Question Wireless network card

[sodom66]

Hi all.
I am looking to get a new desktop. I have been doing research over the last couple of weeks and a custom build looks like the best option given the budget. I got some advice here on the specs I need as it will be for programming and not intensive use.

Is there a need for a wireless network card or will a pci card be okay. I have Ethernet cables if necessary or would a wifi adapter be just as good.

Thanks in advance

 

[lvt]

A 150Mps USB Wi-Fi adapter should be enough, no driver required, no risk of hardware conflict. Insert it where you want, if you need to physically isolate your PC from the network, just remove it.

 

[Why_Me]

Hi all.
I am looking to get a new desktop. I have been doing research over the last couple of weeks and a custom build looks like the best option given the budget. I got some advice here on the specs I need as it will be for programming and not intensive use.

Is there a need for a wireless network card or will a pci card be okay. I have Ethernet cables if necessary or would a wifi adapter be just as good.

Thanks in advance

There's plenty of boards with built in wifi.

 

[Paperdoc]

WiFi is not necessary for a computer that does not move - a cable is fine if you have a way to connect to your wired network. Moreover, WiFi is useful only if you do have a WiFi transceiver already operating - many routers have those built in. In some cases a cable is better, depending in your network. WiFi speeds typically are in the range 100 to 300 Mb/s, whereas wired networks can run at 1000 Mb/s IF they are equipped for it - depends on your hardware. WiFi is REALLY a good solution if you cannot easily use a cable to connect to a wired network.

In my own case, my son (a computer specialist) has set up a wired network with WiFi also. We are fed by a fibre optic cable at 1 Gb/s download, and the in-home network he has constructed operates at 1 Gb/s as do all our computers. We have two (about to add another in a new garage) WiFi Points of Access that are triple-band (all three WiFi bands simultaneously) devices, but among those the fastest data rate on ONE band (5 GHz) is 866 Mb/s, and other older WiFi systems may be less than 100 Mb/s. Note also that the next-slower (below 1 Gb/s) common wired network speed is 100 Mb/s, so IF that's what your wired system is limited to, it is possible that WiFi will be the same as the speed you can get with cables - depends on what version of WiFi you have.

In our home we have a mixture of stationary desktops, mobile laptops, tablets, smart phones, and a few smart switches, so we use both wired and WiFi connections all the time.