PC Peripherals Please recommend the best Wi-Fi adapter

W

WickedTA

Adept
I've used DLink DWL510G as well as Netgear WG311v3 PCI cards with my Linksys WAG354G Router+Modem. Connection sux big time and speed never remains at 54Mbps, but keeps fluctuating and the signal quality is pretty poor. I've tried changing to different channels, but to no avail.

However, the Intel 2200BG built-in adapter on my laptop performs real good. So it seems like the problem is not with the router's signal but the inability of the afore mentioned cards to pick up a decent signal.

So which adapter should I go in for? Is PCI the best or do even the USB variants perform as good? Also, do the USB variants perform better if plugged in directly into the PC or through the bundled USB extension cable (which acts as an antenna???)
 
USB extension cable carries USB signal. Has not provision for antenna. You'd need at least one extra wire for that.

I'm using a bunch of Linksys gear for my network and it performs decently. The PCI cards are the WMP54G and the USB are the WUSB54GC. They're the normal speed models, so they work at 54mbps which is passable for small files and general networking.

I always get 54mbps on all my adapters, after tweaking the setup a bit. The USB adapters gave me some headaches when I started and connecting was a real pain, but now I get full speed all the time.

I doubt there's much difference in perfromance between USB and PCI adapters, except the PCI ones have a proper antenna. With the mess of signals at the back of a PC, they better do.
 
I see no reason why your Linksys is performing bad, they always carry a good reception and build quality.

Yes, their is no diff. in using the USB instead of a pci one.

Only hiccup you may face in USB is if you move away from HotSpot you may encounter some packet loss and signal attenuation as USB one doesn't have strong antenna.
 
guys tell me what is best router around 2000. is it worth going for N routers as i'm not going to transfer any high def vids only video TS folders ripped from dvd is going to be transferred and also 700mb avi files. is that linksys usb adapter is good (not much good user reviews in cnet), also consider my home is 25 metres diameter with 4 walls in between. my laptop got wireless n though. linksys, buffalo, Dlink which one????
 
It takes about 10 minutes per GB of data on a 54mbps G connection, IME. Actually playing the video takes less time than transferring the file.
 
Back
Top