wifi for desktop computers

[Metalrocks]

i have already googled and found out that you cant have 2 modems connected to the same line. so is there a very good wifi card that is stable for surfing and big downloads?
i have a USB wifi stick, when i had some issues with the lan connection last year, and it was more or less ok but it did had its dropouts and was very slow when i was downloading. even surfing on the net was very slow that made a 56k modem look like high speed. and i wasnt even far away from the modem.

any particular brand/type that can handle distances for like 5m to the modem?

 

[SnowyGamester]

Sounds like there was either something wrong with your hardware or it was really old. My shitty old wireless g dongle has to go around a corner, through two door and down a hallway and it's still fast enough to max out my internet, though my internet is only 5mbps and my actual router is a beast [http://www.netgear.com.au/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/R8000.aspx].

The annoying thing about WiFi standards is if you have a wireless n 150mbps access point and matching dongle, even at those distances you aren't going to hit close to 150mbps...you'll likely get somewhere between one half and one third (I believe the total is shared between upstream and downstream). If your download rate is less than 50mbps then even the most basic wireless n dongle (150mbps) should max it out at such a short distance (assuming you've got direct line of sight and are only using one wireless device). More devices connected simultaneously will divide the total bandwidth (unless your access point has multiple antennas in which case they can provide separate connections) and anything blocking between the wireless access point and the dongle will also have an impact. A PCI card will likely have more consistent bandwidth over longer distances however as close as you are a dongle should be sufficient.

Also keep in mind that the wireless access point your modem provides is just as important. If you've got an old wireless g network you'll barely get 20mbps even if you're rubbing up against it regardless of your wireless card.

If you need more total bandwidth then you'll need higher rated hardware, though keep in mind a single antenna 433mbps wireless ac dongle won't give you any benefit over a single antenna 150mbps wireless n dongle if you have a 600mbps wireless n access point since for wireless n each antenna can provide only 150mbps (ac provides 433mbps per antenna) so as the access point uses multiple antennas to take advantage you would need multiple antennas on your dongle.

Also while you can't connect more than one modem to your ADSL line, you can connect more routers/switches to your main modem/router, so if the issue is lack of Ethernet ports then connecting a simple Ethernet switch to your modem would be an easy way to add more wired connections.

 

[Metalrocks]

it was some USB wifi stick from asus that wasnt too expensive. it did work well enough for at least checking emails, surfing but of course when it came to games and big downloads, thats were it didnt really want to be cooperative. but even wile surfing it just kept dropping out, even when the signal was strong.

im not too familiar with all this connection stuff so i think i have to better clarify about the layout of the house i will be moving to next year. also, what is this "dongle"?
i will be at the ground floor of the house (granny flat) wile my parents are obviously above. the room i will be putting my pc in is almost underneath the living room were my parents have the modem. so ruffly 5m maybe 6m away. should add that its a wooden floor, so this shouldnt have any huge influence with the signal. besides maybe the concrete wall of the room i will be in.
i cant take that modem since they need it for their tv for streaming. thats why i was googling around if i can have 2 modems on the same line. because their modem is sponsored by the provider that is also for tv streaming.
now you see that connecting a cable is out of the question.

so far my parents havent complained about the speed of the wifi on their phones and laptop. even when watching movies. so i guess it woulndt have a huge impact when i would be downloading something. correct me if im wrong.

so, any PCI card you can think of that for my layout? since USB is clearly out of question.

 

[Albino Boo]

A USB wifi stick is a dongle. What the best PCI wifi card you get is rather dependant on what the capabilities of your wireless access point are. There is no point in buying a high end wifi card if your access point is slow. If you post of the make and model of the wireless router modem then recommendations are possible. You could also use a ethernet over power plug, also know as home plug. They just plug into the power sockets and you plug a bog standard ethernet cable into them at either end.

 

[SnowyGamester]

Given that you're going through the floor and you're using an ISP provided modem I suspect you're going to have a bad time. WiFi is generally designed to signal outward horizontally, the low penetration means the floor will also have a negative impact, and ISP provided hardware is usually pants. It won't hurt to post the model of your modem but Ethernet over Power might be a better solution.

And yeah, dongle is generally accepted shorthand for any small device (usually USB) that plugs directly into a computer e.g. flash drive, WiFi stick, etc.

 

[Metalrocks]

damn. im really having bad luck with internet connections. have to see if my mother can tell me about the brand.

never heard of an ethernet over power plug. from what i found out over google, its just plus in, and its even more secure than the normal way. even better transfer.
so its just plug in to the power socket. connect a lan cable to my pc and thats it? no software installation or finding the wifi?

according to this, http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/feature/network-wifi/what-is-powerline-3491484/
when i buy it, it will come with 2 plugs. and when i understand it correctly, its plug one as close as possible to the modem and the other to my pc. am i understanding it correctly?

 

[SnowyGamester]

That's essentially it, yeah. An Ethernet cable goes between the modem and one plug, another between your computer and the other plug, and your home wiring acts as the connection between the two plugs, completing the link between your computer and modem.

 

[Metalrocks]

cool. now i know what to get. any particular brand/type i should choose or doesnt really matter.
netgear is a very common brand in australia. d-link i have seen some of them.

 

[SnowyGamester]

For whatever reason people often seem to have a negative impression of Netgear products but they tend to be cheaper than D-Link and I've had very few issues with them which is why most of my network is Netgear hardware. D-Link does seem to have a better reputation but I haven't used any of their stuff for years.

You might also run into TP-Link depending on where you shop. Probably the cheapest you'll find but I don't know much about their products. My modem is a TP-Link and it's been nothing but reliable but all it does is bridge internet to my gigantic router.

 

[Metalrocks]

weird. almost every electronic shop sells netgear products. like a whole wall full. with d-link was rather a smaller selection available. well, i still have some time to find the right brand. of course i welcome any suggestions in that time.