you've been incredibly spoiled in terms of driver support on Windows. On Linux that's a lot slower to come for your average consumer device/component and this often means you won't be able to buy the newest product. There's a high chance it won't work out-of-the-box and may even require some extra work of you.

If I had to choose myself, I'd either take the Panda PAU05 which is a bit bigger than its nano adapter version but still reasonably compact, or the Panda PAU09 if a stronger network quality is desired. The latter can either be directly attached to the USB port of the target device or the antenna placement can be freely chosen if the stand is used.

Ok, if I was building a gaming computer for under $750, this is what I'd do. I assume you are gaming at 1080p@60Hz.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $198.99 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $63.98 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory | $32.27 @ NCIX US
Storage | A-Data Premier SP550 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $112.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | Sapphire Radeon RX 480 4GB NITRO+ 4G Video Card | $234.99 @ NCIX US
Case | Raidmax ATX-502WBG ATX Mid Tower Case | $34.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | $43.33 @ OutletPC
Other| Panda 802.11b/g/n USB wireless dongle| $10.00
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $761.44
| Mail-in rebates | -$30.00
| Total | $731.44
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-05 11:47 EDT-0400 |

You could save about $80 if you went with an i3-6100, and gaming performance wouldn't suffer much...maybe 5fps tops. There's also no need for a Z170 motherboard, this 4 DIMM slot B150 will be almost as good (mostly just has 2 fewer USB3 ports, but who needs 8 ports?) and is much cheaper.

That GPU is at a very good price right now (you may want to order it soon), or you could drop to the 470 version and save about $20. http://pcpartpicker.com/product/p28H99/sapphire-radeon-rx-470-4gb-nitro-video-card-11256-01 The performance increase is worth $20, though. Either one will be much, much more powerful than that 750Ti, and for a gaming computer the GPU is the most important performance component. It's worth spending 1/3 of your budget on that alone. Another option is a 1060 6GB, but these tend to start at $250 and don't give much more performance. Stay away from 1060 3GB, they are cut-down (ie. slower) versions of the 1060 6GB and the 3GB memory is a bit slight these days.

As others mentioned, your original build had way, way too much budgeted for storage. You can easily get away with a mainstream ~500GB SSD, it will have plenty of room for your OS and a whole bunch of games. I have this one and can recommend it, but there are several in the same price range with very similar performance. A storage HD is easy to add down the road if and when you decide you could use one. I suggest getting a 2TB or 3TB one, as these have much better price/GB than 1TB HDs.

A much better PSU for your build than the one you have listed. The EVGA 500B is a reliable 500W 80+ Bronze PSU that should handle any single GPU build and is popular in this subreddit. It often goes on sale for around $30.

The case you have in your second list is fine, or you can use the one I have, it's up to you. As I said before, cases are subjective so pick one you like in a price range that fits your budget.

Here is the wifi adapter, it's half the price of the one you have. https://www.amazon.com/Panda-Ultra-150Mbps-Wireless-Adapter/dp/B00762YNMG/ I have it and it worked great until I got around to running a cable from my PC to my networking equipment. They also have several other versions for up to $10 more.

Should be no need for case fans in a build like this, although if you want to add one or two go for it, they're cheap.

I've been really getting into Openbox the past week. I've never stayed that long with tiling window managers, so I think a super minimal stacked window manager like this is perfect for me.

The laptop here is a Thinkpad X1 Yoga. I don't get a great Wifi signal outside, so I picked up this 1200mbps adaptor. Much better! Doubled the download speed.

Conky config

OpenBox config

I haven't implemented it yet into my config, but a neat project I am working on is obanyconf. If you like Openbox but hate having to deal with XML, this is something that might make your life a whole lot easier. You'll be able to create an Openbox configuration using YAML, JSON, TOML, and a few others. No documentation yet. Feel free to let me know if you're interested and I should show you how it works. It's perfectly functional at the moment but hasn't undergone serious testing.

Why Openbox has been awesome for my workflow:

• It's a simple window manager that gets out of your way
  
• Learning curve is super small and there hasn't been any big surprises
  
• autostart and environmental variables can be configured independent of your other desktop environments (~/.config/openbox/environment and ~/.config/openbox/autostart)
  
• No panel needed?
  
  When you start out, you have nothing but an empty desktop and a menu that pops up when you right click. This is all configured through rc.xml (the main configuration file) and menu.xml (the right-click menu config).
  
  The XML configuration has certain options for dynamically loading things that I'm still exploring. For example, there's a program called obmenu-generator. When you run the command, it spits out a bunch of XML corresponding to what software you have installed. You could have this command called in your menu.xml. The result is this typical menu that lists all of the programs you have installed, neatly categorized.
  
  ...a silly example of this dynamic loading feature is that you could write your own script that would pull down a few new news articles from your favorite feeds. When you click them in the menu, it would open in a web browser.
  
  ...a more practical example is writing a script (or using an existing one) that shows your connected removable drives in that right-click menu. When you click one, it would open in your file manager.
  
  Keybindings:
  
  
• SUPER+ENTER -> open terminal
  
• SUPER+SHIFT+ENTER -> open web browser
  
• SUPER+ALT+ENTER -> open file manager
  
• SUPER+e -> emacs
  
• SUPER+SHIFT+q -> close window
  
• SUPER+SHIFT+c -> calculator
  
• SUPER+SHIFT+t -> basic text-editor/notepad
  
• SUPER+SHIFT+T -> thunderbird
  
• SUPER+f -> Toggle maximize
  
• SUPER+SPACE -> Make window basically in the center and a bit smaller
  
• SUPER+SHIFT+m -> minimize window (haven't implemented this just yet in openbox)
  
• SUPER+SHIFT+w -> move window with mouse (haven't implemented this just yet in openbox)
  
• SUPER+SHIFT+r -> resize window with mouse (haven't implemented this just yet in openbox)
  
• SUPER+d -> rofi
  
• ALT+d -> rofi window switcher
  
• This window manager also has a variety of bindings out of the box, like ALT+tab switching

Without knowing more about your ingest workflow it's had to say, but you might be well served with a Pegasus R6/R8 or similar. That'll give the bandwidth to be ingesting a few cards at once and be duplicating to a portable drive that can go back to editoral. The fewer volumes I have to manage the easier I find staying organized. One 30TB volume seems a lot more manageable than 6 4TB drives floating everywhere. If you go the RAID/NAS route make sure you don't go too small.

A RAID could also be easier on the AEs if the DIT cart can be connected to the SAN and ingested that way. Instead of a couple hundred Mbps you could get in the Gbps range. Remember that standard gigabit ethernet won't be the answer for high speed transfers.

I know you have three laptops for ingest, but I'd try to build the cart around one laptop copying footage. Again, fewer moving parts is easier to manage. Having a utility laptop that can tackle other tasks is often useful. If you need to make proxy files in the field look into a NAS solution instead of a RAID so you can get two, three, or more computers hitting the storage concurrently.

---

On top topic of a DIT cart, put some thought into a cart. What it should have. I'd be looking for a big heavy UPS on the bottom to give the thing some stability. Maybe an APC2200? Not sure how worried you are about weight...don't use that if you're flying with it. Get your own network going on there if you have multiple computers. Also add a Thunderbolt dock and power strip on the top to give you more USB ports and power for all the travel drives that will show up. I'd connect drives to a laptop in the middle and look for a way to put a laptop on an arm on the side of the cart too. Needs to collapse down so the whole things is self-contained for transport. I'd use the middle laptop for copying and the side laptop for proxy creation.

Make sure you have all the cables on hand. Thunderbolt 2, USB2 B, USB2 Mini-B (old GoPro charging), USB2 Micro-B (old Android charging), USB3 B, USB3 Micro-B, and finally USB C. I'd have 1 each on the USB2 variants, 2 each on the USB3 variants, and 3 of the Type C variants. Gauge your own need for Firewire 400, Firewire 800, HDMI, Ethernet, and the requisite dongles. Might be wise to have a USB-A dongle and maybe an Ethernet dongle on hand for the Touchbar laptops. Even if you don't have a Touchbar they're coming. It isn't that much money (comparatively) to keep these kinds of things in a drawer, but it can make a huge difference if you have it on hand.

I'd probably trick my cart out with a mass charger and some Lightning and Type-C cables. Hit all the cables with some orange gaff or some sort of mark so that people don't carry them away. Might even tape the phone cables to the cart. Might seem excessive, but if you set that up people won't be filling up your power strip with their chargers or plugging their phones into your ingest station. 10 ports might be more than you need, especially since people shouldn't be using their phones too heavily on set, but the goal is to make sure your power strip isn't used on phones.

---

As for software, you'll have to consider your needs and what fits them best. I'm not a lot of help on that front. Haven't messed around with the options too much.

One could make a ghetto channel bonding router of sorts fairly simply, but that's probably overkill for the average lone nomad.

Or with the advent of thunderbolt/usb3.1, you could even just do it with your one computer if you aren't doing a vehicle.

Speedify will let you bond a bunch of connections together and short of thousands and thousands of dollars in equipment, it's the best thing going.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhBeD5fRAmY

you can just keep slapping wan connections in whenever you are. take an arbitrary number of 4G, wifi, ethernet sources and combine them for bandwidth and latency improvements.

As a thought exercise lets take this picture and built out something for it.

1 person, 1 laptop, carry-on travel mode style. It's gonna be very Dongle-y, so it's practical mostly for when you camp out somewhere for a while to work. This probably isn't worth setting up at the airport unless you are trapped a good long while.

That laptop we want to have a solid peripheral bus with lots of bandwidth. Ideally Thunderbolt 3, but the 10gb USB, or honestly probably even the 5gb USB is gonna do for most people anyway.

Then we get a hub device with lots of ports on it.

This thing probably has at least USB3.1, and thus 5.0gb of bandwidth there probably.

amazon makes a perfectly serviceable hub with external power option:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-USB-10-Port-Power-Adapter/dp/B076YRWV6Z/

Then you grab a few usb3.0 to gigabit ethernet adapters for flexibility of input:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-1000-Gigabit-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B00M77HMU0/

plus some USB wifi adapters (so you can get on multiple wifi networks at once)

This is apparently the amazon favorite. Having an actual antenna is nice.

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-1200Mbps-TECHKEY-Wireless-Network-300Mbps/dp/B07J65G9DD/

plus USB 4G modem sticks you can put local sims in. This is all gonna depend on where you travel. NA is different from Asia, etc.

Verizon offers one for $250 they claim works in 200 countries. On the other end, a Huawei stick that works in most of the world is like $60 and you can just keep popping sims in and out of them as you travel around and grab local ones. You can probably even just buy modems locally too as you travel. If you aren't buying from a carrier in north america, it's generally gonna be easy and painless.

You could also use phones as well. cheap ones have modems that can max most towers anyway, and they mostly all use the same antenna design now.

Some little baby usb extensions so you aren't fighting to fit things in your hub:
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Black-Extension-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00S2N2Q4U/

All those things are tiny and can go in a little electronics roll or bag or something at the bottom of a backpack:
https://www.amazon.com/ProCase-Electronics-Organizer-Universal-Accessories/dp/B01EN4PP4E/

1. My advice would be to buy a separate router and access point to get the best performance possible. Depending on your budget, you have multiple choice. What I would recommend is for you to get a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite and a Ubiquiti Unifi AP AC Lite, both together are going to be the same price of an R7000, but you will get so much more performance and flexibility. If you want to make sure to always get 150Mbps, you could add a second access point if you can wire them.
   
