Posted on 04/11/2021 7:42:16 AM PDT by dennisw
I want to buy two usb wifi adapters for laptop and desktop computers. I see speeds listed as-- 300mbs 600mbs 1200mbs
At most my speed from Xfinity is 70mbs via ethernet cable.... Why would I need anything faster than one that is rated at 300mbs and is less expensive. Of course get one with a little antennae sticking out. Do not need dual band I looked all over the internet and could not find any guidance on the speed I need.
Plus I think the slower speed ones is more generic and proven technology. Will buy at eBay, the prices at Amazon are idiotic. These things are generic.
Thanks Freepers!
VISUAL EXAMPLE AT EBAY of what I want to buy— https://www.ebay.com/itm/600Mbps-Wireless-USB-WiFi-Network-Adapter-802-11AC-Dongle-802-11b-g-n-Antenna-st/402710458163?hash=item5dc369ef33%3Ag%3AjnsAAOSwMJNgNhvu&LH_BIN=1
Get a dual band unit, fastest you can afford.
70 Mbps is quite slow. Are you ever planning on upgrading your internet? Also, why do you want to use WiFi instead of just wired ethernet for your desktop?
These really old computers without wireless already?
I’m guessing but since you need a wifi adapter, I’m sensing your computers don’t have wifi built in, which means they are probably somewhat old....
The single best thing you can do to upgrade an older computer you want to keep it, is add memory to it, it’s probably really cheap and will add to performance...
On the wifi adapter, getting data back and forth from the internet faster won’t do you any good if your computer can’t keep up...
Go with the 300mb adapter, it’s probably cheaper and you won’t know the difference....
If you had a state of the art laptop or desktop machine for 2021, then the fastest adapter might be a better solution, but my philosophy is don’t spend good money on old equipment...
I just replaced my laptop, the old one was nearly 10 years old, it had built in wifi but the keyboard was starting to lose keys, the HDMI port went bad, etc...
I had replaced the keyboard with a USB keyboard for $20 and it worked fine for a couple of years.....
Cat 5 cabling is more expensive than adding an adapter especially if the cable run is lengthy and then you have the issue of cabling laying on the floor unless you run it in the walls which is a lot of trouble versus a wireless adapter...
The eBay ones come complete with built-in firmware to report back to the CCP.
Faster usb means faster cross loading times to memory devices.
Well, I don’t know anyone whom would wire his house and leave Cat5 just lying on the floor—that’s retarded. If the distance is far, though, then these cheap Chinese wifi adapters may not be up to the task anyway. Also, what kind of range does the WAP have? Lots of questions here.
Really this is for a laptop that I am not happy with as far as it's wifi speeds. I want to see if a USB wifi adapter with a little antenna can do better. I would get two of these to have one for a backup. 70mbs is faster than I need. I was doing OK with 25mbs but Xfinity increased speed whether I wanted it or not
You may want the ones with the antenna for the desk top, signal strength is important when using wifi.
There are several factors that can be limiting the laptop’s speed. What model is it, first of all? Second, if it has a very old USB bus, then you probably won’t get the speed you want out of the Wifi dongle, even if you can get it to work. Finally, what are the specs on the wireless access point? How far is the laptop from the WAP?
If you don’t run Cat 5 cabling on the floor that means it has to be in the walls which makes the length of cabling you need longer....
Plus if you run cabling you need a switch to make it work to plug the cabling into...the Internet routers now usually come with a switch in built....but he might need one....
With two computers to connect, you will need to make two cable runs, making wifi the only logical choice IMO, like I said, it’s my opinion, don’t throw good money into old equipment.....
these cheapie adapters from Ebay, I’ve had before over the years, good enough for a computer bag stuffer for when your on the road. As to why your seeking input or kvetching over a less than $5 device is beyond me, BUY IT AND TRY IT
But for the house, I went to the dish style version of these, though pricey, they were vastly more reliable.
My two laptops are one year old and three years old. IOW tenth generation i3 CPU on one by Dell Inspiron-—— and Ryzen 5 2500u CPU on the other which is by HP.
So—— Both have good internal wifi but they drop out sometimes. I want to see if a wifi USB with an antenna can go faster and not drop out
The advice that has been offered by a couple commenters already is good advice: You need to know what standard your current wife router is using, then buy the fastest USB adapter you can afford that matches that standard.
You also need to be aware of the generation of USB your PCs are using. If they’re using USB 1.0, you’re never going to get transfer speeds that reach your ISP speed because that generation of USB simply isn’t capable of it. If you’re on USB 2.0 or later, then this won’t be a problem as these generations are all more than capable of handling 70 mpbs of data throughput. If your machines are 12-years old or news, you’re almost certainly on 2.0 or latter.
If you’re using a Verizon router and it’s no more than a few years old, it’s probably a dual-band WIFE 5.0 N router. This is something Verizon can verify if you call them. If that’s the case - and you have USB 2.0 at least on your PCs - then get an adapter that is dual band, 5 GHz WIFI 5.0 Wireless-N.
“But for the house, I went to the dish style version of these, though pricey, they were vastly more reliable.”
Dish??? I never saw one of those but I will look. I am kvetching over a cheapie item for myself and other freepers
“I am kvetching over a cheapie item for myself and other freepers”
yeah, right!
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