Desktop PC Wireless USB Connector Hunt

[Deth Muncher]

Hey all - I've got a desktop PC that is, unfortunately, too far away from the router to be plugged in via ethernet, and too old to have an internal chip thing like laptops do. (Or I assume that's how that works, anyway. My knowledge of computer internals is next to nothing.) I do know that wireless dongles that grant PCs the ability to pick up WiFi exist, so my question to you is - what should I be looking for? I was hunting on Newegg, so I at least know those options - but, for example, is it worth it to shell out for the 450mbps?

[Erloas]

Dongle is probably not the correct term... but anyway, you probably have quite a few options.

If you wanted to get an internal wireless card, that should be easy enough to do. There is probably about a 95% chance you have an open PCI slot for a wireless card, and if the system is less then about 4 years old, you've probably also got a PCI-Ex1 slot for a wireless card too.
Of course neither of those options are going to be cheaper or easier then a USB adapter, but they tend to be a bit more reliable.

As for the USB adapters, there are a lot of options. I wouldn't go too cheap as I've seen quite a few that have reliability issues. In fact I've replaced by far more wireless cards and adapters then any other part of a computer (probably combined). As for the data transfer rates, it mostly depends on your router, if it is old and only does 54Mbps then having an adapter that does 300Mbps isn't going to help because the router is limiting it. Of course the cost difference between 150 and 300 is fairly small and its probably worth getting the 300 anyway, because even if your router doesn't do that now, if you replace it, you'll get the faster speed right away. And there is very little that can do 450 at this point.

[Jack Squat]

First, how far away from the router is the computer? Is it in the same room or another? I know you say it's too far away to be plugged in via ethernet, but you can run cat5 out to about 300 feet without boosters, whereas wireless (802.11g) has a range of about half that indoors.

If it's in the same room, I'd go ahead and just order a larger ethernet cable, as it's cheaper and will give you a faster, more consistent signal*. If it's in a different room, you could always snake cable, but that's honestly a bit of a pain if you don't have free access to either above the ceiling or below the flooring - however if you don't mind the extra work, it still may be a cheaper solution than a wireless card.

If you're going to go wireless, I'll echo Erloas and say that an internal network card is probably a better bet than a USB device, and not really any harder to install - it just takes removing a couple screws, plugging it in, and running the install CD. The USB ones are more built for laptops than desktops, but they'll be more than adequate if all you want to do is surf the web - if you're going to be streaming media and gaming online a lot, I'd recommend against the USB card; not because it's bad, but because there are better options. With either, you'll need to know how fast your router is, how fast you need the connection to be, and how likely you are to upgrade the router in the next couple years (or over the life of the computer, if that's less).

One real tip for those USB wireless cards is plug it into the back of the desktop. At one of my current jobs we use USB drives for backups, and someone keeps bumping into them while they're plugged in, breaking them.

*My data's a few years old, new wireless routers may be able to transmit at the same speed as a wired connection.

[Deth Muncher]

Dongle is probably not the correct term... but anyway, you probably have quite a few options.


Isn't a dongle the term for something you put in a USB port and it receives a signal wirelessly?

Anyway. As to how far away the router is (it's from Verizon, one of their FiOS routers if that means anything to you), it's probably only 100 feet away - but to get there, you have to go downstairs, make a couple turns, and honestly, the trouble of securing the ethernet cord so that no one would trip on it coming up the stairs is WAY more hassle than I want to deal with.

As to the wireless card - I don't think I actually have a PCI slot for it. I do have whatever this slot is, though:
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz51/amidamaru42/DSCF0005.jpg

So I don't know if I can do one of those cards. Then again, once again poking around on Newegg I found a USB to "Express Card" adapter - is that another name for those cards?

[Siosilvar]

So I don't know if I can do one of those cards. Then again, once again poking around on Newegg I found a USB to "Express Card" adapter - is that another name for those cards?

No. Those four slots on the left are for memory cards that are typically used in digital cameras. Express Cards are usually found on a laptop.

USB wireless adapters certainly exist, but you should check if you have an open PCI slot. Can we get a picture of the back and/or the inside of the computer? PCI slots are always inside.

[Deth Muncher]

No. Those four slots on the left are for memory cards that are typically used in digital cameras. Express Cards are usually found on a laptop.

USB wireless adapters certainly exist, but you should check if you have an open PCI slot. Can we get a picture of the back and/or the inside of the computer? PCI slots are always inside.

Back of the computer's a wee bit to finagle a picture of, but I can tell you it's got 4 or 5 USB ports, keyboard plug, mouse plug, something that looks like where you plug in a printer but about twice the size and a dull rose color, something that looks like you plug a printer on it, R/W/Y slots like on a TV, mic and headphone ports, and maybe a cable TV port as well (which makes me chuckle to no end).

Internals are a no-go, since I don't know where my little kit is with my screwdrivers for it are. I'll see if I can find the model of my computer. It's a Vaio from a couple of years ago, but like I say, let me boot it up and check what the specs are.