   
2. Make sure to get one with at least AC1200, and if possible, Beamforming. Something like this Netgear AC1200 or this TP-Link Archer T4UH would probably work well.
   
   
3. If you don't need 867Mbps on that PC, you might be ok with a USB dongle that supports N instead of AC. Another option would be to install a USB 3.0 card, you can get a PCI Express USB 3.0 card for about $20 on Amazon.
   
   
4. Yes, and no. The technology has advanced a lot but most consumer routers don't fully implement things to limit the cost. This is why I would recommend using Ubiquiti products instead of Netgear. Of course, if you have the budget, there are many more options that are "enterprise-grade" and that would allow you an even better connection. You could get a Ruckus R600 and get an incredibly powerful signal, but the access point is over $600. The Ubiquiti access point is a very good compromise between features and performance versus price.

OpenHAB is probably the way you want to go with this. OpenHAB basically just provides you with an API that you can use to send predefined commands to it's supported hardware. It's nice because it can connect to tons of proprietary gear...someone's spent the time looking up documentation or reverse engineering the particular ZigBee or Z-Wave commands and implementing it for you. If you like really low level stuff, you can actually skip OpenHAB entirely and send the commands yourself. It's more involved but still possible.

Home automation devices are largely all ZigBee or Z-Wave these days. Z-Wave is more widely used. You can get a Z-Wave USB stick like this and get started. That should work with OpenHAB on Windows, Linux, or Raspberry Pi. It basically just creates a new device on the mesh network that can send commands to other things. Very little is hardwired anymore and battery life for most things is 1-2 years easy.

Unless you really like building your own hardware, I would mostly stick with what's already out there. You can't beat the quality and battery life of some of these products. As long as a proprietary HUB isn't required then it's fine.

As far as manual overrides, that's going to vary. If you build your system right you should be able to completely shut off all of your automation software and still use your house normally. Here's a good read that was recently posted about this. So for a thermostat, make sure you have a physical thermostat where cloud operation is secondary and only an added convenience just in case your Internet goes down. For lights, don't just fill your house with Hue lights that you can only turn on from an app. Your wall switches still need to work. Physical redundancy is largely up to you as the system manager but be sure to not buy devices that require an Internet connection in order to work.

The best advice I have is to take your time. I was new to this a couple months ago but I've been following this subreddit very actively. There's a lot to learn and home automation is still young enough that everyone in the game is still sort of finding their way. We don't know all the answers yet so sometimes you just have to research a lot and figure it out.

Edit: I'm working on my own open source home automation software solution that I will likely use alongside OpenHAB. It's web based and is slowly getting there. PM me if you're interested and I can set up my demo for you.

I moved from a Vera Edge to an Aeotec stick and haven't been happier. I'm running HA on VMWare Fusion. If you go this route, check out this article on how to get the USB stick to always reconnect when your VM restarts. My Vera served me well for 5 years (I had a Vera Lite before the Edge), but I always got nervous with their firmware updates as it was all a black box that sometimes just stopped working and I couldn't figure out why.

​

I find that things are more responsive with the stick directly on HA. As others have mentioned, being able to get under the hood is also a plus for me as I had no idea what Vera was doing sometimes. I'm using just about all Leviton devices and they work fine. The only device I still haven't been able to pair on HA (that worked on Vera) is an old Wayne Dalton Homelink to Z-Wave bridge. The devices that really gave me trouble that I had no problems with Vera are Leviton VRCZ4-M0Z in-wall controllers. However, after a bit of tinkering, I figured it out and wrote a blog entry about it.

​

If you have problems with pairing and need the stick closer to your devices, consider a USB over Cat6 extender. You plug one end into the computer, plug the stick into the other and run Cat6 between them. I used a similar product (not the Monoprice one, but one I've had for 9 years or so) and it worked fine.

​

As for PIN codes, they are easy to handle. With the current version of HA, you don't use the Open Z-Wave control panel, but go into the Z-Wave configuration for HA, select your lock, scroll down and look at the Node user codes. You select a code slot, enter the code (in HEX) and hit Set Usercode. It's pretty straight forward; just make sure you secure add the locks otherwise you won't be able to set the codes.

​

Good luck!

Here is a basic one for 14$. It will support all monitor and injection mode, it's still still pretty good for a basic wifi adapter.

Panda 300Mbps Wireless N USB Adapter

But if you to go to the top notch level and get the best of best wifi adapters. I suggest go with this one. It's super powerful with the fast Atheros chip, supports all the necessary modes, and it's still not an outrageous price.

Alfa Awus036nha

I am not sure about "fully free", as they might grab firmware files, but for ones that don't need any trouble, and just work in linux kernel, stay away from Broadcom.

Atheros is pretty good. Check out here

Intel ones are good, but I can't find a cheap small one that is usb. I personally got a new pcie-mini one, and replaced a broadcom one in my laptop.

Ralink is pretty good too, here is a cheap one of those.


You can also check out Think Penguin. Not exactly cheap, but it is fully free I do believe.

Pretty bare-bones answer, but otherwise sounds like decent advice.

https://www.alfa.com.tw/products_show.php?pc=137&ps=225

"Alfa with a 9db gain antenna" would be something like these two products combined:

https://www.amazon.com/Alfa-Long-Range-Dual-Band-Wireless-External/dp/B00VEEBOPG

https://www.amazon.com/Antenna-World-Wireless-Adapters-Routers/dp/B00NQGVSM4

The quality of the wireless access point / router also factors in. If you have some cheap crap there, that can also be improved on.

Beyond just larger antennas, you can also go with directional antennas to "shoot" wifi at a specific point. There are various options all the way to some pretty "extreme" directional ones that give 24 dB amplification but in a very narrow "pencil beam" you have to aim very carefully indeed that's probably overkill here, but including the example anyway; there are less extreme directional panel antennas and the like also:

https://www.amazon.com/24dBi-Directional-Booster-Parabolic-Antenna/dp/B00NQGVMSE/

But mounting something like the above on the outside wall of the home office building and pointing at the house and aiming where the wireless router is would get the job done if nothing else will.

Z-Wave is in fact pretty well standardized. It is license-encumbered but currently ubiquitous enough that you can be reasonably sure that most any Z-Wave switch you buy is going to work with any Z-Wave hub.

OpenHAB is pretty complicated but if you want to roll your own solution it's a solid starting point. You're going to need a Z-Wave interface which you can pass through to your Linux VM if your hypervisor supports it. Alternately, you can run OpenHAB on an RPi with this device plugged in.

Finally, you might find that getting started with an existing hardware solution like SmartThings or Vera might be a cheap ($100) way to bootstrap the project so you aren't forced into rolling everything yourself, allowing you to start by working on the use case instead of the infrastructure.

honestly, easiest is just a bluetooth gamepad or keyboard and map all your keys. i did this in a WHL sized hockey arena and was able to control the laser anywher ein the place pretty much.

for true wireless control i have had success using a raspberry pi zero.. running "VirtualUSB" server.

Then on a PC (on the same wifi network) isntall the irtualhere client nd you will be ale to cntrol it as if you are connected.

fr me insewad of connecting both to wifi,, i enabled wifi sharing on my wndows 10 p, and conencted the Pi direct to that AP.. worked much better for me than through using a router..... i would suggest a raspberry pi 3 over raspi zero, it jsut isnt fast enough i think...

i set up a tutorial somewhere in this reddit to tell u how to set it all up
honestly, AVOID WIFI. especially n a professional/semi pro environment like a gig... as the venue fills,, you have to think about all the interference everyone else's phones will have.. adding latency to you our own connections, and severely affecting your scanrate.
in my tests some of the scanrates seemed so low i was actually worried about damage to the servos...

your best bet for long distance from control pc to laser, is nothing more than a usb over cat6 extender.. they are cheap and allow you to connect upt to 150' ethernet cable.
https://www.amazon.ca/Monoprice-Extender-Connection-150-Feet-106042/dp/B003L14ZTC works fine, even cheaper clnes work fine as well (as long as they are not DOA)

If you need improved signal strength and don't mind an external antenna, I've had a lot of luck with this one:

USB WiFi Adapter 1200Mbps Techkey Wireless Network Adapter USB 3.0 WiFi Dongle 802.11 ac with Dual Band 2.4GHz/300Mbps+5.8GHz/866Mbps 5dBi High Gain Antenna for Desktop Laptop Windows XP/7-10/ Mac OS

$15.99 after $2.00 coupon.

It identifies as Realtek 8812BU 802.11ac USB NIC and uses the Realtek Wireless LAN utility.

Amazing range and single strength/quality.

Don't let the lack of reviews fool you. The original Amazon page I purchased it from seems to no longer work for some reason, but it had over 4,000+ reviews and was Amazon's #1 best seller in USB Computer Network Adapters.

Here's Google's cached version of the page:

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:kBo-0YmjOHcJ:https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-1200Mbps-TECHKEY-Wireless-Network-300Mbps/dp/B07J65G9DD+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Good luck!

With OpenTPCast you can run with AC mode and it works fine, unlike with stock TPCast, so that shouldn't be a problem. With AC mode you can even use a hack to enable the camera and it works more or less. (Ultimately I didn't feel like the startup routine was worth the hassle for the camera though.)

That being said, when I tried using my own router, my problem was every few minutes my connection would get dropped, causing the TPCast to totally disconnect and have to go through the reconnection process. That made it not viable for me. Basically because there's other traffic on your router, that can cause problems sometimes with the TPCast.

However, the ultimate solution I found was to just use a wireless USB dongle, set it to A mode only (although Open TPCast works with AC/N, it doesn't work when using a dongle), and then run a hosted wi-fi network. This eliminated the need for the router entirely, while still not having to connect to my normal wi-fi network. It won't work with any dongle: they have to be able to run a hosted network in the 5 GHz range (more adapters are probably technically capable of it but their drivers don't allow a 5 GHz hosted network). I've personally verified that this can be made to work with any of these:

BrosTrend 1200Mbps Long Range USB WiFi Adapter

BrosTrend 1200Mbps USB WiFi Network Adapter

Wavlink AC 1300 Wireless Adapter

Wavlink AC 1200 Wireless Adapter

Wavlink AC 1200 Wireless Adapter with extension/cradle (not personally tested, but should be the same as above but just with the cradle so it can be moved from the back of your PC).

These adapters are all basically the same thing in a different shell. They're all using the RealTek 8812AU chipset (my PC even identifies them as the same thing).

The BrosTrend Long Range might be the best option, just because it comes with a cradle, doesn't really cost more (be sure to apply a coupon on the Amazon page) and the large antenna can't hurt anything (doesn't seem to increase transfer speed in good conditions, but it does improve connection quality/range).

The one shortcoming of this is you can't control the band the dongle hosts on. It always uses channel 36. So if that channel is very congested in your area it might be a no go.

So, anyway, go ahead and give your own router a shot, but if that doesn't work you may want to consider giving a hosted dongle a try.

Hah, sounds like we're working on similar projects! I'm almost done building a Phenom II X6 gaming system into a Mac Classic II shell. I don't have the pics up on a decent host yet, but my Facebook album should be publicly-visible.

Here are some parts that I found useful in my build:

• 8-inch 800x600 touchscreen VGA display (accepts 1600x1200) powered by 12VDC
  
• Radio Shack "size M" right-angle DC power connector, spliced to Molex HDD power 12V (display powered by PSU when system on)
  
• my NewEgg list with most of the internal components
  
• Mini ITX motherboard tray (had to cut it down to fit)
  
• PCI-E x16 flexible riser (works fine, even for gaming)
  
• Griffin iMate USB to ADB keyboard/mouse
  
• panel-mount cables for rear panel (you can use S-Video for ADB)
  
• Dremel Multi-Max
  
  Good luck! Be sure to measure the internal space before you buy things, and always make sure the backshell can still close snugly before you mount anything permanently.

