which is better for a wifi adapter, usb 2.0 or usb 3.0?

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  1. Posts : 1,052
    windows 10
       #11

    Here ... it does not say how far the speed rates were obtained:


    Improve your WiFi with TP-Link WiFi adapter - Blacktubi
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  2. Posts : 2,177
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit v22H2
       #12

    The fastest USB WiFi adapter in the article that was less than $30 was the Archer T4U. You can buy one for about $17.
    The Archer T4U requires a USB 3.0 port. You will probably reduce its speed if plug it in a USB 2.0 port.
    You can try the pass-through port but you should compare it to a direct connection to make sure it does not slow you down.

    There are a several caveats here:
    • The article's author did static tests. He made no attempt to show which WiFi adapter gave the best Wi-Fi coverage.
    • Interference, signal blockage, and increased distance from router will reduce Wi-Fi speeds.
    • Using any of these WiFi adapters in an older computer may show lower speeds that in the article
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  3. Posts : 240
    windows 10 home
    Thread Starter
       #13

    you all wanna know the aggravating part of this?
    I have a laptop from 2012 that can see the 5ghz channels..yet a desktop purchased in 2015 cant?(something no make sense here...)

    I've elected to go with a usb wifi stick for a couple reasons.

    one, the usb3 passthrough and the intended placement of the hdd(which has the passthroughs) will ensure no accidental collision accidents with other devices that are to be placed in close proximity.

    two, due to a fan failure issue(GPU card onboard cooling fan) when it was under warranty and three botched repairs(first no change, same noise was being made, vibration noise, second failed two days after receipt of unit, third was botched cause some dodo forgot the screw lug the dvi connector needs in order to be properly secured) that there is a heating concern and frankly it gets plenty warm in there already without adding a PCI-E wifi card(yes the unit is properly ventellated and all fans are currently operational, with one spare cpu heatsink fan and one spare case fan in hand)

    I'd rather have an exposed usb stick that'll get warm and subsequently be better and more rapidly cooled by the ambient air circulation of the room.

    three, I dont do any real connection heavy tasks that NEED top flight speed.

    even the games I DO play dont need more than the wifi stick can provide.

    so in the end, it comes down to convenience, engineering factors, and cost.

    a wifi stick is the easiest solution.

    I'll let you all know when I've got it in hand and installed.

    thanks for the help fellas!
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  4. Posts : 240
    windows 10 home
    Thread Starter
       #14

    ok folks, related to the thread here, so rather than making a new one, I'm posting here:

    does anyone else use this particular drive Amazon.com: Seagate Backup Plus Hub 4TB External Hard Drive Desktop HDD – USB 3.0, for Computer Desktop Workstation PC Laptop Mac, 2 USB Ports, 2 Months Adobe CC Photography (STEL4000100), Model:STEL4000100: Computers & Accessories and if so, are you able to use any peripherals with it, such as wifi sticks or bluetooth adapters?

    asking as the device manufacturer's product support couldn't even answer definitively yes or no.
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  5. Posts : 16,784
    Windows 10 Home x64 Version 22H2 Build 19045.4170
       #15

    xraiderv1 said:
    I have a laptop from 2012 that can see the 5ghz channels..yet a desktop purchased in 2015 cant?(something no make sense here...)
    I suggest that you use NirSoft WiFiInfoView on the 2012 laptop to check the frequency & channel number of the WiFi signal.

    Denis
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 16,784
    Windows 10 Home x64 Version 22H2 Build 19045.4170
       #16

    xraiderv1 said:
    ok folks, related to the thread here, so rather than making a new one, I'm posting here:

    does anyone else use this particular drive Amazon.com: Seagate Backup Plus Hub 4TB External Hard Drive Desktop HDD – USB 3.0, for Computer Desktop Workstation PC Laptop Mac, 2 USB Ports, 2 Months Adobe CC Photography (STEL4000100), Model:STEL4000100: Computers & Accessories and if so, are you able to use any peripherals with it, such as wifi sticks or bluetooth adapters?

    asking as the device manufacturer's product support couldn't even answer definitively yes or no.
    I have three of them and I use their hubs to string them out so I only have one USB lead to connect to my computer.

    I just tried a WiFi mouse's USB dongle in one of them and the mouse did not work.

    Denis
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
       #17

    Hi there

    @Try3

    I think the best method if you can manage cabling is to attach a USB->LAN adapter to the older laptop, connect that LAN cable to a cheap network home 5 port switch (approx 10 EUR) and then attach that lan cable from switch to cablebox / router. You can then set the adapter to FULL DUPLEX (consumer grade wifi works normally especially with older cards at HALF DUPLEX).

    If your budget runs to a bit more you can get a NIGHTHAWK Wifi extender which can give over 1 Gbs Wifi speed which is a lot faster than old wifi cards in laptops) so just run a single cable from the switch to wifi extender. Using the switch with the lan cables and even the Wifi extender gives vastly better throughput than messing around with usb>wifi adapters.

    The cheap 5 port Netgear switch costs around 12 EUR / 11 GBP (inc VAT in UK) so always good to connect up to 4 device simulatneously with excellent throughput.

    Cheers
    jimbo
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 16,784
    Windows 10 Home x64 Version 22H2 Build 19045.4170
       #18

    It's the OP who wants to know not me. The OP is in the USA.

    I just carried out the test the OP wanted.

    Denis
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
       #19

    Try3 said:
    It's the OP who wants to know not me. The OP is in the USA.

    I just carried out the test the OP wanted.

    Denis
    Hi there
    @Try3
    sorry -- got carried away messing about with Windows 11 !!! doing all sorts of (according to Ms) impossible things with it.

    Trying now to run it as a VM on an old PENTIUM IV sony VAIO machine with "get arounds" !!!!!

    Cheers
    jimbo
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  10. Posts : 240
    windows 10 home
    Thread Starter
       #20

    thanks guys. looks like the only real option here is to hardline the ducking thing...which I think I'll be able to do actually.

    side question: verizon, when they installed the access point, the technician said not to plug the access point's power supply into a surge protector. am I the only one wondering WHY? is there a legitimate reason for that? cause to me, that introduces an unshielded connection point into the house network and any devices wired in.

    if its not surge protected, a surge can jump access point's power supply, into the outgoing network lines and on into into whatever its hooked into.
      My Computer


 

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