Q. Where can I find out the value of an older computer I want to sell?
A. With very few exceptions, there doesn’t seem to be much of a market for used computer equipment these days. With the cost of new computers continuing to drop, it hardly makes sense to purchase something out of date and out of warranty. This is especially true for Windows PCs while older Mac computers seem to be the exception to the rule.
Donating to charity or recycling seems to be the best option.
Keep in mind that computers and computer components such as laptop batteries and power supplies should not just be thrown in the trash. You should dispose of them using an electronics recycling center or service like the Westpark Consumer Recycling Center at 5900 Westpark, for example.
If you are serious about pursuing the value of your hardware, the best place I have found is the completed auctions section of eBay.
In fact, this can be a great resource for determining the current value of any number of things.
Simply go to ebay.com and use it like a search engine. There you will see current auctions featuring the terms you searched on. You can then select the completed items link and you will see all the closed auctions.
Take a look at the list of completed items to see what the final selling price was. That will give you a very clear indicator of what someone is willing to pay for any given item.
Q. I have an old laser printer that has network capability, but it is only Ethernet. Is there a way to convert an Ethernet network printer to something I could connect to my home Wi-Fi?
A. Some of these older laser jet printers are still quite usable and I can see where keeping them up and running would be desirable. But the idea of running an Ethernet cable from the home office to the router is less than ideal.
I researched this and there appears to be a variety of converters that will let you connect the printer’s Ethernet to a dongle that will then connect the printer to your home Wi-Fi. If you go to Amazon and search using key words like Ethernet Wi-Fi converter you will find quite a few.
I don’t have any personal experience with them, but check the reviews. They seem to be relatively inexpensive so this may be a low-cost experiment.
These adapters might also be useful for connecting other Ethernet capable devices to your home Wi-Fi. Though I would go for a dedicated USB to Wi-Fi adapter if you’re looking to add a computer that doesn’t already support that.