The BM cameras are pretty much what I would have recommended for the studio - but not for sports because MFT power zoom lenses are only 3X.

Instead, you might want to consider 4 [JVC GY-HM-200s] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UM9J5PK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00UM9J5PK&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20).

This camera has a 12x power zoom lens and can livestream over the net with a [$36 ASUS USB-N53 dual band USB adapter] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005SAKW9G/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005SAKW9G&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20).

It can also output to HDMI, output to SDI and/or record to dual SD cards.

Here is the 1080i image quality you can get from this camera (please watch at 1080p):

http://youtu.be/nYPq3VccYTU

Here it is at 2160p (please watch at 2160p and your monitor's highest resolution):

http://youtu.be/cskFvlJ_eJA?t=13m48s

The Blackmagic Studio Cameras are a good value for the money - but the lack of a solid power zoom option limits it, in my view.

Hope this is helpful and good luck with your transition to TV!

So I know this isn't a direct answer for you in finding the cellfi duo booster but it's a solution I worked out for my friend who lives in an apartment building such as yours with only wifi.

I picked up one of these off amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018YPWORE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_L13wDbPEHHXG3

And as long as your wifi network in the apartment building is just a simple you enter a password and it doesn't have a webpage for you to sign in (RADIUS or a captive login portal) then you can configure it to connect to the wifi network giving you an ethernet port that has an internet connection, he then plugged that into his cellspot and has had great results from what I've heard.

Again this isn't T-Mobile advised at all but its somthing I used to help my friend out who moved to an apartment with no service on the ground floor and no ethernet ports in his APT.

• At the very least whenever you go to rebuild your PC (I'm assuming it's not working). I'll provide you a legit Windows 7 key (unused).
  
  
  
• I also have an Asus 24 inch monitor if you don't mind paying shipping. I'm not using it (3rd monitor that was going to be used for surround) and don't have the money for surround for games without having crappy FPS, so I just use 2 monitors. I will provide power cable, dvi and vga cords.
  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049
  
  
  I was able to find a picture with the monitor hooked up (I was happy I was going to have surround). http://imgur.com/84iDIRM -- it is the monitor on top of the multiport video switch. And yes, I know that's a pretty half-assed setup I had going on there :D
  
  
  
  Edit:
  
  
  Found more items--
  
  
  
• I also have an Asus Router. It is used and only ports 3,4 work (WAN Port DOES work) Wifi also works. It has the latest version of tomato running on it. You will need to clear out the settings, it defaults to 192.168.1.1 as the location. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320038
  
  
  
• I found a USB 2.0 WiFi Adapter, works fine. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BV4JXI/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
  
• Surge protector - has joule protection!! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812107196
  
  
  
• Also, I have a steam key for the game Capsized that is free for you if you'd like. This can be done whenever. I'll keep the key for you. I originally tried trading it for some game(s) on my Steam Wishlist but some circlejerks trolled on my thread.
  
  
  Please PM me if you're interested (or not interested). I'm only asking for shipping money because I'm broke at this point. Just had to get roof replaced at house, 2 doors warped and needed to be replaced, paid for my daughter's tuition next year last month at school; before that scheduled a vacation. We are leaving Wednesday morning but I will ship to you with tracking number either tomorrow or Tuesday. If you don't see this time, I can do it after we come back. Which will be 6/10/2013.
  
  
  I'm not asking for anything in return, seriously. I lost everything except for my car, three days of clothes and my Playstation 2 (and a couple of games) from Hurricane Katrina. I know what it's like to lose everything. These parts aren't the greatest in the world but with the other parts mentioned, it should be able to help out while you get everything up and going again.
  
  
  Edit #2
  
  Thank you to whoever gave me reddit gold! That was really legit! :)

Few different build variants depending on your cousin's needs.

Note that this motherboard only has 2 PCIe slots, so you might not want to use a wifi adapter that's PCIe (I personally am partial to this IOGEAR ethernet-wifi adapter, but it's only 150mbps and the 300mbps version is more expensive at $44 bucks).

Special mention that the RAM is known to work with the motherboard.

　

4core/8thread CPU + 250GB SSD + 1TB HDD:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD - Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $157.49 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard | ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard | $77.98 @ Newegg
Memory | GeIL - EVO POTENZA 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory | $93.99 @ Newegg
Storage | SK hynix - SL308 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $77.89 @ OutletPC
Storage | Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $48.44 @ OutletPC
Video Card | Asus - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Phoenix Video Card | $129.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | Corsair - CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $26.99 @ Newegg
Operating System | Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | $89.89 @ OutletPC
Wireless Network Adapter | Asus - PCE-AC55BT PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter | $31.90 @ Amazon
Case Fan | Cooler Master - R4-S8R-20AK-GP 28.9 CFM 80mm Fan | $4.99 @ Newegg
Monitor | Asus - VS228T-P 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor | $89.99 @ SuperBiiz
Mouse | Redragon - Centrophorus M601 Wired Optical Mouse | $12.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $887.53
| Mail-in rebates | -$45.00
| Total | $842.53
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-26 04:04 EDT-0400 |

　

4core/8thread CPU + 120GB SSD + 3TB HDD:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD - Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $157.49 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard | ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard | $77.98 @ Newegg
Memory | GeIL - EVO POTENZA 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory | $93.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Kingston - A400 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $51.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Seagate - Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $89.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | Asus - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Phoenix Video Card | $129.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | Corsair - CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $26.99 @ Newegg
Operating System | Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | $89.89 @ OutletPC
Wireless Network Adapter | Asus - PCE-AC55BT PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter | $31.90 @ Amazon
Case Fan | Cooler Master - R4-S8R-20AK-GP 28.9 CFM 80mm Fan | $4.99 @ Newegg
Monitor | Asus - VS228T-P 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor | $89.99 @ SuperBiiz
Mouse | Redragon - Centrophorus M601 Wired Optical Mouse | $12.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $903.08
| Mail-in rebates | -$45.00
| Total | $858.08
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-26 04:12 EDT-0400 |

　

faster 4core/8thread CPU with better cooler + 120GB SSD + 2TB HDD:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD - Ryzen 5 1500X 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $176.99 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard | ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard | $77.98 @ Newegg
Memory | GeIL - EVO POTENZA 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory | $93.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Kingston - A400 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $51.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $66.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | Asus - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Phoenix Video Card | $129.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | Corsair - CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $26.99 @ Newegg
Operating System | Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | $89.89 @ OutletPC
Wireless Network Adapter | Asus - PCE-AC55BT PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter | $31.90 @ Amazon
Case Fan | Cooler Master - R4-S8R-20AK-GP 28.9 CFM 80mm Fan | $4.99 @ Newegg
Monitor | Asus - VS228T-P 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor | $89.99 @ SuperBiiz
Mouse | Redragon - Centrophorus M601 Wired Optical Mouse | $12.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $899.58
| Mail-in rebates | -$45.00
| Total | $854.58
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-26 04:16 EDT-0400 |

I have had very good luck with the generic wifi to usb ones when they go on sale for under $10. I travel for work a lot and always carry an extra to use if the hotel wifi is weak.

Here are a bunch of them available at NewEgg

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=usb+wifi+adapter&ignorear=0&N=-1&isNodeId=1

The $12 Corn Electronic one looks like some that I have had good luck with. You can also buy different antennas to boost the signal, changing the ones to potentially boost the signal.

Here is one for $13 on Amazon with over 2,000 reviews
https://www.amazon.com/OURLINK-600Mbps-802-11ac-Wireless-10-9-10-13/dp/B018TX8IDA/ref=pd_day0_hl_147_2/137-1755556-7136352?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B018TX8IDA&pd_rd_r=a7ae4928-33f2-11e9-85c8-8db3782fc9c9&pd_rd_w=gZWWQ&pd_rd_wg=GHUzn&pf_rd_p=ad07871c-e646-4161-82c7-5ed0d4c85b07&pf_rd_r=PZQVTAEE7GQEEWTW8YSP&psc=1&refRID=PZQVTAEE7GQEEWTW8YSP

For an internal just add dual band and it might limit your search a little.
Here is what I found on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=PCI-E+dual+band+wireless

>I can't buy a unifi setup due to low budget.

No, you do not need to buy a switch or a cloud key. All you need is the modem, a quality router, and a Unifi AP. Your router acts as a switch since it generally has 5 Ethernet ports, so the AP will just plug into the router. The cloud key is only for the Ubiquiti controller software. It's basically a dedicated mini-computer that runs the controller software for those who want to manage their devices remotely and get better statistical information. The cloud key is completely optional even though they say it's necessary. The controller software can be installed on your computer at home for the purpose of setup and that's it. Once you set it up, it's really powerful and extends your range quite drastically - I highly recommend. Just be sure to change the SSID and password to the same as your router, so that it handles wifi handoff on your devices.

This is the Unifi AP that I got. I would recommend at least a dual-band AC router with MIMO technology. There's plenty out there where you don't have to break bank, just pick a company that you want to support. I personally like Asus and I've heard great things about Netgear Nighthawk models. Either Asus A3200 or Netgear Nighthawk R6900P. Pair that with a good modem, such asMotorola Surfboard SB8200 (modem will depend completely on what your ISP supports, so don't buy that one unless you know). With this entire setup, you're looking at roughly $400. Even if you don't want to go the AP route, just going with a good router and modem to start will give you an idea of your wireless in your home/office. Unfortunately, working with a wireless signal isn't a one shot type of project. It requires several steps, but first start with the equipment that's feeding your internet.

You also didn't really explain anything in regards to your home/office setup: square footage, brick/drywall, metal obstacles, etc. All of these things play a factor in RF attenuation. You also didn't talk about your setup. Are we talking about being mobile with a phone and laptop, or is there a desktop involved? Are there streaming devices involved?

I haven't heard good things about either a range extender or a mesh system, but it works for some people. If you have a desktop computer, a USB network interface card would do you good.

I've used the TP-link Wireless Adapter before and it's been pretty reliable and cheap. Lasted me through two different builds before I decided to upgrade. I linked the usb version but they have a PCIe version as well.

If you have a nicer router with features like dual band, AC, etc. then consider saving up for a nicer high end wireless adapter to take advantage of higher speeds. I'm currently using the Asus USB N53 and it's been reliable too.

That's an old Apple ADB keyboard, likely from the Apple II period. I do love those, and if you would like to use it on your modern computer, you can use this! I have one and it works great. http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-2001-ADB-iMate-Universal-adapter/dp/B000067V8L

And if you don't have a cable for it, you can use an S-video cable, they're pretty easy to find.

The USB standard doesn't support enough cable length to make this work, but Ethernet definitely does. You could run Ethernet drops (Cat6 preferred) between the locations, and then use a set of USB over Ethernet adapters to make the connections, like this

This is probably your best option, you do have others such as using your network to create RTMP streams or using a WiFi bridge with the adapters I mentioned but you will get lower latency and better performance if you can use Ethernet.

