



It really is up to you whether you think small performance gains or convenience is more important. For signal strength, it is pretty close with the introduction of a four antenna USB WiFi adapter now. So to summarize this section a PCI-E wireless adapter is better from a performance perspective at the current time and a USB WiFi adapter is more convenient. It may cost you a little extra but it will be worth it. Please just trust me when I tell you that it is a really good idea to go for a USB WiFi adapter that has this technology incorporated. The science behind Beamforming is pretty complex and beyond the scope of this article. This prevents the wireless signal from spreading in all directions. What Beamforming does is to concentrate a wireless signal towards a wireless adapter. I mentioned earlier the Beamforming technology so now is the time to explain it to you. The technology employed with USB WiFi adapters is improving all of the time.
#Usb wireless adapter for pc install
You do not have to install any hardware – just plug your USB WiFi adapter into a free USB port. Where USB WiFi adapters definitely score over PCI-E wireless adapters is their convenience factor. Read Also: Avoid These Mistakes While Setting Up Your Startup The majority of USB WiFi adapters will only have one or two external antennas though so if your computer is not in a great location in relation to your wireless router and you want to play online games then a PCI-E card could be the better option here. There is actually a USB WiFi adapter that has four antennas available now so this is going to provide you with the very best signal strength capability. Four Antennas now availableĪlso, you are likely to pick up a stronger signal with a PCI-E wireless adapter particularly if you have three or four external antennas. A PCI-E adapter has a direct connection to the motherboard and this will make it perform better and faster. In terms of pure performance, the PCI-E wireless adapter is going to be better than a USB WiFi adapter at the moment. I am going to sit on the fence here and say “yes and no”. Are USB WiFi Adapters Better than PCI-E Wireless Adapters? If you have more than one computer that requires wireless Internet functionality then you can move the adapter from one machine to another with a minimum of fuss. For someone that has a lot of experience with computers, this is not a big deal but if you are inexperienced then this may concern you a lot.Īnother good thing about USB WiFi adapters is convenience. You do not have to open your computer and install a PCI-E card. The main reason that I think the high-end USB WiFi adapters are good for online gaming is because they are very easy to set up.
