What options should I consider when buying a BETTER wifi adapter?

[element72]

I'm not a network engineer, so I'm taunted by the vast information on the internet about networking. There is just too much research required, and I felt it would be easier to pose a question based on my wants. I'm a PC gamer, so having low latency is my highest priority. I have 3 different ways to access the internet. My home wifi, my cousin from across the street (with his permission of course), and public xfinity wifi (don't know where it is located yet). I have a strong signal for each connection, but I want to get something better to keep that strong signal. I do switch connections, if I see congestion, while gaming.

I have seen directional adapters, wide coverage adapters, multiple antennas, long antennas. I almost considered buying a 3000m range wifi adapter; I'm glad I posed a question about that purchase here on yahoo, because I was told wifi isn't great long distances due to high ping and slow speed. And the guy mentioned how it can be done with coporate level technology lol, but even those are vulnerable to simple interference.

The location of my room is the garage (turned into a room). My computer is by the window where the garage door used to be. My current wifi adapter sits near the open window, which gives me the strongest signal for the public xfinity wifi. I think a USB wifi adapter is what I'm looking for because I can easily control where I receive the strongest signal (unless there is a better option for a consumer like me). The price is not really an issue, so I can buy an accessory that might make the adapter more viable. Do you think interference can be an issue? If so, what specs do I need to focus on when shopping. Please enlighten me or give me any idea on what to look for. Thanks.

 

[System Error Message]

When it comes to adapters theres the usual things
Internal vs external antennas
build quality
driver quality

If you have a laptop you can upgrade its wifi using a mini PCIe card and it will use less power in total. Its much easier to upgrade the WLAN card and also cheaper with Intel WLAN cards as an option.

For external usb wifi theres many out there and you want established brands instead of some random generic or OEM brand.

Antenna type affects signal quality (more stable throughput)
Build quality means it wont fall apart
driver quality determines performance and latency
The wifi chip used by the adapter can also determine the performance and latency.

A typical USB wifi adapter is like this
USB port = USB port --USB chip/controller ---Network controller --- wifi chip --- antenna

There are many different designs and some websites give the hardware details but you have to look high and dry for them. Just like how TP-link doesnt give you the hardware specs such as CPU type, speed, etc and wifi chips used.

I use the ASUS USB-AC56 and an intel 7260 AC mini PCIe and both do quite well. There are other cheaper usb adapters that do equally well however for gaming using mini PCIe card is the best or using a PCIe card for desktop is better than usb.

 

[thiggins]

Why is WiFi your only connectivity option and why are you using networks that are guaranteed to give you higher latency (neighbor, public)?

Lowest latency option is Ethernet. Next lowest would be MoCA and powerline.

Your best option for wireless would be an Ethernet connected bridge. This provides the most options, including using many routers in bridge mode.

 

[sfx2000]

I use the ASUS USB-AC56 and an intel 7260 AC mini PCIe and both do quite well. There are other cheaper usb adapters that do equally well however for gaming using mini PCIe card is the best or using a PCIe card for desktop is better than usb.

I've got a couple of Intel cards, and I really do like them - a 7260AC and a 3160AC in a small desktop... the Asus USB-AC56 is a decent choice as well, and with the latest Realtek drivers in Win10, it's shaped up to be a really decent adapter.

I with thiggins - ethernet is always the best choice, and powerline/moca - and WiFi to Ethernet bridges can be very effective.

 

[gatorback]

1) Ethernet (why would you use anything else when low latency is required?)
2) Ubiquiti Nanostation aimed at access point.

 

[element72]

For the ethernet bridge, are you guys suggesting that I connect another router (call this Router B) to my home router (call this router A) via ethernet? Then I connect my wifi adapter to Router B? Then use qos manager and set high priority to Router B?

Also I want to verify something... if I use a long ethernet cable and use qos manager, would this be more effective because I'm using ethernet? I tried this on wifi and it works, but it is not stable while gaming, if you know what I mean; and this also applies to setting all other attached devices to low priority. More specifically, during the afternoon my ping will jump to 200-500, then go back around 100.

 

[System Error Message]

Yes. If you really value your gaming experience you will set aside a 5Ghz channel that isng being used around and a seperate radio on router A for this.

 

[element72]

Yes. If you really value your gaming experience you will set aside a 5Ghz channel that isng being used around and a seperate radio on router A for this.

Sorry, it wasn't perfectly clear for me. You want me to have router B on 5ghz and on a separate channel from router A by choosing either channel 1, 6, or 11. Did I understand you correctly?

Also is the ethernet part I mentioned previously also an equivalent option?

