Posted: 7/28/2014 7:55:11 AM EDT
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I've got an older Dell 560 Inspiron desktop that I would to set up for my brother to access wifi. Been reading about them and would like an opinion if a PCI or a USB would be better. It's only going to be used for him to play around on the internet.
Examples: PCI Adapter or USB Adapter |
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Quoted:
Either way, it's fairly inexpensive. I would guess the PCI card has would provide better reception. That's what I was wondering. The place he stays is suppose to be installing wifi. Not sure where the locations for the antennas?? in the building will be at this time. |
| Only thing that really separates PCI from USB…most PCI wifi cards are setup to accept external antennas where with USB you're stuck with what you've got. So if there isn't an extremely strong signal where the desktop will be going, it may be more beneficial to invest in a PCI card and a 6-9 dBi antenna for it. |
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Quoted:
Only thing that really separates PCI from USB…most PCI wifi cards are setup to accept external antennas where with USB you're stuck with what you've got. So if there isn't an extremely strong signal where the desktop will be going, it may be more beneficial to invest in a PCI card and a 6-9 dBi antenna for it. Thank you for the info. |
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Quoted:
Moot point. Most name branded Usb sticks come with an extension cable and a dock. Do the stick is moveable like an external antenna. It's not a moot point. Just depends on many factors. Moving the wifi dongle will only increase the signal by less than 1dB. Depending on the antenna (+9dBi is common for an aftermarket omni) and the feed line (most of the cheaper stuff ill have around 3-5 dB of loss for a 3 ft run) you could see much more significant improvement versus just moving a dongle around. It all just depends on the application and the existing signal strength of the location of interest to really see which is the best solution. |