PC direct Ethernet to Steam Link Box
Edit: SOLVED. vlegionv has generously provided the answer to my problem. For those in the future who find themselves in my situation, here's what I did:
Plug one end of ethernet cable into steam link > plug other end into PC > search "network connections" in the control panel (I just typed this into windows search) > right click your wifi adapter (NOT your ethernet adapter) > select "properties" > select the "sharing" tab > check the first box to share internet with other devices, the second selection is not necessary. My steam link immediately recognized the internet through the ethernet cable and began updating. I hope this helps someone else in the future!
TL;DR: PC, OG Steam Link, directly connected to each other via Ethernet. Does it work? If so, how?
With the release of the steam controller, I dug out my $1 steam link that I never found a use case for and... 8 years later, my current living situation still doesn't allow for good wireless streaming, and zero Ethernet access to the router for any of my devices.
But my TV and computer desk are now much closer together than ever before, and it got me thinking if I could plug one end of an Ethernet cable into my PC, and the other into the steam link box, can I achieve the low latency streaming dream I've always wanted?
I've tried finding previous posts about this on reddit and steam but I could never find a direct answer; most people recommended a crossover cable but that was vaguely disputed by others claiming that it would work with a regular Ethernet and manually setting static IP addresses among other things. Can anyone attest to it actually working and if so, what did you actually do to get there?