Best USB Wifi adapter for my computer?

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[Zaphyrus]

First of all, I want to thank PKcano for all the questions he cleared in the past, thanks to him I have managed to troubleshoot alot of the Wifi issues I have been having around the year.

However…… I am starting to think that my Network adapter is dying,

I think its dying since every day I am having one of this issues:

*random disconnections,

*floods of WLAN autoconfigMSM security

and

*NDIS issues

Despite what I am telling you this post isn’t to seek an answer for this issues.. (which I already made thousands of post of it)

 

I want to know which WIFI USB  is compatible with my laptop

its a DELL inspiron 5558

with a  intel dual band 3160 network card

what I want to know if its compatible with  TP LINK TL WN725

https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN725N-Adaptador-Inalámbrico-compatible/dp/B008IFXQFU/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_es_MX=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&dchild=1&keywords=adaptador%2Bwifi&qid=1602641552&sr=8-2&th=1

or what options do you suggest?

currently my network card is “fine” I just want to “properly dress” for its funeral and buy an appropiate replacement

 

 

 

 

 

Just someone who don't want Windows to mess with its computer.

• This topic was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Zaphyrus.

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USB network adapters designed for Windows will be fine in your laptop.
The only thing to consider is whether your laptop has USB2 or 3 ports and whether a potentially more expensive USB3 adapter is worth spending money on.

cheers, Paul

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Zaphyrus wrote:

I want to know which WIFI USB  is compatible with my laptop

Why not replace your wi-fi card ?

Examples : https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=141&subid=525&refine=wifi+card

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Ascaris

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The reason is that i am planning to buy a future computer

and if I buy the card I don’t know if I can reuse it

on other hand the Wifi usb I can reuse it anytime I want.

Just someone who don't want Windows to mess with its computer.

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Your new machine will have wifi built in so the adapter will only be used on this machine.

cheers, Paul

1 user thanked author for this post.

Zaphyrus

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I know paul, but what I mean is that I can reuse it, in the case I need it again.

Just someone who don't want Windows to mess with its computer.

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[Ascaris]

I just recently changed the wifi card in my Dell G3 laptop from its single-stream card (Dell loves using those, for some reason, even though they’re half the speed of the only marginally more expensive dual-stream models) to a new Intel Wifi 6 AX200 (the newest generation of Intel wifi card). It works nicely with no other modifications needed. I’d always prefer to change the internal one rather than use an external… it’s just so much cleaner!

The 316* is a single-stream card too. I had one in my Dell Inspiron 11 before I switched it to a 7265 (dual stream version of the same).

It’s very likely that if you get a newer replacement for the internal card, it will also be compatible with whatever you buy next, whether it is a Dell or not. The m.2 22×30 format for wifi adapters is pretty much universal now.

Dell XPS 13/9310, i5-1135G7/16GB, KDE Neon 6.2
XPG Xenia 15, i7-9750H/32GB & GTX1660ti, Kubuntu 24.04
Acer Swift Go 14, i5-1335U/16GB, Kubuntu 24.04 (and Win 11)

• This reply was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Ascaris.

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Zaphyrus

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Hello, on our Dell – OptiPlex and Latitude series, I use ASUS USB N10 Nano (Wireless-150). I installed approx 20 these wifis, once I had to manually install (select) driver, but no other problem here.

It works on all our computers. We give computers to our employees to home for home office. Even if they have desktop, because not everybody has notebook and they need to work from home.

I dont have much experience with other, but if you are looking for good performance, go for more expensive USB3 models, this ASUS is just basic (Im not saying that it doesnt work, I just think that this is economical solution).

Dell Latitude 3420, Intel Core i7 @ 2.8 GHz, 16GB RAM, W10 22H2 Enterprise

HAL3000, AMD Athlon 200GE @ 3,4 GHz, 8GB RAM, Fedora 29

PRUSA i3 MK3S+

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Zaphyrus

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just be careful when using certain USB Wifi adapters as sometimes there are “overheating” problems with some of these USB Wifi adapters which can cause dropped connections or very slow connections when these adapters get “too hot”

https://windowsreport.com/usb-wifi-adapter-disconnects/

I used to have a Belkin N300 Micro USB Wifi adapter that worked okay for several years without problems but lately it had been dropping connections more frequently & disconnecting from the internet. tried using that Belkin usb wifi adapter on many different laptop & desktop PCs and the dropped connections still occurred, even with the latest drivers installed. that’s when I know this Belkin adapter seems to have been worn out and may soon get a newer wifi adapter replacement.

