Setting up your desktop computer to your TV to go wireless

By Gabe Correa - Smokey's Trail
Feb. 18, 2010

First thing you need is a desktop computer. Desktop computer is a computer that is flat, so you can put it under your TV stand. The one I have is a Dell Optiplex GX 620, Intel Pentium 4 - 3.2GHz with 2GB of memory. Of course you need a keyboard and mouse, on mine I have the keyboard that came with it and got an optical wireless mouse. I have a few images below.

15-pin male to male VGA cable adapter

The second thing you need is a 15-pin male to male VGA display cable adapter. This plugs into your desktop computer and to your widescreen LCD or Plasma TV. The newer TV’s have a plug-in for the 15-pin male cable adapter. The plug-in looks just like the one on the back of your computer. When buying a TV, asked the dealer if it has a plug-in for a computer cable. Image below:

Wireless adapters

The third thing you need is a wireless adapter. I use and recommend Linksys adapters, there the best and pretty easy to hook up. The one I’m using is a Linksys WUSB54G Wireless-G 2.4GHz. It has a USB plug-in to your computer with a 6ft cable, with an antenna. The ones they make today are just a USB plug-in that is black and looks like a flash drive. I recommend Linksys WUSB100 RangePlus USB adapter. If you can’t find a flat desktop computer and you want to use a computer tower. They also make Linksys WMP110 RangePlus Wireless PCI adapter, which is an internal PCI card that you insert on your motherboard. They work really well and have a better distance with two antennas that screw on the back of the card. That’s what I used before I went to a desktop computer. Images below:

Setting your TV to pick-up your desktop computer

Now plug all your components in your desktop computer: Keyboard, mouse, USB wireless adapter, power cord and your sound plug cord which has to be a double male plug. Plug in one end to your green port on the back of your desktop computer and the other end to your widescreen TV PC sound port. Image below

Turn on your desktop computer and now turn on your TV and use your TV control button to [Input] and find the connection that says PC. Now push enter on your TV control and your TV will pick-up the connection, and if you use the Sony Bravia 52" a white arrow will appear in a blue box. Image below

Now your ready to go wireless from your base computer

Note! You must be already wireless from your base computer with a [Linksys Wireless Router] before you can go wireless on your desktop computer by using a Linksys wireless adapter.

Just install the installation disk that comes with your Linksys wireless adapter. The way I do it: When the computer finds new hardware with the pop-up screen, just put the disk in your DVD-Rom and click on the pop-up screen to find the drivers automatically. It will find the drivers and install them for you from your DVD-Rom. Now go to the bottom right of your desktop, that’s the screen in front of you when your computer boots up. At your taskbar you will see your network icon, right click the network icon and a box will open and you should see detected networks, click on it and you should see your Linksys network with a strong signal with 3 to 4 bars, click on it and you will be connected. If you want to encrypt the network, then you should run the installation disk fully and put a password to logon to your network. You can name your network like: [Blue-Nexus] as long the letters are together, no spaces.

Setting your screen resolution to fit your TV

On your desktop, that’s the screen in front of you when your computer boots up, right click on your mouse and a box will come up. Now scroll down to where it says [Properties], and click on it. Now you will see a box that says: [Display Properties]. Now go to the far right and click on [Settings] button. Now you will see in the middle left that says Screen resolution with a scroll bar. Scroll the bar with your mouse to the far right where it says [More]. On my Dell Desktop computer my scroll bar max screen resolution is: 1920 X 1080. Each computer is different, the more the better. Here's the image on my Sony Bravia 52" LCD TV with that setting.

Watching On Your TV In Full Screen

If you’re like me and you can't get the SEC Network in your area or the other networks, I have some good news. You can watch the whole game on ESPN360.com. It doesn't matter if you missed the game, they have replay video. So next time you can't find the network showing your favorite game, go to ESPN360.com. Now once you click the game you want, it will be in the standard size on your TV, you must go to the bottom right of the ESPN player and click on maximize arrows and click OK. It will be full screen on your TV [Fantastic]. To minimize the player, just hit [Esc] on your keyboard. Image below