Laptop Woes
- Ruby
- Posts: 37386
- Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 10:54 am
Laptop Woes
Working from home is sending me under.
I bought a cheap laptop about a year ago. It's very tiny and basically similar to a chrome book except it has some internal storage. It does everything I need it to do - usually - which is to do online marking, use Microsoft Office and go online. Prior to lockdown, it has also been OK at doing virtual meetings etc
BUT now we are all trying to work from home, it is shit. It seems, somehow, to get pushed to the back of the WiFi queue. Every other device in the house gets a quicker connection than I do and, with our broadband under strain, it is making working from home impossible. I can barely connect to my work's online portal and, when I do it is so slow that it makes it a nightmare. I have to keep going into school (socially distantly) to get work done but since the chaps are at home too this is not always practical.
Do I just have a shitty modem? Is there anything I can do? Is it worth buying another laptop for the next few months?
I bought a cheap laptop about a year ago. It's very tiny and basically similar to a chrome book except it has some internal storage. It does everything I need it to do - usually - which is to do online marking, use Microsoft Office and go online. Prior to lockdown, it has also been OK at doing virtual meetings etc
BUT now we are all trying to work from home, it is shit. It seems, somehow, to get pushed to the back of the WiFi queue. Every other device in the house gets a quicker connection than I do and, with our broadband under strain, it is making working from home impossible. I can barely connect to my work's online portal and, when I do it is so slow that it makes it a nightmare. I have to keep going into school (socially distantly) to get work done but since the chaps are at home too this is not always practical.
Do I just have a shitty modem? Is there anything I can do? Is it worth buying another laptop for the next few months?
- Tsu
- Posts: 14708
- Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 11:58 am
Re: Laptop Woes
Can you connect it with a patch cable to your router?
- Dandelion
- Posts: 5341
- Joined: Mon May 11, 2009 10:00 am
Re: Laptop Woes
Do you have fibre / is fibre available in your area? It has revolutionised working from home for us! Maybe speak to your provider - you are a keyworker so they should deign to accept your call (Sky
) and might boost your signal or something.
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- Chicky
- Posts: 18029
- Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 7:35 pm
- Location: Narnia
Re: Laptop Woes
If it's connected by wifi then is the signal strength where you usually work ok? If it's jumping around trying to connect to the strongest signal then it may spend a lot of time down or be intermittent. In that case a signal booster may work, or one of the powerline type things (where it sends the internet magically down your electricity wires) then you can hardwire it with a network cable.
-
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Re: Laptop Woes
Just plug it directly in to the router if you can stand it.
- Ruby
- Posts: 37386
- Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 10:54 am
Re: Laptop Woes
It's not where I am sitting or the strength of the WiFi, particularly, as I can get a better signal from my phone sat in the same place.
I think you're right that I'm just going to have to plumb it directly into the router with a cable.
Our broadband is definitely taking a hammering, and I think we have fibre in our area although not the "superfast" version, but it is specifically my laptop that seems to get bumped to the bottom of the queue.
I think you're right that I'm just going to have to plumb it directly into the router with a cable.
Our broadband is definitely taking a hammering, and I think we have fibre in our area although not the "superfast" version, but it is specifically my laptop that seems to get bumped to the bottom of the queue.
- Duophonic
- Posts: 20528
- Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2005 9:04 pm
- Location: Glasgow
Re: Laptop Woes
I would go with Tsu and Ella first, path of least resistance. Plug in an ethernet cable directly to the router.
Last edited by Duophonic on Wed Jun 24, 2020 2:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Princess Clacky Thing
Princess Clacky Thing
- Ruby
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Re: Laptop Woes
I am currently in a Zoom meeting with a training provider that keeps kicking me out. :sad:
-
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- Location: a Northerner in Kent
Re: Laptop Woes
If you need this for work then shouldn’t your workplace pay for a new laptop?
- dizzyd
- Englebert Humperdizz
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Re: Laptop Woes
I'm the same so for all my zoom meetings I'm now having to hotspot off my phone 4g
I have 20gb data and so far I've not used it all
Been doing this for the last two months
I have 20gb data and so far I've not used it all
Been doing this for the last two months
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- Lily
- Picker-Lily
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Re: Laptop Woes
Absolutely they should.
Is the internet OK with the cable plugged in?
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- Ruby
- Posts: 37386
- Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 10:54 am
- Ruby
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- Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 10:54 am
-
- Posts: 7951
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- Location: a Northerner in Kent
Re: Laptop Woes
Oh yes of course, this brilliant government of ours!
- dizzyd
- Englebert Humperdizz
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Re: Laptop Woes
Have you spoken with your phone provider as I'm sure they'll be able to put you on a better package sorry if you already have
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- Ruby
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Re: Laptop Woes
I haven't because I can't be arsed.
I hate ringing mobile phone companies at the best of times. I agree that seems like a reasonable solution but I can't face it
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- dizzyd
- Englebert Humperdizz
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Re: Laptop Woes
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- Duophonic
- Posts: 20528
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- Location: Glasgow
Re: Laptop Woes
When my connection was dire with all of us in the house and umpteen devices all connected Mr D used to bellow at Mini to get off the wireless while I was trying to work and all devices were switched off. Not a great solution but if you need access immediately it's an option.
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Princess Clacky Thing
Princess Clacky Thing
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- Location: Dublin
Re: Laptop Woes
We got a BT wifi extender for our bedroom today as E's work laptop is really slow in there and sometimes doesn't connect at all and it's really made a difference.
- Ruby
- Posts: 37386
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Re: Laptop Woes
"EVERYBODY STOP STREAMING SHIT!" is the current soundtrack to our lives.Duophonic wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 3:37 pm When my connection was dire with all of us in the house and umpteen devices all connected Mr D used to bellow at Mini to get off the wireless while I was trying to work and all devices were switched off. Not a great solution but if you need access immediately it's an option.
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