Wifi adapter: PCIe or USB dongle?

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EvanTheGamer

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#1 EvanTheGamer
Member since 2009 • 1550 Posts

Does it matter which type you use? Is one more reliable than the other?

I'm assuming a PCI/PCIe wifi adapter would be superior but I'd like to know for sure.

Thanks.

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PfizersaurusRex

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#2  Edited By PfizersaurusRex
Member since 2012 • 1503 Posts

I don't know about some crazy high-end models, but for a regular wireless adapter it doesn't matter what you choose. Just get whatever's more convenient for you. If you opt for USB make sure you get a decent model (with antenna) and get an extention cable so you can find the best spot for it. I'm on USB and since we set up a protected network I never lost connection, and my ping is low, too. I only get about 20MBit/s, tho (or about 2Mbytes/s), which is 1 half of my internet speed, and my adapter is supposed to be 54MBit/s. Don't know if it's the adapter or the router that's holding it back. But it's still fast enough for me.

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Ribstaylor1

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#3  Edited By Ribstaylor1
Member since 2014 • 2186 Posts

So I went with an asus PCIe card with the new highest possible speeds and though it's a great card and has literally the latest in technology, it doesn't significantly differentiate itself from the usb dongles besides offering better speeds at lower latencies, with a better antenna. If usb is the way to go you should get one with an antenna or an attachable antenna system they help a lot.

Take into consideration too if being able to test your own wireless network for security is something you'd like to do. Trying to hack your network to make sure it safe from others in your apartment building/street requires a wireless chip that supports packet injection. Not all do, so it's a matter of finding out which chip the cards or usb stick you want is using, and finding out if that chip supports it. I didn't make sure of this ahead of time and now I'm stuck with a chip that will not support it which sucks as I wanted to do be able to do this before moving to the city.

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FelipeInside

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#4 FelipeInside
Member since 2003 • 28548 Posts

@EvanTheGamer said:

Does it matter which type you use? Is one more reliable than the other?

I'm assuming a PCI/PCIe wifi adapter would be superior but I'd like to know for sure.

Thanks.

PCIe Card is better than USB.

They both work very similar speed wise, although most of the time you get a bit more out of a card (when using good models).

The big reason I would go for card is that USB dongles get HOT, and sometimes break because of the heat.

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flashn00b

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#5 flashn00b
Member since 2006 • 3949 Posts

You ess bee

Last time I used a PCI-E card, it refused to work and it slowed everyone else's internet speeds to a crawl.