What's the best USB Wifi adapter for a Laptop?

BigTerminator · 05-18-11, 06:48 PM

Hi, I need this answered quick. I need to order by tonight or very early tomorrow morning. I'm looking for a USB N Wifi Adapter that is USB.

Here are my factors for buying:

It NEEDS to stick to the Laptop, meaning I can pick it up and walk without cable or hubs to drag along. I don't like the ones where you need to plug it with a mini USB cable. It need to stick to the Laptop and be decently flush and not stick out a whole lot and look stupid.

Speed wise, most will perform the same, preferably 300mbs and N but 150mbs will do also.

Most importantly is the range. I need the best range possible. In my house, range isn't much of a concern, but I will be bringing my Laptop into places with spotty coverage and will use this in the future for College, so range is key.

I'm am not against external antennas but again it has to be sticking on the Laptop.

Here are my top choices:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833180075
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320040
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833381023
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833381017
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833704046

Budget is about $30. Thanks You

CompuTamer · 05-18-11, 08:24 PM

What laptop do you have? PCMCIA cards tend to be pretty flush. If your laptop supports a WLAN card, you can just get a cheap 802.11N card and drop it into the existing slot.

BigTerminator · 05-18-11, 10:17 PM

Nope, I have express card 54 slot and I looked at Newegg and they don't sell anymore. USB, cmon guys!!!! We can do it!

SeanBest · 05-19-11, 06:56 AM

One of these may work. Much smaller, the smaller micro adapters. I just copied the few I saw, your choice on brand. I like D-Link myself. But I have read good things about the TrendNet ones. The NewEgg reviews are mixed, but you know how those go. Take a quick look online and see what you can find as reviews for these.

First Choice:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833127348
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833156306

Second Choice:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833315091
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833166052
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833156267

BigTerminator · 05-19-11, 09:32 AM

Yeah, I'm not into those Micro Adapters simply because the range has to be crappy. Well I already bought the first choice I had in my list for $18 with shipping. It should be real nice with the 2 external Antennas so range should be top notch, but it isn't to bulky. I have Encore PCI Wifi cards so I know they do make good products. Tell you guys how it performs when I get it.

P.S.- The encore card I stated I'm getting, does anyone know if you have to use the 2 external antennas. If I'm close to the router I wouldn't want to use any antennas so can I, or does it on rely on the External antennas?

Also one cool thing about this card is you can buy different Wifi Antennas and it will still be compatible. Sorry!!!

McGrace · 05-19-11, 11:55 AM

I know it's too late for this user since he has already made the purchase, but just wanted to add my experiences for whoever else may need.

I got several of the Netgear adapters and performance is usually fine, but the drivers include an annoying utility that takes over handling of your wireless connections. It's annoying as heck. I got some cheap MSI adapters off amazon or newegg (can get them either place) and their performance is fine plus you don't have the annoying driver issue.

I had Belkin and Linksys adapters several years ago when wireless was just moving into USB and they stunk. I figure they are fine now, but the experience in performance was so sub par I won't go back. Particularly in light of finding MSI to be the cheapest solution and meeting all performance needs. If someone else said they are fine now, I'd go back if they were the cheapest.

McGrace · 05-19-11, 11:59 AM

On another note: micro adapters. In regards to wireless technology, antennas do matter as we all know. But I know the power at which something is transmitted matters a whole lot, too. I have had no range issues with micro adapters for wireless mice and they seem on par with the larger USB adapters.

While I personally know nothing of specifics, I wonder if being both USB, they have the same power applied to transmit so therefore have similar performance. At least in the same ballpark.

No idea, just expounding.

BigTerminator · 05-20-11, 02:23 PM

Well I received my Encore N300mbs USB wifi adapter and it probably is the best in terms of value, speed and range. It is faster and gets better reception then my PCI Wifi cards. I'm really considering using it as my Desktop Wifi card now. The range is very strong and it isn't too big. Windows 7 doesn't automatically recognize it so you'll have to install the driver but beyond that, it's probably the best Wifi card under $20 and maybe the best period.

