Sometimes moving on is just the ticket....

Over the past couple of months, I have had something of a re-jig to almost our entire home computer related items; this all started when my main Dell PC (mostly a file server and glorified web-surfing station for the wee one) decided to lob its toys about again, but this time it looked pretty terminal.

So, long story short, I bought a new PC (Zoostorm, Intel i7 4Ghz, 16Gb RAM, 2Tb HDD, 1Gb dedicated graphics, and a nice new 27" LED HD monitor) - - well, suffice to say it is the dogs dangly bits, and I am actually getting on OK with Windows 8 despite the criticisms that have been made of it.

Then, I was concerned that our existing backup drive was no longer up to the job, and eventually bought a Western Digital MyCloud Mirror - - 6Tb (2 x 3Tb in RAID 0 configuration) which not only worked as a back up drive for the really important stuff but it also runs as a file server for every other device in the house and even lets me stream music and video on phones whilst out and about, and access files and folders from anywhere in the world. Simply fantastic.

Next move was to see what could be made of the old Dell - - a nut and bolt strip down revealed that one of two disc controllers had chucked themselves over a precipice and taken a 1Tb HDD and a DVD Writer out at the same time; so, dead bits removed I rebuilt it, completely flattened the HDD and started again from scratch. It is now running as a stand alone PC for Little Controller for her bedroom - - it will never be the PC it once was, but after all the years I have had it, it does not owe me a penny. She is happy, as it has a good audio system attached so she now has all the music and video off the cloud drive as well as YouTube and internet radio etc.

Then, whilst I was on a roll, I wondered if I could revive an old laptop for Mrs C - in short, yes I could and a new power supply, a replacement wi-fi receiver and a full reinstall of Windows etc and it was good to go - total cost £24

Next, both smartphones and Little Controllers tablet were added to the access for the cloud drive, and all machines had the appropriate security levels set, anti-virus updated, and net monitoring software added to make sure Little C can't get into any trouble.....

Sadly, it quickly became apparent that our router was now battling to keep up with everything that was being asked of it; I tried a range extender which helped a bit, but it was still flaky at best. At around 10 years old, it is another bit of kit that owes me nothing, so I decided to replace it with a nice new shiney TPLink Archer C2 dual band router.

This allowed me to have gigabit connections to the cloud drive, PS3, Wii and home cinema system, and another to my network capable colour laser printer - - I've had it for ages, but it has never been used properly as the old router would only allow it to work if the main Dell PC was switched on and logged on - - - now, thanks to the new router, it can be used from any device regardless;

I spent last night setting up the access rules for the internet (time restrictions etc for Little Controllers devices, so there is simply no access allowed at certain times, to ensure she isn't overloaded with screen time), and got to the final weak link in the chain which was the wifi on the new PC.

So, I treated myself to a Netgear AC1200 wi-fi adaptor which was delivered today, and has been installed..... and, well, the results speak for themselves:



All of the other networking kit has been TP-Link, and I have to say that all of their stuff as well as the new Netgear fellow are very impressive indeed - - not only in terms of function, but build quality also, as well of ease of installation. So, if your IT is languishing a bit - it seems that there is a lot to gain from upgrading at the moment, as many things have really moved on in the past couple of years.

 

She bypassed the initial net monitoring software within a day, however I now have it absolutely screwed to the floor and she hasn't got a chance of getting round it now.

If I die, Mrs C and Little C are utterly stuffed if they need to do anything with the network, as I am the only one that knows the password and I will take it with me to the grave

 

Bit too much of a summary for me FC, can I have the full story please

Only pulling your leg, I've been going through a similar exercise, my 3 year old NAS media server is well out of date, so I've just got a home cloud server.

 

I think that beats mine!

 

Hi @fat controller if you ever write a book it would be as long as War and Peace my friend you'd give our friend @ARMANDII a run for his money only joking

 

I can highly recommend the TP-Link kit in particular - top notch performance and seems to be well made.

 

Not too much dancing after an op, please!