by Johnson Yip
on March 30, 2014
I have been using the Edimax EW-7811Un 150 Mbps Wireless 11n Nano Size USB Adapter on my Raspberry Pi mini PC, and the Wifi adapter works great. It got recognize by the Pi’s Raspbian operating system after I plugged it into a USB port. I didn’t need to install software drivers to make it work. I just need to type in my Wi-fi SSID username and password to connect my Pi to a wireless network. The adapter also worked in Rasbmc, OpenElec, and other operating systems after I set up the Wifi settings in those operating systems. Now I can use the Raspberry Pi in a different room away from my router’s wired ethernet network connection. Edimax’s wifi adapter is pretty fast on my 10 Mbps cable internet connection. I can use Raspbmc and OpenElec to stream HD 720P-1080P videos from YouTube video app, and other sites without any noticeable slowdown while playing HD videos from the internet. The Wi-Fi adapter also connects quickly to my Medialink 150Mbps Wireless 802.11N Wi-Fi router, so I can start using the internet, or my network after my Pi’s boots into Raspbian, or other operating system I have installed on the Pi. This Wi-Fi adapter also never disconnects in my experience, so it is very stable to use.
I like the compact size of the Edimax wifi adapter because it does not block other unused USB ports like bigger Wi-Fi adapters. The cheap price of $9.99 from Amazon is also very affordable compared to $20 USB Wifi adapters. Edimax’s WiFi adapter also seems pretty well built for an affordable USB wireless adapter. I like the shiny black color of the adapter, and gold colored USB port. The adapter is easy to insert, and pull out of my USB port as well. This Edimax USB Wifi adapter is also compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. I can use it on other desktop, and laptop computers by plugging it into a USB port to easily add a wireless Wi-Fi connection to my desktop computer or laptop.
On the box, and instruction manual for the Edimax Wifi adapter, it claims that the adapter uses very little electricity, and have power saving features, so this adapter would be good for low powered computers, and battery powered computer like laptops where power is limited. You also save some money on your electricity utility bill.
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Tagged as:
150 Mbps Wireless N Nano USB Adapter,
802.11N,
Edimax EW-7811Un,
raspberry pi,
USB,
USB wifi adapter,
wifi,
wireless networking
by Johnson Yip
on March 20, 2014
Your Raspberry Pi needs a SD Memory Card to work because you need an operating system installed on the SD card to use it. I have been using Transcend’s 8 GB Class 10 SD Memory Card which I bought for less then $8, and it has been working pretty well, and it is fast when I use it on the Pi to install different operating systems like Raspbian, Rasbmc, OpenElec, and other operating systems on the Pi . 8GB of space is enough to install a few operating system, and store some files like MP3 files, and video files on the SD Card. [continue reading…]
Tagged as:
Raspberry Pi SD Memory Card,
Raspberry pi storage,
SD Card,
SD Memory card
by Johnson Yip
on March 19, 2014
The Raspberry Pi does not come with DVI or VGA video, so you would need to use a HDMI to VGA cable converter for a VGA monitor, or a HDMI to DVI cable to use on a monitor with DVI video inputs.
Most older CRT Tube monitors use VGA video ports for connecting your computer’s VGA video port to the monitors VGA video port. You would need a HDMI to VGA video converter like BestDealUSA HDMI Input to VGA Adapter Converter For PC Laptop to convert the Raspberry Pi’s video to VGA.
For newer LCD flat panel monitors which have DVI, but not HDMI, a HDMI to DVI cable like AmazonBasics HDMI to DVI Adapter Cable is needed to connect the Pi’s HDMI video to your monitor with DVI. I recommend using a HDMI to DVI cable if your monitor has DVI inputs because DVI is digital instead of Analog, so the picture quality is slightly better. Plus, it is less bulky, and easier to connect a HDMI to VGA cable because you don’t need to use a VGA cable to connect to the HDMI to VGA converter, and can directly connect a HDMI to DVI cable to a monitor. You can also use the same monitor on another computer with a VGA port on the video card if the monitor also has a VGA port, and use the HDMI to VGA cable for the Raspberry Pi. But, you may need to use the built-in switcher program on your monitor to switch between VGA and DVI video connection if your monitor is not setup to Auto video detect which switch to the port when the monitor detects a video signal on the port.
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Tagged as:
hdmi to dvi cable,
hdmi to vga convertor,
raspberry pi,
Raspberry Pi video cable,
rca video cable,
video