CompuTamer · 05-23-11, 01:38 PM

When did we obtain the ability to cram an entire WiFi chipset into those micro adapters? :O

BigTerminator · 05-23-11, 08:09 PM

It's funny that the Laptop adapter I bought which I'm still loving very much was deactivated within days of my purchase on Newegg. I guess I was the last one to get it

05-18-11, 06:48 PM	Thread Starter #1
BigTerminator Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Maryland	What's the best USB Wifi adapter for a Laptop? Hi, I need this answered quick. I need to order by tonight or very early tomorrow morning. I'm looking for a USB N Wifi Adapter that is USB. Here are my factors for buying: It NEEDS to stick to the Laptop, meaning I can pick it up and walk without cable or hubs to drag along. I don't like the ones where you need to plug it with a mini USB cable. It need to stick to the Laptop and be decently flush and not stick out a whole lot and look stupid. Speed wise, most will perform the same, preferably 300mbs and N but 150mbs will do also. Most importantly is the range. I need the best range possible. In my house, range isn't much of a concern, but I will be bringing my Laptop into places with spotty coverage and will use this in the future for College, so range is key. I'm am not against external antennas but again it has to be sticking on the Laptop. Here are my top choices: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833180075 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320040 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833381023 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833381017 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833704046 Budget is about $30. Thanks You __________________ My Desktop: Intel Core i7 875k @ 4.2ghz 1.4v \| Noctua NH-D14 with 3 Rosewill RFX 120 Fans MSI Big Bang Fuzion \| 8gb G. Skill Sniper 1600mhz \| Unlocked 6970 With Arctic Accelero Xtreme Plus 975/1450mhz at 1.25v Cooler Master HAF X With Window \| Corsair TX 750 watt PSU \| 2x500gb Samsung F3 RAID 0 3D Mark 11 High Scores = Performance 6350 Extreme 2100 My Laptop: Lenovo Y580 Intel Core i7 3630qm @ 2.4ghz \| 8gb DDR3 1600mhz \| 1tb HDD Nvidia GTX 660m @ 1085/1400mhz \| 15.6" 1080p Arctic MX-4 Thermal Paste \| Rosewill Notebook Cooler 3d Mark 11 High Scores = Performance 3400 Extreme 1100
	QUOTE Thanks

05-18-11, 08:24 PM	#2
CompuTamer Member with Some Fancy Text Under His Name Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Brandon Mississippi	What laptop do you have? PCMCIA cards tend to be pretty flush. If your laptop supports a WLAN card, you can just get a cheap 802.11N card and drop it into the existing slot. __________________ Intel Core i7 C0 @ 4.01GHz with 1.388 vCore ..........................................Intel C2D T8100 Intel DX58SO Motherboard IOH + QPI @ 1.250 Volts..............................HP 6910p Notebook Sony Optiarc Blu-Ray Drive.................................................. ...............DVD-RAM 8 GB G-Skill Sniper DDR3 1600 @ 1.65 Volts ...........................................4GB Hyundai DDR2 800 60GB OCZ Solid 3 + 320GB WD Blue+ 1TB WD Green...............................Intel 320 80GB Antec 900.................................................. .......................................Titanium Lid BFG GS-650.................................................. .....................................Various HP AC Adapters XFX Radeon HD 4850 (660/1060 53C Idle 62C Load) @ 1.31 vCore............ATI X2300 Pro Dual Dell E2311H LED 1920x1080.................................................. .......14.1" 1440x900 Windows 8 ProMC.................................................. .............................Windows 8 ProMC Those specs up there? They're silent. Silence is good. Very good. Your Core 2 Quad is based off of the Pentium pro in a few ways.
	QUOTE Thanks

05-18-11, 10:17 PM	Thread Starter #3
BigTerminator Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Maryland	Nope, I have express card 54 slot and I looked at Newegg and they don't sell anymore. USB, cmon guys!!!! We can do it! __________________ My Desktop: Intel Core i7 875k @ 4.2ghz 1.4v \| Noctua NH-D14 with 3 Rosewill RFX 120 Fans MSI Big Bang Fuzion \| 8gb G. Skill Sniper 1600mhz \| Unlocked 6970 With Arctic Accelero Xtreme Plus 975/1450mhz at 1.25v Cooler Master HAF X With Window \| Corsair TX 750 watt PSU \| 2x500gb Samsung F3 RAID 0 3D Mark 11 High Scores = Performance 6350 Extreme 2100 My Laptop: Lenovo Y580 Intel Core i7 3630qm @ 2.4ghz \| 8gb DDR3 1600mhz \| 1tb HDD Nvidia GTX 660m @ 1085/1400mhz \| 15.6" 1080p Arctic MX-4 Thermal Paste \| Rosewill Notebook Cooler 3d Mark 11 High Scores = Performance 3400 Extreme 1100
	QUOTE Thanks