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Ascaris

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years?, well thats appealing enough to try it,  as long as it is compatible and its durable I wouldn’t mind buying it.

Just someone who don't want Windows to mess with its computer.

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Alex5723 wrote:

Zaphyrus wrote:

I want to know which WIFI USB  is compatible with my laptop

Why not replace your wi-fi card ?

Examples : https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=141&subid=525&refine=wifi+card

I tried that option in my 9 year old Lenovo Y510P laptop, replacing the existing Intel Wi-Fi card with a newer one. On rebooting I was sharply told that illegal hardware had been found. I removed the Wi-Fi unit and went back to original equipment. The solution which did work with no difficulty was to install a Netgear A6210 Wi-Fi USB adapter https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-adapters/a6210.aspx into one of the USB3 ports. I added a USB3 extension (although Netgear says clearly not to do that) with no difficulty or speed loss. It connects at 867 Mbps down (640 Mbps actual) and my providers 30 Mbps up (actual) speeds (Rogers Ignite 1 GB service).

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The only thing I would suggest is to NOT get one with a large stick antenna as all they do is get in the way and ned up cauisng more problems then they solve. I bought one for my old Dell thinking I would get faster speeds, and it  did even though it was usb2 but the stick kept falling over and would just never be right. The stick was about 8 inches tall.

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For Windows only I would heartily recommend the TP Link Archer T3U AC1300 Mini Wireless MU-MIMO USB Adapter.

https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/usb-adapter/archer-t3u/

I am getting wired speeds (i.e. comparable to my Ethernet devices hard wired to my router) over my home Wi-Fi with this using an AC capable router.

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

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Wired speeds would be 1Gbps and the best that adapter can manage is 850Mpbs under ideal conditions. Not really wired speed, but more than enough for internet use.

cheers, Paul

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Paul T wrote:

Wired speeds would be 1Gbps and the best that adapter can manage is 850Mpbs under ideal conditions. Not really wired speed, but more than enough for internet use.

You put words in my mouth. I wasn’t referring to this in the context of a “real world” ideal sense, but was only comparing devices in my private network, i.e. MY wired devices. I understand and agree with what you said.

I actually said “I am getting wired speeds (i.e. comparable to my Ethernet devices hard wired to my router).

My ISP provides about 70 Mbps bandwidth to my router which has 1 WAN port, and 4 LAN ports, which are all Gigabit Ethernet capable. I have two desktops connected to the router, one via WIRED Ethernet, and one via AC wireless.

I see the same speed of 70 Mbps to the internet from both desktops now. Previously using an N300 wireless adapter, I was only getting about half that speed over the wireless of around 30-40 Mbps. I’ll never know if the AC will go the the rated max of 867 Mbps, because my ISP is too slow for that, LOL!

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

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The faster speeds will help you with data transfer within your network – PC to PC.
But your Internet up/down speed is limited by your ISP and the physical connections on the WAN side (not to mention competing traffic by your neighbors on the same ISP segment).

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PKCano wrote:

The faster speeds will help you with data transfer within your network – PC to PC.
But your Internet up/down speed is limited by your ISP and the physical connections on the WAN side (not to mention competing traffic by your neighbors on the same ISP segment).

You are 100% correct, but you have missed my point. I am referring to the data transfer rate within the private network. Nothing at all to do with the ISP except for referencing its available speed as the baseline for the minimum speed one should see on a local wireless connection accessing the internet via the router.

For example, when using 802.11b/g/n wireless (on the 2.4Ghz band). I was losing a not-insignificant percentage of total available ISP speed locally when using Wi-Fi between my router and local computer device. But over Ethernet it was always full speed ahead!

I’m assuming that when using wired Ethernet LAN port, that the speed when connecting to a web server via the LAN should be roughly equal to the ISP WAN speed.

But based on tests that I have done over the years, when using 802.11b/g/n on the LAN side instead of Ethernet, there was an obvious loss of speed over the Wi-Fi connection. I do live in a high density area with a lot of nearby Wi-Fi access points, so probably some competition for the limited number of channels over the airwaves. But even with the new router, if I fall back to an N300 adapter, the loss of speed reoccurs.

I recently upgraded my adapter to 802.11ac (on the 5Ghz band), and now I usually get the same internet access speed over my local Wi-Fi network as when using a wired Ethernet port.

You don’t need to take my word for it. You can perform this test simply by connecting directly to an available Ethernet port on your router and running a speed test to the internet. Then switch over to Wi-Fi and repeat the same test.

https://www.howtogeek.com/234751/what-is-802.11ac-and-do-i-need-it/

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

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