Are USB Wirelss Adapters better than they used to be

[pjstar30]

I've got a friend switching from a laptop to a desktop and he's going to need wireless for his desktop. He shares my internet so the modem/router is in my apartment which is across the courtyard from him. I couldn't make an accurate guess on how far it is but he and his girlfriend can both access the internet via wifi on their laptops with minimal signal loss and "perfect" signal on really clear days.

My question is, as the topic suggests, are USB Wireless Adapters better than they used to be as far as range or ability to pick up a strong signal? Would it be safe to assume he'll get as good a signal with a USB Wireless Adapter as he does with his laptop (internal Wifi) currently or would that be a bad assumption to make? I've read the common article floated around about PCI vs USB for wifi but it's a 6 or 7 year old article and things tend to change so quickly in the technological world.

 

[bazzarooney]

USB wifi adapters are a lot better than they used to be years ago, but it's unlikely that you will get as good a signal as the laptops internal card. The antenna for the laptop is in the lid behind the screen ant typically will have more gain than a wifi adapters tiny antenna.

If you use a USB adapter try using a USB extension cable to raise/move the adapter away from sources of signal blockage/interference.

 

[boosted1g]

No, the usb wifi adapters are limited to the output power of the usb port, and then there is also the antenna size in that small adapter.

Normally I would say to use a powerline adapter over wifi for a desktop but being in different apartments I have to assume your electrical power is segregated and so that wont work.

Get a internal wifi card that has an external base station to set above the desk.

If the people in the other apartment really wanted to do it right, then should get a ubiquiti picostation and their own router. The picostation will get strong signal to your connection and then they can rebroadcast the network with their router, and the router can be the room with desktop so it can be hard wired.