Hey everyone, my parents need to get Wi-Fi on their PC as they don’t currently have it and can’t run a cable for connection.
Anyone point me to a good one to get? Was looking on Amazon at the USB ones but there are so many I have no idea what one is good or not.
Thanks
I've used plenty of TP-Link ones in the past, always work well.
Key thing to look at is what the signal is like where it'll be plugged into the PC (the signal is going to be worse if in the back of the PC as a small USB dongle) to see if it needs an antenna or not. Then check what OS they're running and make sure there's driver support (particularly if they're not on Win10 or Win11).
You could roll the dice on the slightly cheaper ones, but the ratings on amazon are half a star lower for a reason. Might get an oddball scenario that results in needing to return it.
I got this one - VOLANS VL-UW30S Mini Wireless N USB Wi-Fi Adapter 802.11n 300mbps $5.50 Delivered @ Jiau277 eBay
Don't overpay.
I was looking at this one
TP-Link 150Mbps Wireless N Nano USB Adapter (TL-WN725N) https://amzn.asia/d/57aWtpm
don't buy that. it is too old and has only WIFI N
Here's what you don't want to do. You don't want to buy the cheapest slowest least powerful junk available, because if your parents have problems they won't know how to fix it. You also don't want to spend a lot of money buying the best available, because they simply don't need it.
If it doesn't have a brand name, don't buy it. It may well work, but stuff gets sold off with no brand on it because its junk. If it only does 150 or 300 Mb/s don't buy it. Go for 1200 Mb/s. That's adequate and sufficient. If its got to work through lots of walls or ones made of concrete or brick, get something that has antennas on it. Don't buy an internal card unless you know how to fit it, get a USB-connected one that you just plug in.
Not knowing your situation, I'd recommend you spend about $30 and get something LIKE this. It may be a bit more than your parents need. But that's a safer decision than getting less than they need to save $10.
https://www.mwave.com.au/product/simplecom-nw628-ac1200-dual…
Thanks heaps
Do you have a PCI-E x1 slot available? USB wifi adapters are kind of rubbish, the market standard are Intel M.2 laptop cards (the desktop cards are just that in a PCI-E adapter) and has been for years now.
i.e.: https://www.amazon.com.au/802-11ax-Bluetooth-Wireless-Extern…
Which model of router do they have, so we know which wifi version it supports? Can they just plug PC directly to router via Ethernet cable? Or use a pair of serving hand parking adapter if speed is not a concern?
I’m not sure it’s my parents computer so I’ll have to find out more details
Thanks
I am using this $10 one for a long time and pretty happy with it (Chipset is Realtek 8811CU). I am getting 100 Mbps internet at full speed using WiFi AC in Win10. If your router is too far away, you may need one with antennas though.
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07X847FW2/