Might be a good opportunity to build and test a DIY high gain directional antenna like a cantenna or yagi. Lots of geek cred and also one of the least expensive options. You can do this on both ends, effectively making a wifi tunnel:

Cantenna: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Cantenna

Super Antenna: http://www.instructables.com/id/10--WIFI-16dBi-Super-Antenna-Pictorial/

Yagi Antenna: https://www.amazon.com/Blackzebra-External-Wireless-Extender-Directional/dp/B00KL6X9M4/

20 dBi Antenna: https://www.amazon.com/KW-3016N-Outdoor-Wireless-Adapter-Antenna/dp/B019Z28CE4/

Another option is high powered (400-2000mW) wifi adapters. Alfa, Ubiquiti, Amped, ASUS, and other companies make them:

Alfa 2000mW adapter (I own this): https://www.amazon.com/High-Gain-Long-Rang-Alfa-9dBi-Mount/dp/B0038Q4AIG/

Amped High-power PCIE adapter: https://www.amazon.com/Amped-Wireless-PCI20E-AC1200-Adapter/dp/B00I9AS1JA/

The best paid option in my opinion is a pair of Nanostations from Ubiquiti setup in bridge mode

Edit: I think you are looking for an inexpensive option, so I would check out the DIY options above

Since your router only supports 2 spatial streams, the MU-MIMO feature would only be useful if you had two 1-stream MU-MIMO clients operating at the same time. A 2-stream adapter like the WUSB6400M would fully saturate both streams negating the "multi-user" aspect of MU-MIMO. You're better off using both streams than choosing a 1-stream adapter just so that you can use MU-MIMO.

Pretty much any 2-stream USB adapter would probably be fine but you might have better results if you pick one with larger antennas or one with a cable that allows you to adjust the placement of the adapter for better reception.

Here are a couple examples of cheap options that should work fine.

https://www.amazon.com/Netis-Wireless-Long-Range-High-Gain/dp/B00I604M00

https://www.amazon.com/BrosTrend-AC3-Wireless-Antennas-Supports/dp/B01IEU7UZ0

2.4Ghz has more signal traffic then the 5Ghz. I think the big issue is the standard. I imagine that your 2.4 Ghz network is on 802.11g, but your 5Ghz is on 802.11n. 802.11n is MUCH faster. You're definitely going to see speeds increasing going between the two networks. I would recommend buying a usb dongle that supports N like this one. It's pretty cheap and would solve your issue.

Is your access point b/g or b/g/n?

If you have Home Assistant already running, from what I understand, you should be able to get a USB zwave dongle like this. You'll then be able to connect zwave devices to Home Assistant, which will take care of your light switches.
Harmony Hub is great. The phone app is ok at best but tied with Echo or G home it works great.

I would recommend a USB one instead because those can be moved up high like onto your desk which makes a huge difference than a PC adapter near the ground, possibly obstructed by your case which is made of metal and metal does not play nicely with RF signals.

This should be good, but it doesn't come with a dongle cable

Or maybe this


I have a Netgear brand one and it is really good. It's the ac1200 and it is great. It maxes out my internet connection at 140mbps. I have it behind my second monitor on my desk

The linksys ac1200 wusb6300 is a good choice if a traditional form usb wifi adapter is what you're going for, or for even more performance, at double the cost, the netgear nighthawk ac1900 is an even better choice that should have slightly better range due to a somewhat adjustable antennae. The netgear model is also among amazons top selling wifi adapters which coupled with that price tag indicates that it is a very good purchase.

If you dont mind a cable and an external dongle that has to be somewhere then this thing with a very long name is both popular on amazon and among online reviewers.

Im assuming you live in the US of course and im not entierly familiar with that market as im european

I have Comcast here. Google just said they are moving in a bit south of my city, so Comcast is shitting bricks. (bricks have been shat)

They upgraded everyones speed for free, but it won't matter.

Oh, the point of this reply was to tell you what to do. Buy a motorola surfboard 6121 (just a recommendation) and call them and say "I have my own modem, I need to activate it." they will ask you for the MAC address which is on the bottom of the modem (sticker) and then activate it. No more rental fee and a much better modem, then get yourself a RT-N66U router and an ASUS usb adapter which is what I have, and I am at 300Mbit connection (max for the adapter) and I download games on Steam at 7 MB/s. Or you can opt for the adapter that is too fast for USB, and it plugs into your Ethernet port - has good reviews but I have not tried it (I think it has realtek cards inside, and shiny ASUS plastic on the outside)

Keep in mind, you set up the 2.5Ghz band then tab to 5Ghz band - I named mine DO NOT WANT and ASUS5G - the usb connector has software that shows the signal level of each band, and it uses them both to achieve 300Mb/s. The router will do 900Mb/s which I don't believe they make adapters for yet. It is an amazing router, and well worth the price.

Let me know if you have questions.

I see, you want to build a man in the middle wifi hotspot! Yes, this is possible, but you have to get a network adapter that's capable of doing this. I'm not sure which Pi you're using, but the built in wifi adapter on a pi3, isn't suited for this type of activity.

This is a great device, below, that is capable of being used to learn a lot about wifi networks!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0038Q4AIG?psc=1

Sorry for the late response Devinmaking, I looked over that motherboard, and as far as I can tell, it should run Linux without issue. It has an older audio codec (Realtek ALC887), so any recent kernel will support it. It also has an Intel LAN chip, which are known for having excellent support in Linux.

As for Wifi, most any Intel or Atheros based card will work without issue. However some Realtek and Broadcom based Wifi cards can a hassle to set up, or not be supported at all.

AFAIK, both the TP-Link TL-WN722N and Panda 300Mbps Wireless N USB Adapter are supported by most distros.

As for using a spare router as a repeater, I haven't ever done that myself, but I think you'll have to make sure the spare router is as fast as your other equipment, otherwise it will limit the speed by being the weakest link in the chain. So for instance if it's only a Wireless G router, and your other equipment is faster Wireless N stuff, you'll only run at the slower G speeds. If your internet connection is slower than the rated Wireless G speeds anyway, then none of that matters. :)

Anyway, hope that helps. \^_^

There's nothing specifically for Android and USB-C, but chances are a simple USB-C to Ethernet adapter will work just fine:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Aluminum-1-Gigabit-Compatible-ChromeBook/dp/B00ZZ6NW5E

It is a bit expensive, but I trust Anker's quality, and it's Amazon, so it's pretty easy to return if it doesn't work.

Either there is no built-in wireless adapter at all, or Linux can't see it.

You may have to buy one. In my experience, WiFi adapters can be hit-or-miss on linux. If you're lucky, you can go to the store and buy one and it will work out of the box. If not, you may have to return it to the store and try a different model, as many times as necessary until you find one that works.

I know on my old Dell laptop, it had a builtin wireless adapter that worked fine. When we needed to hook up a desktop computer at home to WiFi, we bought a cheap one from the store, and again it works out of the box.

Then the next time we needed to hook up an additional desktop to Wifi, we bought another adapter and it didn't work. That time we had to try at least 3 different ones before we found one that worked right.

Your mileage may vary. But whatever you do, don't waste time trying to get it to work if it doesn't do so out of the box. This is utterly futile; most mainstream distributions ship with all wireless drivers preinstalled have all wireless drivers readily available in the repository, so if you don't already have the driver available by default can't easily install the driver using the package manager, then it simply doesn't exist. Just take the thing back to the store for a refund and try a different one if it doesn't work.

Just make sure you buy from a store with a good return policy.

-----------------

EDIT: correction. Ubuntu actually seems to package firmwares individually, so you might have to find and install the proper firmware for your adapter. Or, if you don't know which one is the right one, just install all of them just to be safe, that should work fine too. Either way, they should be easily installable like any other package, if they exist at all. If you find yourself thinking you might need to do some kind of complicated workaround, don't. Just take it back to the store and try a different one.

-------------

EDIT 2: Or, you could just buy one specifically labeled as being supported under linux, that would definitely take the guesswork out of it. Like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Panda-300Mbps-Wireless-USB-Adapter/dp/B00EQT0YK2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482805974&sr=8-3&keywords=linux+wireless+usb+adapter

If you want one that's guaranteed to work with Linux, you'll probably have to order online. Most that you buy in stores are only labeled as working with Windows and maybe Mac; they might work just fine with Linux anyway but it's sort of a crapshoot. In those cases it's nearly impossible to know from the packaging, since sometimes even adapters that are marketed as the exact same product may actually use different chipsets internally.

I've always taken my chances with the in-store purchases due to convenience of not having to wait for shipping, but buying a specifically Linux-oriented one online would certainly take the guesswork out of it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Y6MIXS/

Been using this for over a year. Zero issues. Picks up everything great and seems to come highly recommended from the Kali community. I also got the mounting bracket to clip it to the top of my display on my laptop, and a shorter 1.5 ft. cable to keep it neat.

Edit: I also use a Lenovo x200, 8gb DDR3L, i5 same gen and 120gb ssd. Love that little thing. My boss gave it to me after her upgraded and I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it.

I personally just got this one for $35 US as a warehouse deal and it works amazing. It has the same speed as wired with almost the same ping. And it has better speed/ping than using a powerline adapter. Although this is using my old router's antanaes. Not sure how it performs with the stock ones. Probably almost exactly the same.

As far as what you actually need/want I would assume something like this would probably suit you just fine and would likely work just as well. Or this one which may get better performance.

Edit: Put in Amazon.ca link for first one

Some general rules of thumb (you'll probably already know):

• LAN > WiFi > Powerline
  
• 2.4 ghz > 5 ghz, if big obstacles like walls are in the way, doesn't really matter if it's the same room
  
  Usually i would suggest following combo as it is Miracast compatible:
  https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B016RU3T6S/ &
  https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0197W86IE/
  
  But as this would be the double of your price tag, i'd advise this one: https://www.amazon.ca/TP-Link-Archer-T4U-Wireless-One-Button/dp/B00JBJ6VG8
  
  It does a pretty good job at some clients of mine.
  
  Please try to avoid Powerline Adapters, as they could do more "harm" then good.
  
  Common Promblems:
  
  
• They create a lot of noise in different frequencies, as they use between 2 and 68 Mhz for datatransmissions. Powercables are not shielded and that way you have a huge, radio jamming antenna.
  
• In some countries your Powerline Solution can be shut down by authorities if it disrupts your neighbours radio and you have to pay for the whole fieldop find your noise creating device.
  
• They have to be in the same powercircuit to function properly
  
• Turning on any device in that circuit could crash the powerlan connections (took us weeks to find out that the vacuum cleaner was crashing a clients printer connection)
  
• Speed is not really as "promised" or "advertised"
  

I purchased this USB 3.0 hub when I first got the Mibox a few months ago and it is working great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LLUEJFU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I still have an issue with certain types of videos, I got a free Vudu movie (Tmo Tuesdays last week) I chose the HDX version and even though I was wired, it was pixelating every 5 seconds, tried casting it, same issue. Since I got the HDX version I was able to choose the SD version as , I had to do this via the app on my Android phone and cast it and it worked great. Only issue so far.

A cheapish USB one definitely wont get speeds like a dedicated ethernet cable but in my experience it's good enough. Where you are relative to your wifi source will make a difference as well.

I use this one and am pretty far from my router. On wire I can get up to 120-140 mbps and on this wifi adapter I can get up to 80.

https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/penguin-wireless-n-usb-adapter-gnu-linux-tpe-n150usb

Works perfectly out of the box, drivers are included in the kernel. Pricy though, 25$+10$ of shipping. I can confirm out of the box support with gentoo, Debian, arch, and Ubuntu

https://www.amazon.com/Panda-300Mbps-Wireless-USB-Adapter/dp/B00EQT0YK2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1550105348&sr=8-4&keywords=panda+wireless

Also works with the right drivers, I can confirm it works out of the box on arch, Debian and Ubuntu. A lot cheaper. 13$$


Both of these get 50Mbps down, I don’t know what kinda internet your playing with but these two work well.


