BIN ALL YOUR WIRES!
Make your PC cable-free – we show you how
Upgrade your keyboard and mouse
Wireless keyboards and mice are nothing new, but traditional wired versions are still commonplace and often come bundled with new computers. Why should you consider switching? For starters, all those wires trailing from your PC peripherals are likely to tip that mug of hot tea all over your desk.
Aside from avoiding accidents and looking neater, wireless peripherals are also easier to use and more versatile than their wired counterparts. Stream your computer’s display to your TV, for example, and you can control your PC from your sofa with a wireless keyboard.
As with all wireless devices, they need to be powered by a battery. The good news is that the latest models are incredibly energy efficient, including Logitech’s £19 Wireless Combo MK270 ( www.snipca.com/32554, pictured below right). Logitech says the keyboard can last up to three years before needing a battery swap, while the mouse should last a year in normal use.
When shopping for a wireless keyboard and mouse, be sure to find out what type of wireless connection it uses. Most come with a small USB adapter. The advantage of this method is that it involves virtually no setup - simply plug the USB receiver into your computer and you’re ready to go.
Other models use Bluetooth to connect. As long as your computer has a Bluetooth receiver (most laptops do) you’ll simply need to pair the keyboard and mouse using the Bluetooth settings in Windows. If your PC doesn’t have Bluetooth, you can buy a USB adapter for around £10, such as TP Link’s UB400 ( www.snipca. com/32555).
Unlike wireless models with their own USB adapter, Bluetooth keyboards can also be connected to phones and tablets, making it easier to type long text messages. However, they tend to be more expensive; Microsoft’s Designer Bluetooth Desktop, for example, costs £72 ( www. snipca.com/32556).
Charge without wires
If you bought a smartphone in the last couple of years, there’s a good chance it supports wireless charging. The iphone 8 and later models can all charge wirelessly, as will most new Android phones (check your phone manufacturer’s website if you’re not sure).
Similar to induction cookers, wireless charging works using coils inside the casing of your phone and a wireless charger. When you place your phone on the charger, the two sets of coils create an electromagnetic field, which allows power to be transferred to the phone.
Wireless charging tends to be a little slower than using a cable - exactly how much slower depends on your phone and wireless charger, but expect it to take roughly 50 per cent longer. If you’re in a rush, you can usually still charge via a USB (Android) or Lightning (IOS) cable.
When buying a wireless charger, make sure it’s compatible with your phone. Qi (pronounced ‘chee’) is a charging standard created by the Wireless Power Consortium and supported by the vast majority of smartphones, as well as other devices such as the Apple Watch. This means a single wireless charger can be used to charge multiple devices, though most can only charge one device at a time. Expect to pay around £20 for a basic wireless charger, such as the Belkin Boost Up Qi ( www.snipca.com/32558, pictured above right).
Bear in mind that while you won’t need a wire connected to your phone, the wireless charger still needs to be plugged into a power socket. If you’d prefer your charger to be more discreet, you might want to consider buying household items with built-in wireless chargers, such as Ikea’s Qi-compatible Riggad bedside lamp (£60 from www. snipca.com/32559, pictured below).
Although it is possible to add wireless charging capabilities to older phones, it’s not something we recommend. You’ll need to buy a special case that attaches directly to your phone’s power socket. Not only are these cases expensive (the Mophie Charge Force for the iphone 7 costs around £50), they also add considerable bulk to your phone.
Print from any device in your home
These days, even cheap printers, such as Canon’s £30 Pixma MG3650S ( www. snipca.com/32557), come with built-in wireless technology. Unlike traditional USB printers, they don’t need to be connected to your PC, so you can place them anywhere in your home. As well as reducing your cable dependency, you can print to them from any device in your home – laptops, tablets and phones.
If you have an old printer that isn’t wireless and don’t want to buy a new one, you can still share it wirelessly over your home network. On the PC your printer is connected to, go to Settings by clicking the Start button, then the cog icon. Next, click Devices, then ‘Printers & scanners’. Select your printer from the list on the right, click Manage then, in the next screen, click ‘Printer properties’ and select the Sharing tab. Finally, tick the ‘Share this printer’ box, give your printer a name (see screenshot above left), then click OK. The only caveat with this method is that the PC the printer is connected to will need to be switched on in order for other devices to use the printer.
Listen wirelessly
The tiny (and often tinny) speakers built into laptops and PC monitors are rarely good enough to enjoy listening to music on, which is why many people connect more powerful external speakers to their PC. If you have a set of wired speakers messily trailing from your laptop, you should consider wireless alternatives.
Most wireless speakers – such as the Anker Soundcore (£30 www.snipca. com/32557, pictured above) – connect via Bluetooth, come with a built-in battery and can also be plugged into the mains. You can then tuck them neatly away and connect to your laptop wirelessly.
If you have a smart speaker, why not connect to that instead? Open Settings on your computer, select Devices, click ‘Add Bluetooth or other device’, then choose Bluetooth and select your speaker (an Amazon Echo in our screenshot below). You may need to first set your speaker to Bluetooth pairing mode – how you do this depends on your speaker, so check your speaker’s manual.