05-19-11, 06:56 AM	#4
SeanBest Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Harrisonburg, VA	One of these may work. Much smaller, the smaller micro adapters. I just copied the few I saw, your choice on brand. I like D-Link myself. But I have read good things about the TrendNet ones. The NewEgg reviews are mixed, but you know how those go. Take a quick look online and see what you can find as reviews for these. First Choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833127348 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833156306 Second Choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833315091 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833166052 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833156267 __________________ HEAT Motherboard --------- BIOSTAR TPower I45 CPU ------------------- Intel E8600 @ 4GHz Memory -------------- 4GB Corsair Dominator DDR2 1066 Cooling --------------- Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme HDDs ----------------- Western Digital Velociraptor 300GB 10k RPM Graphics Card ------- MSI HD4870 OC Edition Soundcard ----------- Creative X-Fi Xtremegamer Case ------------------ Antec Nine Hundered Power Supply -------- OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W OS -------------------- Win 7 Pro x64, Mint Debian x64
	QUOTE Thanks

05-19-11, 09:32 AM	Thread Starter #5
BigTerminator Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Maryland	Yeah, I'm not into those Micro Adapters simply because the range has to be crappy. Well I already bought the first choice I had in my list for $18 with shipping. It should be real nice with the 2 external Antennas so range should be top notch, but it isn't to bulky. I have Encore PCI Wifi cards so I know they do make good products. Tell you guys how it performs when I get it. P.S.- The encore card I stated I'm getting, does anyone know if you have to use the 2 external antennas. If I'm close to the router I wouldn't want to use any antennas so can I, or does it on rely on the External antennas? Also one cool thing about this card is you can buy different Wifi Antennas and it will still be compatible. Sorry!!! __________________ My Desktop: Intel Core i7 875k @ 4.2ghz 1.4v \| Noctua NH-D14 with 3 Rosewill RFX 120 Fans MSI Big Bang Fuzion \| 8gb G. Skill Sniper 1600mhz \| Unlocked 6970 With Arctic Accelero Xtreme Plus 975/1450mhz at 1.25v Cooler Master HAF X With Window \| Corsair TX 750 watt PSU \| 2x500gb Samsung F3 RAID 0 3D Mark 11 High Scores = Performance 6350 Extreme 2100 My Laptop: Lenovo Y580 Intel Core i7 3630qm @ 2.4ghz \| 8gb DDR3 1600mhz \| 1tb HDD Nvidia GTX 660m @ 1085/1400mhz \| 15.6" 1080p Arctic MX-4 Thermal Paste \| Rosewill Notebook Cooler 3d Mark 11 High Scores = Performance 3400 Extreme 1100
	QUOTE Thanks

What's the best USB Wifi adapter for a Laptop?

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05-19-11, 11:55 AM	#6
McGrace Member Join Date: Dec 2006	I know it's too late for this user since he has already made the purchase, but just wanted to add my experiences for whoever else may need. I got several of the Netgear adapters and performance is usually fine, but the drivers include an annoying utility that takes over handling of your wireless connections. It's annoying as heck. I got some cheap MSI adapters off amazon or newegg (can get them either place) and their performance is fine plus you don't have the annoying driver issue. I had Belkin and Linksys adapters several years ago when wireless was just moving into USB and they stunk. I figure they are fine now, but the experience in performance was so sub par I won't go back. Particularly in light of finding MSI to be the cheapest solution and meeting all performance needs. If someone else said they are fine now, I'd go back if they were the cheapest. __________________ McGrace Main Build: Phenom II 1100T, 8GB GSkill DDR3 1600 (running @1333), MSI GeForce 430GT x 2, MSI 870A-G54 MoBo, 60GB Crucial SSD Mine: Dell PentiumD 820 2GB GeForce 7200GT RAM Wife's (formerly mine): Phenom II x4 910 8GB RAM ATI 4350 My Laptop: Toshiba Core2 Duo T6600 6GB RAM 18" Wife's Laptop (formerly mine): Gateway Core2 Duo T7200 2GB RAM 17"
	QUOTE Thanks

