# USB or PCI wireless adapter?



## a_ump (Jun 10, 2010)

Okay, well i managed to lose my linksys wireless G+speedbooster usb adapter in a move so i'm looking for a new way to connect, but only looking to spend ~$30 max.

Now for a while i stole my brothers while in ohio , and it performed better than mine but was only Wireless G, yet it could connect to our neighbor's net while mine with speedbooster couldn't. 
this was his

Now i've been eyeing the Zonet Wireless G adapter simply because the mass positive reviews, price, and because of the good experience i had with my brother's adapter that had its own little box.

So i'm inquiring if the wireless adapters that are in their own lil package are better than the strait plug in adapters like my previous one. Is it because the adapter is further from all the electric jazz in my desktop that my brother's performed better? Or should i go with a PCI adapter since it provides a better connection; i have no other PCI device installed either so it'd get the full PCI bandwidth.


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## Hybrid_theory (Jun 10, 2010)

I've always prefered going internal over an external USB. You get the higher bus, but im also biased. I do know some people who have had great experience with USB wifi adapters. With PCI though, you can hook up a bigger antenna if needed, and therefore can work if further away from the router, and a USB is probably more prone to interferance due to a small antenna; but i could be wrong.


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## Deleted member 3 (Jun 10, 2010)

Hybrid_theory said:


> I've always prefered going internal over an external USB. You get the higher bus, but im also biased. I do know some people who have had great experience with USB wifi adapters. With PCI though, you can hook up a bigger antenna if needed, and therefore can work if further away from the router, and a USB is probably more prone to interferance due to a small antenna; but i could be wrong.



Considering wireless won't get close to the limits of USB it won't matter. You can connect an antenna to a USB dongle as well, it all depends on the model.


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## newtekie1 (Jun 10, 2010)

There really is no difference between the ones that plug directly into the USB port and the ones that are their own little box.

I've had great success with this adaptor: Rosewill RNX-G1 IEEE 802.11b/g USB 2.0 Wireless Bl...

If you want, you can also buy an USB extension cable and make it its own little box. 

@hybrid Theory: You just have to get the right USB adaptor to use aftermarket antennas, like the one I posted.  It comes with pretty much the same antenna that a PCI card would, in fact it is identical to most PCI card's antennas(2dBi SMA).  I put one of these bad boys on one I bought: Rosewill RNX-A8 2.4 GHz Indoor 8 dBi High Performa...


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