[SOLVED] Motherboard integrated wifi vs. wifi card

[dragonfly22588]

I'm building a new PC and I initially thought I'd like to have built in wifi on a board like this one: https://www.microcenter.com/product...r-wifi-d4-intel-lga-1700-microatx-motherboard

but then I realized I have a wireless card unused since 2016, this model: https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/pci-adapter/tl-wdn4800/

Is there some going to be any difference in quality between the integrated wifi on the board I'm thinking and the separate card that I have?

Does the card I have still have everything I need to connect to wifi? Is it missing any key features?

 

[norcalsc]

I would only introduce that card if for some reason ( I don't know why) the MB wifi wasn't working, it' slower

 

[dragonfly22588]

Ok, I was thinking since I have the card, I can find a motherboard without integrated wifi but it sounds like the speed standards have move on past what the card has. I think the card is Wifi 4 and the board has wifi 6?

 

[Math Geek]

how fast is your home internet??

the card says it can do 450 mb/s. yes it's slower than wifi 6 but if your net access is only 100 mb/s, then it won't matter at all. if you have GB service, then obviously the faster card is worth it. don't just grab the fastest because the number is higher, make sure you actually need it.

 

[dragonfly22588]

My download speed via speed test is 389 Mpbs and upload is 21. This is while using a physical ethernet connection directly to the router. The cord though is about 60 ft. long. So that would seem like this card is adequate to at least get me all the speed my wired connection is getting me right?

Just tested a 2nd and 3rd time just now and now I'm getting 560 download and about the same upload, so maybe the card isn't enough.

 

[Math Geek]

If you're potentially faster than the older card then something new is worth it. You don't have to have it built into the board though. Price a new card or USB dongle n see how that compares to the extra cost of the mobo with it built in. Maybe can save some, maybe not.

 

[drea.drechsler]

I'm building a new PC and I initially thought I'd like to have built in wifi on a board like this one: https://www.microcenter.com/product...r-wifi-d4-intel-lga-1700-microatx-motherboard

but then I realized I have a wireless card unused since 2016, this model: https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/pci-adapter/tl-wdn4800/

Is there some going to be any difference in quality between the integrated wifi on the board I'm thinking and the separate card that I have?

Does the card I have still have everything I need to connect to wifi? Is it missing any key features?

The advantage of buying a discrete wireless adapter is you can often get one of much higher quality and capabilities than are integrated with most motherboards. In your case, all you have to do is compare features of the integrated WiFi on your MoBo candidates and the discrete board you have. The card you have should work with any modern WiFi router.

Don't be persuaded by max transfer speed ratings alone, however. Most people can never approach max speeds for any of a number of reasons whether it be your ISP's service speed, router capability, neighborhood and local network utilizaton or simply internet traffic. People are often wowed by, and brag about, the artificially high transfer rates they see to/from bandwidth test sites but never actually approach that speed in useage for those and other reasons.

 

[dragonfly22588]

Thanks, since the wireless connection would be completely secondary and only would be used if my hard wired connection failed it sounds like the wireless card is an acceptable alternative.

 

[drea.drechsler]

Thanks, since the wireless connection would be completely secondary and only would be used if my hard wired connection failed it sounds like the wireless card is an acceptable alternative.

Sounds like you're making the wise choice

Another thing to consider about WiFi is the later standards aren't just about a faster transfer rate. Some of the more significant improvements deals with WiFi contention. That's speaking somewhat generally to the problems that occur when a large number of subscribers are trying to access a large WiFi network, as at a business or a public hot-spot. This isn't likely to ever be an issue in a home WiFi with relatively few users even considering the ever growing number of WiFi enabled appliances in the home. That makes an older WiFi card based on older standards still highly useful since it's not in a portable device that's likely to be regularly used in such a network.