05-19-11, 11:59 AM	#7
McGrace Member Join Date: Dec 2006	On another note: micro adapters. In regards to wireless technology, antennas do matter as we all know. But I know the power at which something is transmitted matters a whole lot, too. I have had no range issues with micro adapters for wireless mice and they seem on par with the larger USB adapters. While I personally know nothing of specifics, I wonder if being both USB, they have the same power applied to transmit so therefore have similar performance. At least in the same ballpark. No idea, just expounding. __________________ McGrace Main Build: Phenom II 1100T, 8GB GSkill DDR3 1600 (running @1333), MSI GeForce 430GT x 2, MSI 870A-G54 MoBo, 60GB Crucial SSD Mine: Dell PentiumD 820 2GB GeForce 7200GT RAM Wife's (formerly mine): Phenom II x4 910 8GB RAM ATI 4350 My Laptop: Toshiba Core2 Duo T6600 6GB RAM 18" Wife's Laptop (formerly mine): Gateway Core2 Duo T7200 2GB RAM 17"
	QUOTE Thanks

05-20-11, 02:23 PM	Thread Starter #8
BigTerminator Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Maryland	Well I received my Encore N300mbs USB wifi adapter and it probably is the best in terms of value, speed and range. It is faster and gets better reception then my PCI Wifi cards. I'm really considering using it as my Desktop Wifi card now. The range is very strong and it isn't too big. Windows 7 doesn't automatically recognize it so you'll have to install the driver but beyond that, it's probably the best Wifi card under $20 and maybe the best period. __________________ My Desktop: Intel Core i7 875k @ 4.2ghz 1.4v \| Noctua NH-D14 with 3 Rosewill RFX 120 Fans MSI Big Bang Fuzion \| 8gb G. Skill Sniper 1600mhz \| Unlocked 6970 With Arctic Accelero Xtreme Plus 975/1450mhz at 1.25v Cooler Master HAF X With Window \| Corsair TX 750 watt PSU \| 2x500gb Samsung F3 RAID 0 3D Mark 11 High Scores = Performance 6350 Extreme 2100 My Laptop: Lenovo Y580 Intel Core i7 3630qm @ 2.4ghz \| 8gb DDR3 1600mhz \| 1tb HDD Nvidia GTX 660m @ 1085/1400mhz \| 15.6" 1080p Arctic MX-4 Thermal Paste \| Rosewill Notebook Cooler 3d Mark 11 High Scores = Performance 3400 Extreme 1100
	QUOTE Thanks

05-23-11, 01:38 PM	#9
CompuTamer Member with Some Fancy Text Under His Name Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Brandon Mississippi	When did we obtain the ability to cram an entire WiFi chipset into those micro adapters? :O __________________ Intel Core i7 C0 @ 4.01GHz with 1.388 vCore ..........................................Intel C2D T8100 Intel DX58SO Motherboard IOH + QPI @ 1.250 Volts..............................HP 6910p Notebook Sony Optiarc Blu-Ray Drive.................................................. ...............DVD-RAM 8 GB G-Skill Sniper DDR3 1600 @ 1.65 Volts ...........................................4GB Hyundai DDR2 800 60GB OCZ Solid 3 + 320GB WD Blue+ 1TB WD Green...............................Intel 320 80GB Antec 900.................................................. .......................................Titanium Lid BFG GS-650.................................................. .....................................Various HP AC Adapters XFX Radeon HD 4850 (660/1060 53C Idle 62C Load) @ 1.31 vCore............ATI X2300 Pro Dual Dell E2311H LED 1920x1080.................................................. .......14.1" 1440x900 Windows 8 ProMC.................................................. .............................Windows 8 ProMC Those specs up there? They're silent. Silence is good. Very good. Your Core 2 Quad is based off of the Pentium pro in a few ways.
	QUOTE Thanks

05-23-11, 08:09 PM	Thread Starter #10
BigTerminator Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Maryland	It's funny that the Laptop adapter I bought which I'm still loving very much was deactivated within days of my purchase on Newegg. I guess I was the last one to get it __________________ My Desktop: Intel Core i7 875k @ 4.2ghz 1.4v \| Noctua NH-D14 with 3 Rosewill RFX 120 Fans MSI Big Bang Fuzion \| 8gb G. Skill Sniper 1600mhz \| Unlocked 6970 With Arctic Accelero Xtreme Plus 975/1450mhz at 1.25v Cooler Master HAF X With Window \| Corsair TX 750 watt PSU \| 2x500gb Samsung F3 RAID 0 3D Mark 11 High Scores = Performance 6350 Extreme 2100 My Laptop: Lenovo Y580 Intel Core i7 3630qm @ 2.4ghz \| 8gb DDR3 1600mhz \| 1tb HDD Nvidia GTX 660m @ 1085/1400mhz \| 15.6" 1080p Arctic MX-4 Thermal Paste \| Rosewill Notebook Cooler 3d Mark 11 High Scores = Performance 3400 Extreme 1100
	QUOTE Thanks

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