FUTURE -PROOF
connections in the long run.
Check your router’s instruction manualnual (or look up the model number online) to see which Wi-fi standards it supports. If you don’t see 802.11n or 802.11ac, then upgrading your router could make a big difference. Talk to your broadband provider to see if it’s prepared to send you a new router free of charge (you mayay need to renew your contract for anotherr fixed period in return).
If not, you could buy one. The Tp-link Archer VR600 (£85 from www.snipca. com/25159) would be a good choice, because it supports all the most widely used current networking standards.
If your PC came with a Wi-fi adapter built in (some desktop PCS don’t, but most laptops do), right-click Start, click Device Manager, then ‘Network adapters’ to find out its make and model (see screenshot below). If it’s not clear from its name, check its model number online to see if it supports 802.11n and 802.11ac.
If it doesn’t, you might consider upgrading. USB Wi-fi adapters, like the TP-LINK Archer T1U are cheap (£14, www.snipca.com/25160) and easy to fit, though you’ll need to disable your old built-in adapter. Right-click the network icon in the bottom right of the taskbar and select ‘Open Network and Sharing Centre’, then click ‘Change adapter settings’. Right-click your old Wi-fi adapter and select Disable.
Other networking upgrades to consider are mesh Wi-fi systems, Wi-fi extenders and powerline adapters – all of which could help expand your wireless range if you suffer from dead zones and dropouts around your home. See the reviews section (page 25) for an example.
USB
The whole idea behind USB was to help improve compatibility by creating a single unified connection that was supported by all PC accessories and devices. But there are now so many USB versions ( USB 3.0 and 3.1 being the latest and fastest) and USB connection types (Type A, Type B, USB Type-c, micro USB and more), that you can no longer guarantee that all your devices will be compatible with each other. And, with USB 3.2 recently announced, it looks like the situation is only going to get worse.
If you want the very latest speeds, it’s possible to buy PCI upgrade cards that will add USB 3.1 sockets to an existing desktop PC, but we don’t think this is a necessary upgrade. USB is backwards compatible, so if you plug in a USB 3.1 device into a USB 3.0 socket it will still work, albeit at slightly slower speeds. And if you need to connect devices with non-matching USB connection types – to plug a USB Type-c device into a USB-A socket, say – then all you’ll need is a cheap adapter that converts one type to another, which are readily available online.
Most PCS from the last few years should have at least one USB 3.0 socket (they are typically blue in colour), so a cheap, easy and useful upgrade might be to buy a USB 3.0 hub, such as the Anker 4-Port USB 3.0 Ultra Slim Data Hub (£11 from www.snipca.com/25161, pictured below left), which will instantly future-proof your connectivity options.
Monitor, keyboard and mouse
Upgrading isn’t just about making sure your PC is compatible with all the latest standards. If you want to keep your computer running for as long as possible, it’s important to make sure it remains easy and comfortable to use.
The keyboards and mice supplied with computers are often barely adequate and sometimes awkward to use. Logitech’s K380 wireless keyboard (£35 from Amazon, www.snipca.com/25163, pictured above) feels good to type on and can be used with phones and tablets as well as PCS.
New features you might want to consider include biometric support. Microsoft’s new Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID ( www.snipca.com/25206) has a built-in fingerprint scanner that’s compatible with Windows Hello (Microsoft’s biometric security system that also recognises your face). The scanner reads your fingerprint to lock your PC. It should cost around £100 when it’s launched in the UK, probably later this year.
Recent mouse innovations have
focused on precision laser tracking and fast wireless transmission, which are mainly aimed at gamers. However, If the mouse that came with your PC is uncomfortable or unwieldy then consider the Logitech M220 Ambidextrous Wireless Silent Mouse (£19, www.snipca. com/25166). Or if your current mouse is too big for your hand, you could try Microsoft’s compact Bluetooth Mobile Mouse 3600 (£16, www.snipca. com/25165) instead.
New monitors offer high resolutions, but don’t feel you need to upgrade to a 2K, 4K or even a 5K screen. They are expensive and, again, mostly aimed at serious gamers and graphics professionals. Desktop PC users need look no further than our current Buy It! choice – AOC’S Q2778VQUE (£206 from Ebuyer.com, www.snipca.com/24859; or see page 32).
If you struggle to read smaller text on your new (or existing) monitor, try the ‘Custom scaling’ option (new in the Windows 10 Creators Update) to make words, icons and other items easier to see. Click Start, Settings, System, Display, then ‘Custom scaling’. Enter the percentage you want to scale items up by (125 will make things slightly larger, for example) – then click Apply (see screenshot right).