This site works pretty well. Figure out the chipset of the device your looking at and look it up.

https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org

While you might be correct in that there might be some EMI in your case - maybe one of your components lacks a filter cap or ferrite choke or something similar - it's just as likely you've just got a bum wifi adapter.

TP-Link doesn't make horrible gear, but it's cheap as chips and some of it goes bad before its time as a result. Let me suggest something to you that might not be a solution I suggest to everyone:

Take a look at this.

Now, there's plenty of people that don't prefer USB adapters to PCI-E external ones, but honestly, they're more versatile and easier to install, as well as not taking up room in your case. Alfa makes probably the best USB adapters anyone does, and I have significant experience using and recommending their products. I've had an AWS036H for over two years, abused, even put outdoors for a time, and it just won't die.

Another benefit is that I guarantee the gain on this setup completely kicks the ass of anything you were using before. Your games will run with better ping, I bet you. IMO, it's an upgrade.

I went through 3 different adapters trying to find one that worked, and here’s what I learned.

The best ways to tell if a LAN adapter works with the Switch is either that it has “for Nintendo Switch” in the name or that it specifically uses the ASIX AX88179 chipset. Usually the chipset will either be in the product specifications, or you can just copy and paste it into your search and many will have the chipset in the title.

The adapter I ended up getting that worked is this one. That however also has three extra USB ports. If you don’t need that, they make a cheaper base model here. If you really want to stay below $15, I would say that’s your best bet.

Hope that helped.

>https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ethernet-Portable-1-Gigabit-Chromebook/dp/B00ZZ6NW5E/ref=cm\_cr\_arp\_d\_product\_top?ie=UTF8

I didn't think I needed any other adapter other than this. Just wanted to make sure it would work. Just to make sure I've got you right, you're saying all I need is this adapter and the driver you provided and I should be good to go?

​

Thanks for the reply (:

This has WiFi AC and dual 2.4ghz/5ghz for $13


OURLINK 600Mbps mini 802.11ac Dual Band 2.4GHz/5GHz Wireless Network Adapter USB WI-FI Dongle Adapter with 5dBi Antenna Support WIN VISTA,WIN 7,WIN 8.1, WIN 10,MAC OS X 10.9-10.13 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018TX8IDA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xiQOCb9HYCQ78

Depends, that doesn't look like it has great antenna so if router is below you may be fine. You would have better luck with something such as https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IRASRJ0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which offers high gain to be able to capture signal through walls and minimize any lag as possible. and cheaper choice would be https://www.amazon.com/Glam-Hobby-802-11ac-Wireless-10-6-10-11-5/dp/B018TX8IDA/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1474605373&sr=1-8&keywords=Dual+Antenna+wifi+adapter

for just 1080p 144hz you could save some money by dropping the cooler, switching the mobo for a msi b450m bazooka v2, switching out the gpu for a rx 5700 (if you're willing to wait for the partner cards with better coolers) or even down to a 1660 ti if you're willing to drop some settings, you probably won't even notice the difference. also exchange that wifi adapter for this one: USB 3.0 1200 Mbps Wifi Adapter

hope this helps, it'll save you like 60 dollars if you go for a 5700 or 140 dollars if you go for a 1660 ti

Three options.

the first/PCIe one is the cleanest as the device will live in the computer and make the desktop act like a laptop in respect to how wireless networks function.

• wireless ac via PCIe
  
• wireless ac via PCIe
  
  The second/USB one is pretty much the same but will have less performance due to antenna diversity and the USB interface.
  
  
• Wireless ac via USB
  
• Wireless ac via USB
  
  
  The third/router is probably the most ideal as it will allow the computer to continue using the onboard ethernet, and give you additional ports to plug other things into. It does have the complexity of having to switch the router into bridge/client mode, but that isn't very hard.
  
  
• Router in bridge mode
  
  As of now the OnHub/GF equipment doesn't interop directly. They are separate business units, and operate independently. It's possible they will integrate in the future but as of now they are on distinct paths from each other.

Aircrack is safe but you will need a wifi card capable of packet injection. In Aircrack, you can isolate a single wireless network and send deauth packets. Which de-authenticates devices which are connected to that WiFi network. Essentially, they are disconnected. You can deauth for a short amount of time or let it run indefinitely.

Alfa makes some pretty good wireless cards.

https://www.amazon.com/Alfa-Long-Range-Dual-Band-Wireless-External/dp/B00VEEBOPG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2U5GVB6F1JKU9&keywords=alfa+wireless+adapter&qid=1556828344&s=gateway&sprefix=alfa+wire%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-3

Are you referring to USB adapters? What is your price point?
The Panda PAU06 has good reviews on Amazon and is cheaper than most dual band adapters of comparable quality. I personally own the Linksys WUSB6300 and the TP-Link Archer T4U, both are good and the Archer works really easily with Linux as well, if that's your thing.

Typically if your USB wireless adapter functions and your network sucks... It's not a safe bet to assume correlation causation with drivers and updates. It's typically your home network.

Consider looking into Ubiquiti's line of UNIFI products. Or you can find your own brand you may prefer which sell "Access Points". Then I would wire all access points to a central area.

You haven't told us how large your house may be or what physical barriers you may have..



If you really believe it's your USB wireless hardware that may be the source of the issue, I would heavily recommend something like this ALFA NETWORKS RT2800 USB Iteration.It should be natively supported across most distributions.

Good luck. Reply if you have any questions.

So I had this very same issue - are you at all using a USB wifi adapter for your network connection?

EDIT: Reason why I ask is because the latest Creators update broke USB wifi adapter 5Ghz connections - it sound bizzarre but believe me... if you are using it look for a driver update for your model adapter from the manufacturer's website if they have one.

If they don't - i bought this one and it had a driver update
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00JBJ6VG8/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1496803731&sr=8-10&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=tp-link+usb+wireless+adapter


Best of luck!!

I've been really pleased with HomeGenie so far. Recently purchased a home and wanted to replace the old thermostats with new 'smart' ones, but wanted to keep the control local and off the cloud. We live in a rural area and really didn't want to have to be tied to the internet to control our devices. Did some research and chose to go Z-Wave, pairing a RasPi2 with a Z-Wave USB dongle (http://www.amazon.com/Aeon-Labs-DSA02203-ZWUS-Z-Wave-Z-Stick/dp/B003MWQ30E). HomeGenie installed onto Raspbian (wheezy) incredibly easy and had no problems getting it up and running. I've been using this setup for about 2 months now and am happy with it. It's paired with all of my Z-Wave devices without issue.

A few things:

• I found HomeGenie to have a slight learning curve, though there are nice examples and docs available.
  
• Most of what I've done with HomeGenie use custom 'Programs' which allow you to write the logic in a few different languages (C#, JavaScript, a couple others). This is exactly what I wanted, but may not be for those that aren't used to programming.
  

Hey. I don't have a webcam to test unfortanuetly, however, my old headset did work perfectly. Moreover, the connection is via ethernet and the Surface Pro is on Wifi, on the same connection so I don't think it's my internet.I am only using Discord and then Skype for interviews. The problem persists on both platforms. I was told about upgrading my bluetooth dongule so I'll try that first and foremost. If that doesn't work I'll try and reinstall windows from scratch. Thanks for your help!
My bluetooth device is; https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B071R2M5Z1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1&tag=linustechtips-21


Would upgrading to say: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-USB-BT400-3Mbps-Bluetooth-Dongle/dp/B00CM83SC0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ZR5MDK0002D8&keywords=asus%20bt400&qid=1568763199&s=electronics&sprefix=asus%20bt%20,electronics,279&sr=1-1&tag=linustechtips-21


Prove any difference? This was recommended to me from a friend.

Not a problem. I will say I haven't pushed it to the very edge of what it claims in terms of support for 4k super ultra mega UHD dolby whatever, so bear in mind I can't really speak for that. But I think you'll do well with the mi box. If you want ethernet, I bought a UGreen USB 3.0 Hub that includes an RJ45 jack, and it works well.

No guarantee it would work well at that distance but a long range usb wifi adapter like one of these would be your best bet for wireless

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: http://smile.amazon.com/Alfa-AWUS036H-802-11b-Wireless-network/dp/B002WCEWU8/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
|UK|www.amazon.co.uk|Macmillan|
|Spain|www.amazon.es||
|France|www.amazon.fr||
|Germany|www.amazon.de||
|Japan|www.amazon.co.jp||
|Canada|www.amazon.ca||
|Italy|www.amazon.it||
|India|www.amazon.in||




To help donate money to charity, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

Of course it can! hubs dont need drivers. I use this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LLUEJFU/

you get a usb ethernet and a hub all in one :D

However, there isnt a game that really supports 8 controllers right now. Bomberman really only supports 4 sets of joycons which they translate L and R joycons inputs seperately even though they are paired in sets. so it's really a hack rather than true 8 controller support. you'll probably get at most 4 controllers on a hub.
https://www.konami.com/games/bomberman/r/us/en/page/controller_settings/

I have these bulbs and this z stick. I use home assistant as my hub. It's very flexible at what it can do, but with that flexibility comes complication and a learning curve. But I think it was well worth it.

I've got those bulbs in almost every light and lamp in my house, along with an Amazon Echo, a couple of motion sensors, and a lot of timing based automation. Look thorough the components home assistant supports for an idea of what you can do.

edit:
The bulbs I linked also come with little plastic bits to go over the switches so people don't turn them off accidentally.

If your PCI wireless card is 10 years old, it was probably 802.11G wireless. Wifi has come a long way since then.

I would recommend upgrading to a newer 802.11AC wireless adaptor. My preference would be USB, but PCIe is also an option

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Archer-T4UH-Wireless-Adapter/dp/B00TQD235C/

For best results, use an AC router as well.

A couple years ago I purchased this one from Panda Wireless:
http://www.amazon.com/Panda-Ultra-Wireless-Adapter-150Mbps/dp/B00762YNMG

They have other produces on their site http://www.pandawireless.com/Products%20%7C%20Panda%20Wireless.html , but this is a simple, small, N150, mac compatible dongle. The specific product links actually take you straight to amazon.

It works well, but the third-party interface it just not as nice as the built in airport interface. You have to install extra software (which they provide), and it opens when you plug in the dongle, but as far as I can tell you have to select which wireless network you want to use from your set up profiles or from a scan; you can't just have it connect to any available network that you have set up. But it works, and it works well enough that I have used it to share a single wifi connection to my other wifi devices.

Here is a USB Wifi adapter with a really large antenna. It only supports wireless N, not the newest AC. But, the high gain antenna it comes with is great if you are farther away from the router.

please include more details in ur post next time but...

if u have a PCI lane open, for 19.99$ should do the job.

if u dont and want a usb adapter, this usb plug and play for 20.99 is worth the .99 cents.

​

the pci wifi adapter will perform significantly better tho and then also becomes a part of your system rather than an attachment which takes a usb drive away.

I recently researched this and found that the Alfa brand USB adapters are most commonly recommended due to good performance and support in Linux (also listed in the aircrack link by xaocon). Keep in mind though that some of the most recommended ones, like this popular one only supports b/g WiFi networks, so if you want to play with a n network you have to get an updated model. I have this one and it works well but doesn't pick up as many WiFi points as the first one linked..

Does it need to be a card or can it be usb?

