Wireless n pci adapter for Win XP SP3

funkey_monkey

We've just got upgraded in our house share to a BT Home Hub V3 (living in NI) and my desktop PC will not connect to the internet now. My mobile devices do connect however.

Rather than rocking the boat by getting the settings changed to a lower standard, I was thinking of just purchasing a more modern PCI adapter as my current one (linksys WMP54G) is quite old. Plus I should benefit from increased speed with the n adapter, shouldn't I? So everyone should win.

So the question is the best type of wireless n adapter on the market at present? I've seen some which sit in the pci slot and many others which feed into the USB port.

I assume that the USB versions will be USB 3.0 and any benefit with -n will be lost with having to downgrade the USB to version 2.0 to match my desktop PC?

Any recommendations?


Thanks.

funkey_monkey

Can anyone recommend for me a top manufacturer of wireless cards?

I'm looking to purchase a pci card soon. Should i opt for a dual band item?


Any help appreciated.

dub45

It seems strange that the pc will not connect now to the new BT model - the linksys is a g model which is still the most common wifi card out there - have you tried turning off the security (briefly!) to see if it will connect?

According to this review - http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/wireless-routers/1283386/bt-home-hub-3

the wifi performance isnt so good on the bt hub and as regards the N standard it isn't a dual band model according to the specs.

Remember to get the benefit of the n standard all the devices attached to the wifi network have to be also of the n standard otherwise it will be dragged down to the g standard as regards performance.

I would be inclined to buy a usb wifi dongle. the pci card aerial will be lowdown at the back of the pc whereas with a usb dongle and a usb extension cord you can experiment with the location of the dongle which offers the possibility of getting better speeds.

Any of the usual manufacturers would be worth considering for your purchase - have a look at reviews if you can - if you are going to be stuck with the bt hub there doesnt seem much point in going for the dual band unless there is little cost difference.

funkey_monkey

Hi Dub45, I've looked at the USB versions and TBH my room is cluttered enough without adding another extension cord for the aerial. So, I've decided to get a PCI adapter - even though I agree in general with your reasoning for the USB version.

I get a reasonable connection as it is with a single aerial g PCI adapter and it is sufficient for my style of usage. So, I think a triple aerial n model will be more than adequate for me.

I'm looking into getting the following item, I assume it will fit into the existing PCI slot on my Dell 5150? I don't think the PCI slot will be an issue as the spec states that it has card slots for PCI Express x16 (1), PCI (2), PCI Express x1 (1).

I've got the following options:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-WN951N-300Mbps-PCI-Adapter/dp/B009H02P2U/ref=sr_1_6?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1365271467&sr=1-6&keywords=TL-WN951N for £23.00 300Mbps

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-LINK-TL-WDN4800-Wireless-Express-Adapter/dp/B006PMX964/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1365271467&sr=1-4&keywords=TL-WN951N £28.00 450Mbps Dual Band

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-WN851N-Wireless-PCI-Adapter/dp/B0019EMF2M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365272206&sr=8-1&keywords=tp-link+pci+adapter £13.00 300Mbps


Is the extra 150Mbps needed or dual band. Sorry, I don't know much about them but for an extra £5.00/£15.00 should I bother?
I'm not sure what the difference between the first and third items are. Any advice appreciated!

funkey_monkey

Anyone please?

funkey_monkey

Went for the WN951N for £28.00.