[Erloas]

Isn't a dongle the term for something you put in a USB port and it receives a signal wirelessly?It really is a term you don't hear much, and I haven't heard it used with any regularity in many many years. The last common usage I've heard for it was for laptops to connect different connector types to PCMCIA cards. And software dongles, which are basically just physical product keys used in some expensive software suites, but they can be eithernet, usb, or serial.
Not that it really matters.
Of course the common term is an adapter, but even that really isn't an accurate term, as you aren't adapting anything, its simply an external device.


Anyway. As to how far away the router is (it's from Verizon, one of their FiOS routers if that means anything to you), it's probably only 100 feet away - but to get there, you have to go downstairs, make a couple turns, and honestly, the trouble of securing the ethernet cord so that no one would trip on it coming up the stairs is WAY more hassle than I want to deal with.
A quick search shows those DSL modem/routers only have 54Mbps wireless (802.11g wireless) which is pretty old and slow. They also have less range then the newer 802.11n type routers. You might not notice, but it might be worth looking at picking up a new N type wireless router at some point in the future. You can use the one you have without a problem, it might just be slow, especially if you want to do local file sharing between computers on your local network.


The PCI and PCI-E slots would be internal slots, you can't see them without opening the computer's case. It really is trivial to install one, probably 2 screws on the case, 1 on the card itself, and you are done in less then 5 minutes. Not even a special screw driver, any common philips would work.

[The Durvin]

What you need depends a lot on what you're trying to do. Since you're on this forum, I figure it's a reasonable guess that you're doing some gaming; you're gonna want a higher-end thing if you don't like image lag (and who does?). N-150 is the slowest thing you can get these days, most of the time; next step up is N-300, then N-450, and then it gets into dual-band stuff, and other proprietary terms that differ between companies, but they all just mean "this go more faster, dawg", and that's what you need for gaming. If you're not gaming but you're still watching a lot of videos, N-450 should be enough. And yes, as mentioned, distance from the router is important; stronger signals can totally go through walls and floors, but if you're doing that, remember that the signal will go from the router to the connector in a straight line, and so diagonal walls will put up more resistance than straight ones. Line of sight is best, though.

You can get them online from plenty of places, but feel free to go to any electronics or office supply store and get an opinion out of them--especially from office supply stores, since they don't work on commission. Linksys and D-Link are both fine brands; I hear Belkin sucks.

Oh, and as for terminology, the usual term is "wireless USB connector" or something like that; dongle was what they called things that you stuck into ports, usually shaped like a jump-drive, regardless of what they did. If you use the term at a store, only the long-term computer geeks (like, dating from the late 90's) will know what you mean; if none are around to correct the newbs, you can be assured that they will not know what you mean, and will laugh at you (or at least the word "dongle") over the walkies after you leave. (Incidentally, I know all of this because I work at one of said stores, not because I'm one of said long-term haxx0rz.)

[Deth Muncher]

Oh, and as for terminology, the usual term is "wireless USB connector" or something like that; dongle was what they called things that you stuck into ports, usually shaped like a jump-drive, regardless of what they did. If you use the term at a store, only the long-term computer geeks (like, dating from the late 90's) will know what you mean; if none are around to correct the newbs, you can be assured that they will not know what you mean, and will laugh at you (or at least the word "dongle") over the walkies after you leave. (Incidentally, I know all of this because I work at one of said stores, not because I'm one of said long-term haxx0rz.)

Curse my outdated terminology! That's totally a heinous burn, man. :P



What you need depends a lot on what you're trying to do. Since you're on this forum, I figure it's a reasonable guess that you're doing some gaming; you're gonna want a higher-end thing if you don't like image lag (and who does?). N-150 is the slowest thing you can get these days, most of the time; next step up is N-300, then N-450, and then it gets into dual-band stuff, and other proprietary terms that differ between companies, but they all just mean "this go more faster, dawg", and that's what you need for gaming. If you're not gaming but you're still watching a lot of videos, N-450 should be enough. And yes, as mentioned, distance from the router is important; stronger signals can totally go through walls and floors, but if you're doing that, remember that the signal will go from the router to the connector in a straight line, and so diagonal walls will put up more resistance than straight ones. Line of sight is best, though.

You can get them online from plenty of places, but feel free to go to any electronics or office supply store and get an opinion out of them--especially from office supply stores, since they don't work on commission. Linksys and D-Link are both fine brands; I hear Belkin sucks.


As for online gaming, I don't do a whole terrible lot - the most I do is download singleplayer games on Steam or stuff like that - not a lot of online gameplay. And I DO have my laptop if I ever wanted to play something like TF2 or WoW or SWTOR. Although I was thinking about getting Diablo 3, and that's apparently got an only-online thing, so...hm. Okay. I think I may pop into an Office Max or something, as well as continuing my hunt on Newegg. Speaking of - what are some of these proprietary terms I should be hunting for? I mean, the ones the next level over 450, that is.

[KuReshtin]

I have one of these (http://www.misco.co.uk/product/164375/NETGEAR-Wireless-N-150-USB-Adapter) (or at least very similar) and that works hassle free for me to stream videos over the network at home, playing online games such as StarCraft 2, City of Heroes and World of Tanks, without any problems.

If you're not gaming a whole lot, then that would most certainly be suitable for your needs.