If so, I have good success with these:

http://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-WID320-300Mbps-Wireless-N-Adapter/dp/B00961GM1A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421359562&sr=8-1&keywords=wireless+adapter+kinivo

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BV4JXI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have 4 of the Rosewills and 2 of the Kinivos. Both have been extremely reliable. The rosewills have the advantage of including the base stand and antenna so you can position it better which can be a big deal. They are both 2.4 ghz N and not 5 ghz.

What kind of wireless network do you have currently?

This is my one

ASUS USB-BT400 Bluetooth 4.0 USB Adapter Backward Compatible with Bluetooth 2.0/2.1/3.0 - Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CM83SC0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_c82nyb950Q01F

Paired with
Creative Sound Blaster JAM Ultra Light Bluetooth Headset https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00SBBDDR2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Lb3nyb8E1PH1J

I'm pretty happy.

If you can no way impact the other end, you will have to increase the signal capabilities of your side, so the only thing you can do is get a better adapter, and preferably one with an antenna.

If you got this one, it has a 1W amplification and a high gain antenna. If you don't care that much, you could get one with a lower gain antenna.

The nice thing about these is you can position it out of the way on a shelf or something where you find you get the most signal.

They do sell 2W amplified versions I believe, but this is not worth it and 1W is all you should go before it starts to introduce too much signal noise.

If you can upgrade everything, you could look into 802.11 ac because it has good range capabilities by nature.

Step 1.) Get the things you need:

A. You'll need a wifi adapter that is not internal that uses the right chipsets http://www.wirelesshack.org/top-kali-linux-compatible-usb-adapters-dongles-2015.html will help, personally I recommend one that uses the Atheros chipset, I've found that tends to work a little better. http://www.amazon.com/Alfa-AWUS036NHA-Wireless-Adaptor-Compatible/dp/B004Y6MIXS would be my recommendation.

B.) Pirate a copy of VMWare Workstation.

C.) Grab a copy of Kali Linux.

D.) Make a virtual PC in vmware and install kali linux as the operating system. It's pretty straight forward and you can google it if you have to, it's very simple and if you can't make it that far alone then I really don't want to teach you anything.

If you make it that far let me know. You probably won't.

I got this. PCI-E cards are usually the recommended route but I got this because I ran out of PCI-E power cords (greedy 980ti). Also, USB dongle's have gotten a lot better recently. Works surprisingly well and will be handy to have around when I move over to an ethernet connection.

Yeah, I know it's not a popular opinion but I feel that my logic is sound. As far as I can tel, the only reason people go PCIe is because of the speed difference between PCIe and USB.

The Gigabyte should be fine, I have my preferences but I really don't think that you're going to notice a difference. I've personally had good experiences with TP-Link adapters like this one. I haven't personally used this one but I'm a fan of Alfa products.

Keep in mind that the power of your card or adapter only really helps when you are sending packets to an access point, not when it is sending to you (obviously). That said, I highly recommend products from Alfa, particularly the Alpha AWUS036H. It's a 1w external that is fantastic. We use these in our labs to reach AP's through reinforced concrete, steel, you name it. The AWUS036H is b/g. If you need 802.11n, get the AWUSO36NH - this is what I carry in my bag, along with my Thinkpad. If my built in wifi isn't up to the job, that one almost always is.

It depends on the layout... Extenders work best when they are placed half way between the wifi source and the computers/phones that need wifi. So if you can place the extender in such a location, it'll probably work well.

However if you cannot place the extender that close to the router, and need something to be close to you and to reach a far away wifi signal, you'd be better off with an external long range wifi adapter such as this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Alfa-Long-Range-Dual-Band-Wireless-External/dp/B00VEEBOPG/ref=pd_sbs_147_t_0/136-2705769-8042210?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00VEEBOPG&pd_rd_r=5d6fe997-2011-44da-89ef-9cd8d8b333f7&pd_rd_w=8t2q7&pd_rd_wg=hSGDO&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=5QCM0YQK5SA3E2DWH9NR&psc=1&refRID=5QCM0YQK5SA3E2DWH9NR

Two options:

1. Get a set of Powerline Ethernet Adaptors. These allow you to run ethernet through the existing power lines in your home (without impacting their ability to deliver power), or
   
2. Get an external WiFi ethernet adaptor. This will plug into your PS4s ethernet jack, and will then connect to your WiFi router. A decent such adaptor is likely going to have better WiFi than is built into the PS4 (and you may be able to find one that has a better antenna as well).
   
   HTH!

After reading this last week I had a go at doing it myself. I bought one of these bad boys, plugged it into my laptop, set up a monitor device like so:

sudo iw wlan1 interface add wlan1mon type monitor

Then listen for wifi clients like so:

sudo tshark -i wlan1mon subtype probereq

I can see the neighbours coming home, people turning their laptops on etc. The best bit is that old iPhones leak loads of info by broadcasting saved ESSIDs, I can see three locations where the girl next door has been on holiday and via a reverse SSID search I can see where one of her friends lives.

Consumer WiFi equipment should leak less information, it's too fucking chatty.

I have the older version of this one. Worked great, I lived in a house with 6 other people with the router 2 walls away from me. Never had an issue with ping/lag. Mine only has 2.4Ghz but the newer one has 5.0GHz as well. I also lent it to a friend who didn't have ethernet for a while and for whatever reason his onboard wifi couldn't pickup his home wifi signal from his room but he managed to get it to work using this.

Yep :) Should be good, all these USB sticks do is create a serial port which you point the OpenHAB Z-Wave binding to and OpenHAB runs anywhere a JVM runs!

Besides the UZB Z-Wave USB stick mentioned above, there are a few other models that are known to work with OpenHAB. eg. Z-Stick

I should say, that's with stock antennas... I'm sure the range would be quite good with some aftermarkets

The other option would be to get something like an Alfa network card and big boy antenna... I've picked up AP's like half a mile away with one. That said, they're a bit clunky.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0038Q4AIG/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1493156493&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=alfa+network&psc=1

When I had a MiBox I bought this one
https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Network-Adapter-Ethernet-1000Mbps/dp/B00LLUEJFU

Worked great and is external powered (not required for just Ethernet) so the USB hub will work great too.

You can just get something tiny like this if you don't need much out of it, or can go for something like this for a more solid and stronger connection.

Here is a basic one on Amazon, looks like no driver needed:

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-USB-Type-C-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B01M4J1H1U

A lot on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=usb+c+to+ethernet&s=review-rank&pd_rd_r=d6dee4aa-b3ba-421d-8c05-5c0997c845ac&pd_rd_w=0wMAI&pd_rd_wg=ZWnvm&pf_rd_p=7be70e42-b5c0-4077-873a-35a472a6fbd4&pf_rd_r=A8D9RDB0W94KWDC28RC2&qid=1569954847&ref=sr_st_review-rank

I have had good luck with Anker:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ethernet-Portable-1-Gigabit-Chromebook/dp/B00ZZ6NW5E/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=usb+c+to+ethernet+anker&qid=1569954896&s=gateway&sr=8-3

All of those will have the same issue as the card you have. Do verify the antenna wires are snapped in place. For speed and signal strength I suggest something like this or even better this.

It is always a lot easier to go off of working builds. I have done two and they work pretty good.

I use this for wifi and it works with Lion with it in 32bit mode.

Mi Box S is the next and cheaper alternative for Android TV. It has 4K and HDR but no ethernet adaptor, you should be able to add one by getting an ethernet adapter (Ugreen brand works perfectly for Mi Box users):

You should be able to get one on Amazon

Ethernet Only ($13)

Ethernet w/ USB 3.0 ($20)

​

If you will be mostly streaming or watching you should be fine with a Mi Box.

Definitely don't try just add random amounts of cat5/6 to your antenna. That won't work.

Here's a monoprice USB extender. Not sure how good it is, but it's pretty cheap:
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Extender-CAT5E-Connection-150ft/dp/B003L14ZTC

Do you actually have a separate Ethernet jack you can use for this? Also, not sure if wyzesense supports multiple instances of the device at once?

I can't think of an option that checks all the boxes (but maybe one exists).

What about the [Acer Swift 3] (https://shopineer.com/laptops/Acer-Swift-3-8th-Gen-Intel-Core-i5-8250U-15-6-Full-HD-8GB-DDR4-SF315-51-518S)?

• 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U Processor (Up to 3.4GHz)
  
• 15.6"
  
• 1920 x 1080
  
• 8 GB RAM
  
• 256 GB SSD
  
• Windows 10 Home
  
• 10 hours battery life
  
• 4.63 lbs.
  
  It also has good build quality (aluminum case) and an IPS screen for wider viewing angles.
  
  This latest gen quad core CPU should be great for general use and it can also handle some light gaming.
  
  It lacks an ethernet port, but you could get a USB-C dongle, something like [this one] (https://www.amazon.com/Anker-USB-C-to-Ethernet-Adapter-for-USB-Type-C-Devices-Including-the-new-MacBook-2016-ChromeBook-Pixel-and-More-Silver-Aluminum/dp/B00ZZ6NW5E).
  
  Alternatively, there is also this [14" config] (https://shopineer.com/laptops/Computer-Upgrade-King-CUK-Acer-Swift-3-Stellar-Blue-Ultrabook-Lightweight-Laptop-LT-AC-0162-CUK-002) if you want something more portable. It also has a larger SSD.
  
  For more options you can check this [list of laptops for general use] (https://shopineer.com/laptops/top-lists/best-laptops-for-general-use).

the rtl8812au and rtl8814au are now both supported / have drivers that support injection and monitor mode, opening AC networks to the world of kali.


This one is pretty skookum https://www.amazon.ca/Alfa-AC1900-Wifi-adapter-Long-Range/dp/B01MZD7Z76/
This one is cheaper and has reviews and questions explicitly stating chipset and use with kali https://www.amazon.ca/BrosTrend-1200Mbps-Adapter-Wireless-Antennas/dp/B01IEU7UZ0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

​

This is just my opinion, here are some "best of":

• https://www.pcgamer.com/best-usb-wi-fi-adapter/
  
  > This is a site that gets paid to promote items, although you probably can't go wrong with their choices
  
  
• https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/773852-best-wifi-adapter-for-a-pc-build/
  
  > linustechtips has users directly reporting their findings, and these are the most knowledge users for nerd things. little more reading involved here
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Long-Range-Dual-Band-Wireless-External-Antennas/dp/B00VEEBOPG/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1541883030&sr=1-1&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A4702745011
  
  > Personally, I'd get that one. It looks cool, and all the numbers are in a higher tier.

@frostlie You should definitely try this. Even in handheld mode, if you have a USB-C to Ethernet adapter, you should be able to play online.

Something like this should be adequate : https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00ZZ6NW5E/

Anything with an AX88179 chipset would work. UGreen and Pluggable seem to be popular brands. I bought this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LLUEJFU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - I figured the extra USB ports might be nice to have if I want to run 2 gamecube adapters

An alternative would be the Bionik ethernet adapter, which fits entirely in the dock so it's a bit cleaner: https://www.amazon.com/DreamGEAR-Soundbar-Home-Speaker-BNK-9018/dp/B07583N38P/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1542675672&sr=8-7&keywords=bionik+switch

I've had the best luck with Alfa adapters. I currently have 3 of these: http://www.amazon.com/High-Gain-Long-Rang-Alfa-9dBi-Mount/dp/B0038Q4AIG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1416321127&sr=8-3&keywords=alfa+awus036nh

buy a repeater for wireless

-how far away is the router/modem from your pc you want to connect, somtimes just moving the modem and thus the wifi signal will make it work.

