Advice for wireless desktop PC

[Huddo]

Can anyone recommend a USB adaptor for my new PC. The PC will be upstairs and the router (Sky) will be downstairs. Can anyone offer any advice on which product will be the best way to wirelessly connect the PC to the router.

Will I be best to buy a Wireless network card (for installing inside the PC) or a usb adaptor that plugs in externally.

Whichever one is best can you recommend any makes/models.


Thanks in advance.



HUDDO

 

[mickevh]

General wisdom is to avoid USB for network interfaces unless there is no alternative.

For a desktop/tower type PC, fit a proper internal PCI network adapter. Watch out that there is room for the ariel round the back if it's directly attached to the PCI card. (My last is PC had wifi on the motherboard with a separate ariel on a fly lead you could plonk down on the desktop or case which was a good solution.)

For a laptop, fit a PCMCIA card (if laptop has a slot that will accept one) or use the built in wifi (which have bigger ariel's, usually in the screen/lid.) PCMCIA card are about the size of a credit card, but 3 or 4 times the thickness and slide into a slot in the laptop body, normally on the side.

 

[the_grinder]

Can anyone recommend a USB adaptor for my new PC

For a laptop........

Useless info then!


I've used both a USB adapter and an internal PCI adapter, not found any difference in quality or speed of connection.

I've really only used Netgear USB dongles, so I guess I can only recommend those to you.

Guessing that the Sky router is Wireless G, not wireless N, therefore the USB dongle should be sub £20.

 

[mickevh]

Useless info then!

Just like to cover all the options for benefit future readers.

The reason most IT professionals avoid USB is because they "move about" rather more than a PCI device bolted into the chassis which can cause issues down the line with dirt & arcing, have (usually) smaller antenna's and the interfaces (being serial) and drivers have to "do more" to get the data into the PC, whereas a "proper" PCI NIC can take advantage of DMA.

And of course in the coorporate office, USB's are much easier to nick and take home.

 

[the_grinder]

And of course in the coorporate office, USB's are much easier to nick and take home.

True

 

[Andy98765]

Just like to cover all the options for benefit future readers.

The reason most IT professionals avoid USB is because they "move about" rather more than a PCI device bolted into the chassis which can cause issues down the line with dirt & arcing, have (usually) smaller antenna's and the interfaces (being serial) and drivers have to "do more" to get the data into the PC, whereas a "proper" PCI NIC can take advantage of DMA.

And of course in the coorporate office, USB's are much easier to nick and take home.

But SATA hard drives are serial and are faster that parallel IDE ones? and a USB interface is around 10 times faster than the traffic coming in which is also serial. I agree totally with the mechanical interface but that's it. The main issue is the distance from the PC to the router and how many walls you are going through, so no matter what device you get you could run into trouble. Do look into running a cable far better.

 

[graystreet]

But with SATA/IDE you're telking much faster transfer speeds.

Wireless is 54Mbps typically, 270/300Mbps with draft N, all assuming optimal reception conditions. At those speeds the limiting factor is going to be the quality of wireless connection rather than the interface with the PC. As you are no doubt aware wireless speed is dependent on signal quality.

In my experience, PCI/PCMCIA cards provide a much better quality of reception, and therefore speed, than a USB adaptor.

 

[limegreenzx]

I haven't used this particular adapter, but I have a Tenda router and 54G USB adapter and have had no issues. I paid £8 for the 54G adapter to replace a completely useless Linksys 54GS PCI adapter. In the home there are no reasons not to use USB.

Tenda Wireless-N USB adapter - Ebuyer

 

[Huddo]

OK thanks for all the replies, I'll go for the internal PCI card.

Now my computer is coming with this motherboard


ASUSTeK Computer Inc.



Now should I get a PCI or a PCI Express card ??

Thanks in advance (again)




HUDDO

 

[mickevh]

PCI

PCI express is usually intended for a graphics card and most mobo's only have 1 PCI Express slot.

 

[whitters366]

If I could offer my two-pence-worth?

I would advise against buying wireless cards/dongles for use on a desktop! Save your money and buy some Homeplug items (I have used Solwise, which are decent kit, but most makes are compatible), and then use the built-in ethernet devices on your motherboard (most, if not all mobo's come with an ethernet port), which would just work seemlessly, as if you had cabled it with Cat5 (although with a performance hit over the Cat5). You would need at least two 1-port homeplug devices (1 at router, 1 at PC) and away you go!

Have a look in the FAQ at the top of the networking section!

Hope this helps!