[SOLVED] Looking for a recommended gaming wireless adapter

[Malfunkshun]

Recently just moved and will need to purchase a wireless adapter so I can game on my PC. I'm looking for a strong wireless adapter, I think I'd rather a USB adapter, but open to hearing what the best option would be. I've never had to use one, I've always been hard wired. Suggestions would be great!

 

[bill001g]

There really is no such thing as a "gaming" wifi adapter. All wifi is subject to random interference from outside your house which will cause lag spikes in games. There is no way to predict how bad it will be which is why it is recommended to never play games on wifi.

In general the best USB adapters already have cable attached and are fairly large in size. This allows you to place it away from the case where it might get better signals. These also tend to be full power transmitters but you must look up the details if you really want to be sure. Those really tiny wifi adapters that almost hide in the slot have tiny antenna and tend to be low power and should be avoided. They are mostly used for people where the size and transportability outweigh the performance.

You may want to consider powerline units instead. The newer av2 models work in most houses. Powerline tends to have more stable latency compared to wifi. Some wifi might be slightly faster but powerline will be close. Games do not need the speed anyway what they need most is consistent latency.

 

[the-GURU-man]

USB WiFi adapters usually don't have the strongest antennas.

Best solution is a PCIe wireless card with proper long antennas which you can place wherever. For example, ASUS has a solid range of cards like these, starting at about 20 bucks.

 

[Malfunkshun]

There really is no such thing as a "gaming" wifi adapter. All wifi is subject to random interference from outside your house which will cause lag spikes in games. There is no way to predict how bad it will be which is why it is recommended to never play games on wifi.

In general the best USB adapters already have cable attached and are fairly large in size. This allows you to place it away from the case where it might get better signals. These also tend to be full power transmitters but you must look up the details if you really want to be sure. Those really tiny wifi adapters that almost hide in the slot have tiny antenna and tend to be low power and should be avoided. They are mostly used for people where the size and transportability outweigh the performance.

You may want to consider powerline units instead. The newer av2 models work in most houses. Powerline tends to have more stable latency compared to wifi. Some wifi might be slightly faster but powerline will be close. Games do not need the speed anyway what they need most is consistent latency.

Can you recommend any powerline adapters?

 

[bill001g]

https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/powerline/view

If you read closely even they say you have to be careful how you use these numbers. There is no real way to predict if your house will perform the same.

All these devices are based on the homeplug standards and I think there are only 2 chip producers so it is strange in some ways to see difference between brands that use the same parts.