Using a wifi USB dongle, does where you plug it in matter?

V

V4oLDbOY

Gawd
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
739
I use a usb wifi dongle. Got 3 of these free for each PC when I went from DSL to Uverse.

It got much better reception than the wifi card in my PC.

My router is G only, might upgrade to N soon.

But for now does it matter where you plug in the wifi adapter?

Here are my options.

Front of case (USB is connected to mobo via cable)
USB hub (connected to mobo via mini USB)
Straight into mobo on back of case

I've tried doing some speedtest runs and frankly I cant get an accurate answer since my connection will range from 20ms to 45 ms each time I try it with the same USB connection. I could get an average, that would probably tell me but that'll take a while to compile data.
 
I find my wifi would do better when it wasn't next to the usb dongle for my wireless keyboard...and usb bluetooth....and the dongle for my mouse...

Not sure which of those was causing an issue (assume bluetooth), but I stopped dropping my connection when I used a usb cable extension and moved my usb wifi adapter away from my other usb crap

*this was years ago on a B network if that matters.
 
Try to avoid other 2.4Ghz wireless adapters and you can get better performance if your desktop box is not between the adapter and your access point.
 
I only have the wifi dongle connected. Also the router is only about 30 feet away in another room.

But i was more speaking to latency of connecting it straight to the usb on the mobo, or using a usb hub. I'm curious if it even adds a few milliseconds to my latency.
 
I don't think USB latency will matter at all. Electrically, there is almost no difference between the USBs on the front, back or directly on the MB (at least none that you could measure from your PC - microseconds at most).

What will matter A LOT is the RF environment around where you plug it in. In most cases, the back USBs will be right next to a large piece of grounded metal and surrounded by cables and other stuff to mess with the RF performance of the dongle. The front USBs will be a much cleaner RF environment. Better still, get a short USB extension cable (2-3 feet will do) and place the dongle completely away from the case and other electronics, especially other RF transmitters like wireless keyboards, mice, and the base-unit that supports them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top