Flakey Wifi Connection - Solution?

[caffelatte]

I have a desktop I built around 7 years ago. I'm only getting around 2 bars of Wifi signal and have huge ping spikes in games (up to 3000), i'm also only getting around 2 mb/s on speedtest, whereas my laptop gets 15 mb/s. I'd like to get a better signal.

In the past I've used a cable, and for a short time when I didn't have a cable I used WiFi aerial which I don't have anymore.

Network card: 802.11g PCI Turbo Wireless Adapter
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H DDR3 SATA Raid Socket AM3 Motherboard
OS: Windows 8.1
ISP: TalkTalk (the wifi connection is fine on my laptop, so i'm pretty sure it's a hardware issue)

Aside from running a cable, what are my best options? As I understand it I can get another aerial to boost the signal, or perhaps replace the card or get a dongle.

I'm not sure what performance I'd get from any option, or if there's anything else I can do? Can anyone please advise?

 

[RARRAF]

the only advise I can give you is to buy a usb adapter wireless N I got a TP-link version and my wifi was terrible but now its ok in Thailand not the best internet at all and not overly expensive about £10

 

[Lutfij]

I assume the wifi card you're talking about is made by Edimax? If not please pass on a link to the specific model. For the time being, I'll work along the information I've found with respect to the wifi card you've stated.

The laptop is getting better wifi reception becuase:
a| It's located closer to the wifi source signal
b| It's not suffering from interference such as components. You desktop PCI card is located in teh middle of your system while the antenna port originates from the rear I/O of the case. unless you have an antenna that extends from the back to reach to more clearer ground(for lack of a better term) you're going to suffer from lag's, reduced speeds and troubled wifi connections.

If your desktop is located at the foot of your desk it'd be worth a try to relocate the system above the desk and see if the signal improves. the other thing you can do is make sure the line of sight from the wifi source to your wifi card is without any device's or materials(like a dustbin or even appliances).

Remember the more material a wireless signal has to pass through the more you incur a penalty in speeds/connectivity. Water plumbing lines and appliances like fridges and such will also deteriorate the signal strength.