Wireless connection for a desktop

mckayefc

Hello there,

I'm looking to upgrade my recently bought Fujitsu P series desktop to be able to connect to a wireless router. I have concerns over the simple USB aerials, as people who know more about the topic than I do have told me that they are no use.

I am not averse to fitting a PCI card to do it, but they vary wildly in price and I am wondering why this is.

Also, somebody told me of a device which you connect to the mains plug you are using for your router, and it sends the internet signal into your PC through your power cable, but I think he may have been pulling my leg as I can't seem to find a reference to it after a few google searches.

Any advice on these or other ways to get the best connection would be greatly appreciated.

marco_polo

mckayefc wrote: »

Hello there,

I'm looking to upgrade my recently bought Fujitsu P series desktop to be able to connect to a wireless router. I have concerns over the simple USB aerials, as people who know more about the topic than I do have told me that they are no use.

I am not averse to fitting a PCI card to do it, but they vary wildly in price and I am wondering why this is.

Also, somebody told me of a device which you connect to the mains plug you are using for your router, and it sends the internet signal into your PC through your power cable, but I think he may have been pulling my leg as I can't seem to find a reference to it after a few google searches.

Any advice on these or other ways to get the best connection would be greatly appreciated.

He may have been talking about this type of ethernet setup.

http://www.netgear.co.uk/wallplugged_adapterkit_hdxb101.php

Never used them so I don't know much about the pros and cons of them. But they could be an option worth researching.

If you settle on wireless I would go the PCI card route for a desktop as in general they have a better range than the usb ones.

roberthurley14

mckayefc wrote: »

Hello there,

I'm looking to upgrade my recently bought Fujitsu P series desktop to be able to connect to a wireless router. I have concerns over the simple USB aerials, as people who know more about the topic than I do have told me that they are no use.

I am not averse to fitting a PCI card to do it, but they vary wildly in price and I am wondering why this is.

Also, somebody told me of a device which you connect to the mains plug you are using for your router, and it sends the internet signal into your PC through your power cable, but I think he may have been pulling my leg as I can't seem to find a reference to it after a few google searches.

Any advice on these or other ways to get the best connection would be greatly appreciated.

Card prices vary due to these:

Network- b/g cards are cheaper whereas N cards are dearer because they have more range and speed (though require a N router also...thats important! likely u DONT have a N router)

Brand: Belkin and other brands should be cheaper than netgear as netgear is owned by Cisco, the biggest wireless producer worldwide

ASDL/ETHERNET: price differ based on your connection also, ethernet cards usually cost less than asdl but not always (ull need to know if u are ASDL/ETHERNET)

mckayefc

Thanks very much to you both.

Effluo

Well whoever that was telling you that the usb adapters are rubbish, obv just had a bad exerience with one.

There is essentially no difference, except that a usb adapter can be moved from pc to pc a lot easier also some of the internals have better aerials i suppose.


If you're gaming guys here recommend that you really do your best to try and get a cable running to the router, although saying that as long as you keep the wireless on an unoccupied channel then they will still be fine. For me i've been getting a very low, steady, constant pings from wireless since i've used it.
A couple of mates who have switched from wireless to cable have also seen no difference. That's just what i've found and i'm sure it would have varied for everyone.


When getting a wireless adapter you first should look at your router, Does it transmit at G, G+ or N. AFAIK N is currently the fastest.
THERE IS NO POINT IN GETTING AN N WIRELESS ADAPTER IF YOUR ROUTER ONLY CAN TRANSMIT G.

If there is very little of a price differential between the G and N product then i'd say go ahead and get the N.

In terms of how much money to spend on it, i'd personally just go for the cheapest one available! Wireless tech has been around for so long it's a bit like dvd-rw drives, they're all the same(i've used many cheap and some expensive adapters and it never seemed to make a difference). Make sure however that if you're running a 64bit operating system that the adapter in question has working drivers.

Write back and tell us how far away is the router to the pc. How many walls does it have to pass through or is the pc directly over the router(upstairs).

How big is the gap, are there any fridges or microwaves in the way

mckayefc

I live in a standard 3 bed semi. The router is in the entrance hallway (downstairs) and my PC is in the rear downstairs room, a distance of about 15 feet. The signal would have to pass through 1 interior wall. The kitchen is further to the rear to the house, so would not be between the router and PC.

marco_polo

I still think that if you have a decent internal with an antenna would have a better range than the majority of USB ones*. I had one a few years ago and was not that impressed, but I suppose it is likely they are much improved nowadays.

At 15 feet it probably doesn't matter much anyway.

*Hard facts and figures not included

Effluo

In that case just get a wireless adapter...

It's so close i can pretty much guarantee 100% connection as long as you have it transmitting on a unique channel!

This looks cool for the price
http://www.onestoppcshop.ie/products.asp?recnumber=30983698
Next day delivery

Although maybe even that is more than you need to spend! I'd take a trip up to your local tesco, i know the one in maynooth has some great deals goin on them right now. Some for only a tener or that!

JPA

I got this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Edimax-EW-7128G-Wireless-802-11b-Ralink/dp/B000KLNRBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1260205713&sr=1-1 after using a usb adapter for a while and the PCI card is much better.

Loveless

The most common problem with wireless USB adapters is the sometimes poor software that comes with them (Trendnet - hi!). Their own wireless utility tries to compete with the built-in Windows wireless, resulting in potential conflicts.

I've been using a Linksys WUSB54G adapter for years with no issues:




I also have a Trendet TEW-423PI wireless PCI card but can't get Windows 7 64bit drivers for it, so not using it.

Leman_Russ

Loveless wrote: »

I also have a Trendet TEW-423PI wireless PCI card but can't get Windows 7 64bit drivers for it, so not using it.

Have you tried just plugging it in and letting windows update try and find drivers?

Burgo

Leman_Russ wrote: »

Have you tried just plugging it in and letting windows update try and find drivers?

Win7 has a lot of trouble with wireless usb drivers. Was a pita to find the ones i needed.

Loveless

Leman_Russ wrote: »

Have you tried just plugging it in and letting windows update try and find drivers?

yes Windows 7 does find some sort of driver but it causes random BSOD's [blue screens of death] which is the only problem I've had with Windows 7.

That's why I got my old Linksys WUSB54G and installed it as a third-party "Ralink RT2500 USB Wireless adapter" and it works perfect, not a single problem.

Leman_Russ

Huh, complete opposite for me. On XP my belkin card was a nightmare to install (had to remove the card, install the software then plug it back in). W7 64 just auto installs it no problem.

leninbenjamin

Effluo wrote: »

Well whoever that was telling you that the usb adapters are rubbish, obv just had a bad exerience with one.

There is essentially no difference, except that a usb adapter can be moved from pc to pc a lot easier also some of the internals have better aerials i suppose.

Incorrect. A USB wifi adapter will always be slower (from a latency pov) than a PCI adapter, it just depends on the quality of the connection as to whether it's noticeable afaik. More importantly though you're much likely to experience driver issues with a USB device (particularly if you have a lot on the go at once, which can also cause lag too). On the other hand USB devices tend to be much easier to position and extend if reception is an issue.

Secondly there's not reason not to get N seeing as it's backwards compatible. The price difference is pretty minimal for adapters (routers is a different story).