How good a PC can be almost as big as a USB stick, to the point of being able to keep it in your pocket "> How to have Internet on TV
1) The best PC Sticks with Windows 10
Below we have collected all the best PC Sticks on sale on Amazon and that we can buy according to our needs:
Any PC Stick chosen (including the Chromebit) has very similar technical characteristics, obviously the CPU model and the quantities of RAM and internal memory change.
All PC Sticks offer low-power Intel Quad Core CPUs, 2 or 4 GB of RAM, 36 or 64 GB of internal memory (expandable via microSD), one or two USB ports, Dual Band WiFi and original Windows 10.
As we can see the data sheet of these miniature PCs is adequate if we have to work or study on the PC or if we want to build a small integrated media center, but it is absolutely not suitable for gaming or for heavier rendering programs : in these better cases to bet on a classic PC.
2) How to connect a PC Stick to the TV
Connecting one of these PC Sticks to the TV is really simple: just connect the HDMI socket on the Stick to a free HDMI port on the TV, connect the power cable to a USB port (if present) or to a mobile phone charger and press the power button on one of the sides.
Since the weight of the PC Stick is higher than similar HDMI solutions (such as Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV Stick), we recommend using an HDMI extension cable to avoid damaging the port on the TV due to the excessive weight of the device.
A good USB extension cable that we can use can be retrieved from here -> AmazonBasics - HDMI extension cable (€ 6).
At the first start, we recommend connecting a keyboard and mouse to the USB ports available on the PC Stick, in order to complete Windows startup and configure access to the WiFi network; after this phase, I suggest you read the following chapter in order to remotely control the PC Stick without having to use a keyboard or mouse each time.
3) How to control a PC Stick from a smartphone or tablet
Since we cannot always keep a mouse and keyboard connected to such a small object, we will have to work to remotely control the PC Stick with Windows, perhaps using our faithful smartphone or tablet. First we install the Unified Remote server on the PC Stick Windows (with keyboard and mouse still connected), the ideal application to be able to control any PC with Windows remotely with a quick configuration.
The Unified Remote server can be downloaded for free on Windows 10 from here -> Unified Remote Server .
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We click on Latest Server and, once the download is complete, we start the installation of the server. Once the installation is complete, we start the program, which will automatically start when it is started (excellent for being able to check it immediately once it is turned on again).
We now recover the IP address of our PC Stick following the steps of the guide we have created -> Programs for scanning a network to find connected computers.
Now that we have finished configuring the server, let's download the Unified Remote app to our smartphone, available for free from here -> Unified Remote (Android) and Unified Remote (iOS).
Once the app is installed on the portable device, start it and connect to the server on the Windows PC, which should appear automatically (otherwise we can always enter the IP address of the PC Stick as previously recovered). Once connected, we will have some basic modules, which we can use to remotely control our PC Stick without a mouse and keyboard: Basic Input allows you to simulate the presence of a touchpad using the smartphone screen itself, Keyboard allows you to use the device keyboard Mobile for writing on Windows and Power allows you to control the switching on and off and restart of the PC Stick. With this app we will be able to control the Windows operating system in a simple and immediate way, by installing all the multimedia programs that we want to display on the TV.
4) Conclusions
It is better to buy these PC Sticks or it is the usual product destined for failure in a short time "> How Mini TV Android TV Boxes work
1) The best PC Sticks with Windows 10
Below we have collected all the best PC Sticks on sale on Amazon and that we can buy according to our needs:
- Auxun PC Stick Windows 10 (89 €)
- Intel Compute Stick Desktop Computer (€ 135)
- Asus TS10 Vivostick MiniPC (172 €)
- MeeGopad T08pro (179 €)
- ACEPC Fanless Mini PC Stick (146 €)
- Chromebit for 110 Euros.
Any PC Stick chosen (including the Chromebit) has very similar technical characteristics, obviously the CPU model and the quantities of RAM and internal memory change.
All PC Sticks offer low-power Intel Quad Core CPUs, 2 or 4 GB of RAM, 36 or 64 GB of internal memory (expandable via microSD), one or two USB ports, Dual Band WiFi and original Windows 10.
As we can see the data sheet of these miniature PCs is adequate if we have to work or study on the PC or if we want to build a small integrated media center, but it is absolutely not suitable for gaming or for heavier rendering programs : in these better cases to bet on a classic PC.
2) How to connect a PC Stick to the TV
Connecting one of these PC Sticks to the TV is really simple: just connect the HDMI socket on the Stick to a free HDMI port on the TV, connect the power cable to a USB port (if present) or to a mobile phone charger and press the power button on one of the sides.
Since the weight of the PC Stick is higher than similar HDMI solutions (such as Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV Stick), we recommend using an HDMI extension cable to avoid damaging the port on the TV due to the excessive weight of the device.
A good USB extension cable that we can use can be retrieved from here -> AmazonBasics - HDMI extension cable (€ 6).
At the first start, we recommend connecting a keyboard and mouse to the USB ports available on the PC Stick, in order to complete Windows startup and configure access to the WiFi network; after this phase, I suggest you read the following chapter in order to remotely control the PC Stick without having to use a keyboard or mouse each time.
3) How to control a PC Stick from a smartphone or tablet
Since we cannot always keep a mouse and keyboard connected to such a small object, we will have to work to remotely control the PC Stick with Windows, perhaps using our faithful smartphone or tablet. First we install the Unified Remote server on the PC Stick Windows (with keyboard and mouse still connected), the ideal application to be able to control any PC with Windows remotely with a quick configuration.
The Unified Remote server can be downloaded for free on Windows 10 from here -> Unified Remote Server .
> We click on Latest Server and, once the download is complete, we start the installation of the server. Once the installation is complete, we start the program, which will automatically start when it is started (excellent for being able to check it immediately once it is turned on again).
We now recover the IP address of our PC Stick following the steps of the guide we have created -> Programs for scanning a network to find connected computers.
Now that we have finished configuring the server, let's download the Unified Remote app to our smartphone, available for free from here -> Unified Remote (Android) and Unified Remote (iOS).
Once the app is installed on the portable device, start it and connect to the server on the Windows PC, which should appear automatically (otherwise we can always enter the IP address of the PC Stick as previously recovered). Once connected, we will have some basic modules, which we can use to remotely control our PC Stick without a mouse and keyboard: Basic Input allows you to simulate the presence of a touchpad using the smartphone screen itself, Keyboard allows you to use the device keyboard Mobile for writing on Windows and Power allows you to control the switching on and off and restart of the PC Stick. With this app we will be able to control the Windows operating system in a simple and immediate way, by installing all the multimedia programs that we want to display on the TV.
4) Conclusions
It is better to buy these PC Sticks or it is the usual product destined for failure in a short time "> How Mini TV Android TV Boxes work
