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Best USB Wi-Fi
- Thread starter MoFo
- Start date
GotNoRice
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2001
- Messages
- 12,021
The Networking section would probably have been a better bet. You should be able to report your own post to have it moved if you wanted, but no big deal really.
To answer your question properly we need more information. What is your budget? How far are you from your closest Access Point? What kind of Access Point / WiFi Router do you have? Are you looking for 5Ghz, 2.4Ghz, or do you not care?
If this is for a desktop, then the WiFi adapter is likely going to be in a fixed location. That means you could potentially use an external directional antenna in order to improve your signal (assuming you choose a WiFi adapter that supports an external antenna).
If you are somewhat close to your WiFi, then 5Ghz is probably a better bet. If you are far away, 2.4Ghz is probably a better bet.
If you have multiple devices at your destination location that need network access, then you might be better-off getting a WiFi bridge (Many "WiFi Extenders" can also function as a bridge) and connecting your computer and other devices via Ethernet from the bridge. That will give you better performance in many cases compared to having multiple devices at the destination location all trying to connect to a distant WiFi connection at the same time, and it wouldn't require USB.
I've found that external WiFi adapters can be pretty power-hungry. They can become unreliable if connected to a USB port that doesn't supply enough power. So make sure you have a good USB port available or use a powered USB hub.
If you are on a really low budget, stuff like TP-Link can be okay. Netgear is a bit better, but usually more expensive relative to what you get. EnGenius is your best bet for reliability and performance as their stuff is more industrial-grade, but the price also tends to reflect that
To answer your question properly we need more information. What is your budget? How far are you from your closest Access Point? What kind of Access Point / WiFi Router do you have? Are you looking for 5Ghz, 2.4Ghz, or do you not care?
If this is for a desktop, then the WiFi adapter is likely going to be in a fixed location. That means you could potentially use an external directional antenna in order to improve your signal (assuming you choose a WiFi adapter that supports an external antenna).
If you are somewhat close to your WiFi, then 5Ghz is probably a better bet. If you are far away, 2.4Ghz is probably a better bet.
If you have multiple devices at your destination location that need network access, then you might be better-off getting a WiFi bridge (Many "WiFi Extenders" can also function as a bridge) and connecting your computer and other devices via Ethernet from the bridge. That will give you better performance in many cases compared to having multiple devices at the destination location all trying to connect to a distant WiFi connection at the same time, and it wouldn't require USB.
I've found that external WiFi adapters can be pretty power-hungry. They can become unreliable if connected to a USB port that doesn't supply enough power. So make sure you have a good USB port available or use a powered USB hub.
If you are on a really low budget, stuff like TP-Link can be okay. Netgear is a bit better, but usually more expensive relative to what you get. EnGenius is your best bet for reliability and performance as their stuff is more industrial-grade, but the price also tends to reflect that
“f you have multiple devices at your destination location that need network access, then you might be better-off getting a WiFi bridge (Many "WiFi Extenders" can also function as a bridge) and connecting your computer and other devices via Ethernet from the bridge. That will give you better performance in many cases compared to having multiple devices at the destination location all trying to connect to a distant WiFi connection at the same time, and it wouldn't require USB.”
I think this is going to be my best option. I have everything needed to do this. For some reason I was stuck on USB.
Thanks for the reply