I would move it closer/close as possible to the area your trying to cover-then make sure it is in the open. Not in a cbinet or between something. You can use the wifi tool to see the changes.

The wifi receiver on your end (PC)should also be in the open-not stuffed up against a wall.

The 5ghz channel would probably solve the issue-as thats what it does -more power. The adapter you have for the PC may not be dual channel. You can get a cheap adapter like this that does for under 20.

https://www.amazon.com/OURLINK-600Mbps-802-11ac-Wireless-10-6-10-12-4/dp/B018TX8IDA/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_147_tr_t_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=H7NT6YNNA9XWZD3TNNZN

are you sure the 5ghz channel is on in the AIO?

Your phone (if moderately new) should be able to see the 5ghz channel if it is broadcasting-if the pc does not have the ability

I use this WiFi adapter with Kali Linux and it works flawlessly. A Raspberry Pi is also very good since you can image Kali or another pentesting platform on it. Speaking of Kali Linux, it includes a ton of tools that are quite useful.

> In my view, the only reason you would get a USB wifi is as a temporary solution while you wait for .......

You list antenna and performance being worse for USB... which makes it look like you are not aware of options out there.

If you want cheap with a standard omni antenna (replaceable), you can get an 11ac dongle like the ac600 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018TX8IDA/

For a workhorse capable of long range connections, driver versatility, and well establish reputation, the Alfa AWUS models are at the top. The Alfa AWUS036NH is a well supported old workhorse of many packet capture analysts and hackers, though the AWUS036ACH is the latest with modern speeds.

There is no wrong path here.

>As for a Rasberry Pi with a wifi dongle, the reception would not be acceptable for the size of my home,

why not

And again, at 20Mbps I would argue even a raspberry pi is overkill for your needs but the most power efficient and again safe from unnecessary complexity (because all those pci slots are additional connectors waiting to eventually be shorted out by debris floating around in the room)

I recommend this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Alfa-AWUS036NHA-Wireless-USB-Adaptor/dp/B004Y6MIXS/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1535947628&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=alfa+network&psc=1

It's not a dongle, but it's amazing and you can get much larger antennas to really up your range

There should be tons of options out there. The main thing to look for is “AC” wifi standard (I assume your router supports AC or AX if it’s a newer model) and the bigger the antennae the better.

This was recommended to me last time. I didn’t get it because I opted for a mesh network instead but it looks really capable.

This one seems pretty good to me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LLUEJFU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

I'm not sure if it has been mentioned here but I really like that it also gives you some extra usb slots along with being an ethernet adapter. Something to think about assuming it's fully compatible.

25 Feet is well within the HDMI spec. That plus an active USB cable leading to a hub. Just run as many HDMI cables as monitors.

But what if it is out of the reach of HDMI, or if you already have Cat6 lines run to where you want to use it.

Solution (For under $200):
HDMI Balun (4)
Amazon

USB over Ethernet
Amazon

I use one of these and am able to get wifi from across the street from starbucks with at least 3 bars when I am working on the road and need to use my laptop. I've used other extenders but this one seems to be the best especially if they are using a 5ghz AC wireless router.

https://www.amazon.com/Alfa-Long-Range-Dual-Band-Wireless-External/dp/B00VEEBOPG/ref=pd_sim_147_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00VEEBOPG&pd_rd_r=4FN6YFJ0VHKTTB8HW1XX&pd_rd_w=BYSKr&pd_rd_wg=28XDM&psc=1&refRID=4FN6YFJ0VHKTTB8HW1XX

I did what you said at night when absolutely nothing else could've been going on and what would happen is every now and then my ping would spike up at the same time for both boxes. Is it safe to say that I need to replace my router? I can't think of anything new in the environment, i didn't get any new technology. I have changed the wifi channels but that didn't seem to help either.

Would something like this be a viable solution?
https://www.amazon.com/Asus-Wireless-N-Graphical-Interface-USB-N53/dp/B005SAKW9G

Seems like maybe something like this could work? https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Extender-CAT5E-Connection-150ft/dp/B003L14ZTC/ref=pd_sim_147_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TR8XYR73JRC4KHVGC1GY

Instead of running USB, I can easily just switch it out for ethernet, I just don't know if it would supply enough power to go through a wall plate and power a wireless keyboard, hmm.

I used this adapter for about 2.5 years and I couldn't tell a difference after switching to a wireless card.

I'd use that computer to play BF4 and PS2 with pings usually around 50-70 if I remember correctly. It was certainly an enjoyable gaming experience.

A client bridge or something like this: IOGEAR Ethernet-2-WiFi Universal Wireless Adapter, GWU637 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018YPWORE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_q.20Ab6KTZP7M

Best option would be to run hardwired connection

Something like this might work

But running wiring to the printers is a better solution

Yeah, that's when I switched also. One of these would probably be your easiest solution.

I found the amazon reviews here, so I think they can answer most of my questions. Thanks for pointing out the adapter and your experience with it. :)

Actually, if you want to get wifi for your PC, you don't need to buy a new motherboard. There are wifi cards you can buy, like [this one](https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Express-Adapter-TL-WDN4800/dp/B007GMPZ0A (which plugs directly into your motherboard) (which plugs directly into your motherboard) or this one (which you plug into a usb port in the front/back of your computer).

But yes, the motherboard generally doesn't get upgraded on its own too often.

Here's the thing though, different generations and brands of CPU use different motherboard sockets, meaning that if you were to buy a new Intel CPU, it wouldn't be compatible with your current motherboard. You'd have to buy a new motherboard that is compatible with the series/generation of the CPU you're buying.

The power supply doesn't really need to be upgraded unless you need the extra wattage or you currently have a lower-quality power supply. A higher-quality PSU should last several years.

You're right about the ram - it doesn't usually get upgraded unless you need more. However, with Intel's skylake chips that came out a year or two ago, DDR4 ram became the new standard. It's not cross-compatible with DDR3, the previous standard; as a result of that, when you buy a new CPU and motherboard (if it's Skylake or newer), you'll also have to buy all new DDR4 ram as well, as you won't be able to use DDR3.

Depending on usage case, I'd say the most often upgraded part is the GPU.

I want to get a cheap usb Wi-Fi adapter to use while on vacation so I don't have to run an Ethernet cable through my relative's house. I'm looking for sub $20 on amazon. Would any of these support light multiplayer gaming? I'm showing my family VR games. Cheaper is better because this is probably the only time I'll use it.

OURLINK for $20

TP Link for $10

Wise Tiger for $13

As others have said, OpenBSD isn't great as an access point. But if you are going to choose a USB device in Host AP, I recommend athn(4) devices. Specifically, AR9271 devices. I understand that the Alfa AWUS036NHA, which is popular with the Kali Linux kiddies, uses that chipset. But if you're looking to save some money, you can search for "AR9271" on eBay and find plenty of generic Chinese USB devices with that chipset. Though you obviously have fewer guarantees of quality. I have one of these adapters, and I've found it very reliable, though I've mostly used it in client mode rather than as a Host AP.

You could try using a CAT5 to WIFI adapter (assuming that adapter supported the network's security methods).

Something like this might work - https://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Ethernet-2-WiFi-Universal-Wireless-GWU637/dp/B018YPWORE/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ethernet+to+wifi&qid=1569328089&s=electronics&sr=1-3

Do you actually want a docking station, or do you just want an ethernet port and HDMI port?

I have a Pluggable USB 3.0 docking station that I use at the office. It works well, but it isn't USB-C so I have to use an adapter along with it. I believe they have a USB-C version, but I use my docking station for a Windows laptop that only has USB 3.0 on it also.

I have a USB-C Adapter that I carry around with me that offers USB 3.0, HDMI, and pass through USB-C on it. If you look around, you can probably find one that has ethernet in it also.

For ethernet use on the go, I have a USB to Ethernet adapter.

There are lots of options out there below $100. It really depends on what you are trying to accomplish with them.

Virtual machines are useful. I believe you can set up a virtual machine on your Mac so you can emulate a Windows machine or a android (I am not sure about android but I will do some checking if I were you).

I would suggest reading up on virtual machines and setting it up so that you are anonymous, using a VPN is always a good idea. I would also suggest buying a Wi-Fi adapter I will link what I think is the best one after. See if you can use a café Wi-Fi or a public Wi-Fi so you're not locked into having you credentials known by the powers that be.

Nothing I have said is illegal. 

Edit: added link

This is the answer.

The on-board tiny little WiFi with it tiny little antenna works, but it doesn't give much throughput. I have used something like this in the past. It really made a big difference in performance. This also looks interesting.

While the WiFi chip is your biggest bottleneck, the OS will slow you down some. There is too much going on in the background. Try a stripped down OS like DietPi, Minibian, or Raspbian Lite.

Realistically, as /u/bobstro said, just get a travel router.

The alfa works great on Linux, I did a bit of googling and your wireless card seems supported. Could u try a live usb of Linux to test.

You could have replaced that $15 spent on a keyboard & USB Drive with a $10 wifi adapter, then just SSH'd into the box and done everything that way from your PC, and then used SFTP or SCP to transfer ROM's to the Pi, or just when SSH'ed into the pi do

wget [download link]

Just FYI for anyone that wants to do this project. You also probably won't need a starter kit. Minimum you'll need:

• Raspberry Pi Zero - $5 (Adafruit has it, other shops may be better depending on where you live.
  
• USB OTG USB Hub - $5
  
• Mini HDMI to Standard Adapter - $3
  
• Linux-compatible Wifi Adapter - $10
  
• 8GB SanDisk SD Card - $6
  
• OPTIONAL USB Card Reader - $7
  
• OPTIONAL USB SNES Controller - $8, keep in mind you can also just use a Xbox 360 or PS3 controller if you are using the RetroPie Distro.
  
  Total Price: $44, I didn't include a keyboard because I assume everyone has one, you just need that for the initial setup and then you can use SSH.

I would recommend first going to a local Apple Authorized Service Provider (unless the one Apple Store in Alaska is close to you) and get a quote from them. Let them take a look at it and see what it costs to get a built in card from them since it will perform much better than anything else.

If whatever their cost is is too expensive for you, it may be possible to install one yourself. What is the model number for your Mac?

As for USB options... This one looks promising. Unfortunately, I have zero experience using these adapters with a Mac and reviews for the brands I go to first are a bit mixed. So don't just settle for the one I found until you've looked around a bit.

Hm. I'm actually really not sure whether it will fit. I have the same wifi card and for me it did not fit in one of my mATX builds - it fit just fine into the board but it would collide with the psu below. But it might very well work for you! Depends on psu height and the case, hard to predict. Maybe something to try out.

If it does not fit get a wifi ethernet bridge like https://www.amazon.de/Ethernet-2-WiFi-Universal-Wireless-Adapter-GWU637/dp/B018YPWORE instead. A router should also work, if you have one available.

Yea, you need a wireless card! This is pretty popular. Then, when you have installed your operating system, you need to install the drivers, etc.

Perfectly! Put an RJ45 on each end, then there's a transmitter and receiver. I plug one end into my nvidia shield or vivopc, other end by the TV with wireless dongle and presto! This is the ones I use, I have 2 and haven't had a problem with them at all:

Monoprice USB Extender over CAT5E or CAT6 Connection up to 150ft https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003L14ZTC/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_uWKuxbTAWFAYG

Let me start by first saying that I have pretty much the same parts as you (CPU, cooler, mobo, SSD, GPU) and they're a great combo!

1. The CPU you plan on getting is unlocked and your mobo allows overclocking so yes, these parts are appropriate. The mobo even has a nifty "OC Genie" that safely overclocks your system to 4.0 GHz @ 1.098v if you are too nervous to mess with settings yourself. I'm using the OC Genie right now and am getting idling temps of 30C to 35C. Under load when gaming, temps only go up to about 50C using the Hyper 212 EVO.
   
   
2. You will not need to get an aftermarket thermal paste for overclocking as the Hyper 212 EVO already comes with thermal paste. I'm using it right now and it's working fine.
   
   
3. The mobo supports SLI so yes, you will be able to run SLI in the future. The mobo also comes with a Qualcomm Killer (awesome) network adapter that doesn't get in the way of any of your PCIe slots.
   
   
4. I'm using http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004BV4JXI/?tag=pcpapi-20, which is pretty decent. Once in a while, it takes forever for the adapter to connect to the internet on start up, but it's usually already connected when you sign in to your account. This phenomenon only happens once every few days.

Any should do, I bóught one from amazon the ASUs one but any should do the job, at least 4.0 or more, and any usb cable extensión

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-USB-BT400-Bluetooth-Backward-Compatible/dp/B00CM83SC0

I never got a problem but some people said if there is not good tracking it can be also the lighting in your environment, so maybe need to buy stronger lightbulbs if you have low ligh setup in your house.

Pd: but you are just like 15 days to rift s to be released, so my 2 cents is don’t pull the trigger yet bro, or maybe just get it in amazon so you are sure to be able to return it after you test it, I returned mine and didn’t got problems to get my money back

They sure do.

I bought: https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Ethernet-1000Mbps-Nintendo-Chromebook/dp/B00LLUEJFU

Which I like over the non hub versions as I like the added ports and use an 8bitdo adapter that I leave plugged in to it.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/LwxfrH/trendnet-wireless-network-card-tew805ub

this one is decent and small

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01IEU7UZ0/

this one offers strong signal but of course there are more expensive options with possibly better results.

This one worked for me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EQT0YK2/

I didn't use it much so I can't say if it worked well.

It's possible you can get your wireless working. It looks like there might be a kernel patch, and possibly an issue of secure boot keeping the kernel from using the chip: https://askubuntu.com/questions/765584/is-it-possible-to-use-broadcom-bcm43142-wifi-in-ubuntu-16-04

Some links of interest.


Kali Linux - Pen Testing Distro:

http://www.kali.org/

VMWare Player to run it in:

https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/free#desktop_end_user_computing/vmware_player/6_0

A good and simple hacking Wargame site. Its worth checking this out to learn the basics:

http://www.overthewire.org/wargames/

Vulnerable VM's to test your skills on:

https://community.rapid7.com/docs/DOC-1875

http://www.dvwa.co.uk/

http://www.offensive-security.com/metasploit-unleashed/Requirements

And one of the handiest wireless NIC's you could own:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alfa-AWUS036H-802-11b-Wireless-network/dp/B002WCEWU8

Ubuntu + ALFA AWUS036H Antenna + aircrack-ng

This should get you started gear-wise. Cracking WEP is a piece of cake - good luck with WPA(2)

have had good luck with these myself, https://www.amazon.com/High-Gain-Long-Rang-Alfa-9dBi-Mount/dp/B0038Q4AIG/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1526286792&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=alfa+wifi&psc=1

I have an ASUS USB-N13 that works great, but it is 2.4GHz only. I would recommend you try out the 5GHz version, the ASUS USB-N53.

This thing worked pretty well with a desktop I was running crunchbang on. I think I ran Windows 7 for a little while too, but I was mostly using it to play with linux.

Is your wireless card the one your host (the laptop/Win10) is using to connect to the internet?

If it is, it will only show as a wired connection within the VM.

There is currently no way to assign the wireless card to a VM as wireless.

You will need to use an external wifi card attached to the VM. It's not a bad thing as most inbuilt wifi cards don't have the capabilities that a decent external wifi card will eg. Monitor mode, packet injection.

(Edit to add...)

Something like THIS is perfect.

If you don't have one already, get an Alfa AWUS036H. Extreme range + support for Backtrack. :)

If you have the PCIE slot to spare, I highly recommend using that instead. You can get much better performance in both power and speed over the USB option. That being said, here are four recommendations based on your needs:

1. USB, budget - BrosTrend, $26
   
2. USB, performance - ASUS USB-AC68, $76
   
3. PCIE, budget - TP-Link Archer T4E, $35
   
4. PCIE, performance - ASUS PCE-AC68, $87
   
   Personally, I have the PCE-AC68 that I bought for $75 3 years ago and it's still rocking.

There are plenty that do say they work with Linux, and plenty show up if you search for it.

​

In general: Try to pick an Atheros or Intel-based wifi card/adapter. Those are pretty universally plug and play. Realtek and Broadcom are iffy on whether they will work right away or not.

If you have an Arduino with a USB connection, then it's going to be harder to extend the distance, because it's a USB issue, instead of an Arduino issue. There are commercial solutions to extend USB, such as USB to ethernet to USB, or USB to fiber optics to USB, or other concepts. Some solutions are expensive, some cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Extender-CAT5E-Connection-150ft/dp/B003L14ZTC

If you use another type of Arduino that doesn't have integrated USB, then you could use RS485 / RS422 / RS232 / alternate async transport, then convert back to UART connection to connect to the Arduino.

https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardPro

You could use an RS232 extender, similar to the top concept.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=3598

https://www.amazon.com/Alfa-AWUS036NHA-Wireless-USB-Adaptor/dp/B004Y6MIXS

As far as I can tell, this only supports 2.4GHz. You'll need a different adapter that can support 5GHz.

Edit: Thanks for the Gold.

I got this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B018TX8IDA/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1522170857&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=wireless+adapter&dpPl=1&dpID=31N0alLcZEL&ref=plSrch

However if you got the scratch people are always recommending this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HF8K0O6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522170888&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=wireless+adapter+gigabyte&dpPl=1&dpID=41BpgO0sa-L&ref=plSrch


That's exactly what I did is get a longer Ethernet cord. I use a USB extension cable so I can place my adapter in the best spot.

Hey, so I bought and installed

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01IEU7UZ0/

It's defo connecting via ac instead of n and it's using 5GHz and internet is much faster so thanks!

But- I notice that the link speed between my pc and router is only 86M. This doesn't seem very high to me. Do you know how I can improve it? Especially since fibre in my area is meant to go to 100M but I'm not going to upgrade unless I can actually use it. Do you have any advice on how to increase the link speed between my pc and the router?

Yeap, such as https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TQD235C/ref=twister_B01AXO6I5I?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I like the ones with the extended cable for antennas because the further away from the case it is the better the signal quality you'll get. Less interference from the components.

You can if you have multiple pucks, and that one is part of the mesh. if not you might be better off looking into a wifi to ethernet adapter, something like this https://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Ethernet-2-WiFi-Universal-Wireless-GWU637/dp/B018YPWORE

http://domoticz.com

I have this set up on my rpi2, with one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Aeon-Labs-DSA02203-ZWUS-Z-Wave-Z-Stick/dp/B003MWQ30E controlling some Zwave dimmers and a door sensor and it works really well if you want to get into home automation with lights and security. You can also control network cameras, or install motion (http://www.lavrsen.dk/foswiki/bin/view/Motion/WebHome) and use a webcam/the rpi cam to have a motion detection camera. Domoticz and motion both have REST/JSON APIs so you can do some other custom stuff if you want too.

It doesn’t. You can get a combined WiFi/BT card like this one, or a USB BT adapter like this one..

The Quest's video decoder is capped at 150Mb/s, which is what the Link does, and the latest version of Virtual Desktop also does 150Mb/s. The TP-Link Archer T4UH is capable of 866Mb/s, and is 1/2 the price of the AC2600. It works with Windows, but I have it connected to my Raspberry Pi 4 for a wireless NAS for the Quest. Rock solid connection, and the Quest shows it as 866Mb/s. You need to enable 80Mhz bandwidth though to get the full 866Mb/s, or it'll be reduced to only 300Mb/s. Still fast enough for the 150Mb/s the Quest is limited to.

ps: Just noticed your name...I'm in East Van too. :)

Making some assumptions. If you do not have Ethernet where your PC is you could pry wirelessly bridge the 2 routers together and the plug you PC in to the 2nd router. (Think you would be better off buying a WiFi adaptors.) If your router is not capable of bridging you could look at flashing it with DD-wrt and that might make it work. I still think a wireless adapter would be the better option.

If you do have Ethernet from router 1 into your PC room you can plug it in on ports 1 through 4 on router 2 do not plug in to the WAN / wireless port. Then plug your PC into one of the other 3 ports.

Edit: cheap wifi adaptors for a PC https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-1200Mbps-TECHKEY-Wireless-Network-300Mbps/dp/B07J65G9DD/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=wifi+adapter+for+pc&qid=1568583172&sr=8-3

I'd get yourself an ethernet adapter, they're pretty cheap and way faster than wifi. I use mine for backups regularly. I got https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZZ6NW5E/ works well enough.

Sounds like you want something like This

TMK works just fine as an inline adapter. You can build it however you want.

Otherwise, you're pretty much looking at this: https://www.amazon.com/Griffin-2001-ADB-iMate-Universal-adapter/dp/B000067V8L

Sure, this part is anecdotal so take this with a grain of salt as it has been many years: The plug type is actually very similar to PS2 or vga(or something like it, I'm sorry this almost sound useless) Either way, what I'm getting at is, the pinout configuration for Apple's ADB is essentially identical to another cable used in the other era and the male end will connect with a female-to-USB adapter of that kind. Radioshack had a thingy-to-USB adapter available in 2012 that plugged in and worked fine on my old apple mechanical keyboards. I'll try and rummage through the cable bin and see if I can't locate it.

Secondly, [this is the other adapter I got on amazon] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000067V8L/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Well, good news is that the idea I tossed out to use CAT6 cable to do it has be done for you, if you want to buy some cheap adapters:

• http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Extender-CAT5E-Connection-150ft/dp/B003L14ZTC/

The cheapest one I know would be the "panda" . It's quick and easy to install and should easily work with any Linux software.

https://www.amazon.com/Panda-300Mbps-Wireless-USB-Adapter/dp/B00EQT0YK2?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00EQT0YK2

I have this one which works pretty well : https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00LLUEJFU/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_E2EEDb2M7GJK6

• $65.99 B250M mobo, supports Kaby Lake out of the box.
  
  
• $69.99 RX 460
  
  
• A dongle like this one should be compatible with Linux.
  
  
• Nothing wrong with the Deepcool, just wanted to point out some others. This $35 one has tempered glass panels but has a large rebate. If you just want something cheap, this comes out to $15 after rebate. The non-windowed version of the Deepcool is $37.99. Plenty of other cheap cases, too; take a look around Newegg and see if anything catches your eye.

Well the network name is Netgear-2.4-G, so I would guess so.

[This] (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EQT0YK2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) is the wifi card I have, and it worked well enough at the last location I had it set up at. Strangely the bar strength doesn't seem to have changed.

Yes, you would have to buy a USB type-C to Ethernet adapter or a USB C to USB 3.0 adapter and a Ethernet to USB 3.0 adapter. I would recommend getting this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZZ6NW5E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gmHXBbXCHSPEE

So the printer has ethernet but you don't have a drop for it?

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You want something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018YPWORE/

It is a desktop, custom built. I'll link to you the products to save you some time.

Motherboard
CPU
GPU
HHD
Power Supply
RAM (2 stick, 16GB total)
Wireless Adapter