 

[sfx2000]

Also I want to verify something... if I use a long ethernet cable and use qos manager, would this be more effective because I'm using ethernet? I tried this on wifi and it works, but it is not stable while gaming, if you know what I mean; and this also applies to setting all other attached devices to low priority. More specifically, during the afternoon my ping will jump to 200-500, then go back around 100.

Reason why you're seeing the intstability is that WiFi is a shared medium - the more I think about it, I really believe that your interests would be better served by PowerLine if you can't run a CAT5 cable direct...

AV1200 starter kits are around $100...

 

[System Error Message]

I mean router A could be something like an ASUS AC3200 while router B can be something like an ASUS AC68U. ASUS AC3200 has 2 5Ghz radios. Wire is always better though.

 

[theramenman]

If you could tell us a bit more about where the router is situated and you cant just run an ethernet cable to your PC, it'd help us make better suggestions. But assuming for some reason you cant get an ethernet cable (which probably rules out MOCA since if you can get a cable from your router/modem to your pc, you might as well use ethernet instead of coaxial cable anyways unless you have a coaxial cable going from somewhere near your router/modem to the garage), I highly recommend powerline. Powerline technology really has matured and although it isnt as good as ethernet, it certainly beats wifi in terms of latency 90% of the time. High quality power line gear is relatively inexpensive too. So basically, your options are:

1. Ethernet. Fastest connectivity with the least latency
2. Powerline. Good speeds and latency, should work with your existing electricity lines.
3. MoCA. Uses coaxial cables. If you have a coax cable going to your house for you cable modem that also happens to go to your garage, you're in luck.
4. You can try higher end pci-e solution like ASUS PCE-AC56 and use 5GHz since its less congested.

Hope this helps.

 

[element72]

Reason why you're seeing the intstability is that WiFi is a shared medium - the more I think about it, I really believe that your interests would be better served by PowerLine if you can't run a CAT5 cable direct...

AV1200 starter kits are around $100...

I tried CAT5 when no one was at home, so they don't see a long cable along the floor It worked a lot better and was more stable. Not perfect, but a huge difference. No one was home, but some devices were still connected. I should have turned off the wifi on the router and tested it then too. Oh well... Is the powerline option equivalent to cat5 cable option?

 

[element72]

I want to clarify something... As of now the hierarchy of achieving low latency is ethernet > powerline > Wifi, while limited to consumer-level hardware. Will that always be true for many years in the future? Another thing I want to point out is that we are upgrading our internet speed by at least 4 times of what we have. Hence, I want to mention that there is another gamer in the house who would also need low latency. Can you guys tell me if there exists a very reliable router that has high-grade QoS options? My router has the QoS option, but it is only limited to preset settings like low, med, and high (no detailed bandwidth control). And it doesn't regulate it perfectly. I set my mac address to high priority, but I sometimes see my ping jump up to 900 in-game, and I believe it is because someone is torrenting or streaming. So when I set that other device to low priority it helps somewhat. And when using QoS on any router will ethernet/powerline always be better off than wifi as the router regulates the bandwidth to the clients?

 

[thiggins]

The future is unlikely to change communication theory fundamentals, at least until sub-space communications are worked out...

Both powerline and WiFi transmission media are significantly noisier than the STP that Ethernet uses.

Part of latency is error correction and channel management. Both Wi-Fi and Powerline have to periodically assess the reliability of the transmission path and adjust channel use, powerline more than Wi-Fi.

Radio spectrum is getting even more crowded, so noise is increasing there.

Router QoS is primarily focused on managing uplink internet bandwidth. It does nothing to "regulate bandwidth to the clients". All the QoS in the world isn't going to help a crappy Wi-Fi connection.

 

[element72]

The future is unlikely to change communication theory fundamentals, at least until sub-space communications are worked out...

Both powerline and WiFi transmission media are significantly noisier than the STP that Ethernet uses.

Part of latency is error correction and channel management. Both Wi-Fi and Powerline have to periodically assess the reliability of the transmission path and adjust channel use, powerline more than Wi-Fi.

Radio spectrum is getting even more crowded, so noise is increasing there.

Router QoS is primarily focused on managing uplink internet bandwidth. It does nothing to "regulate bandwidth to the clients". All the QoS in the world isn't going to help a crappy Wi-Fi connection.

Wow thank you so much for the reply. Is there an effective way to regulate bandwidth? Like say put a limit via router settings. I want people to be able to torrent/stream or whatever, while I can also game without sporadically seeing 900 ping on my screen.

 

[element72]

Man you guys have convinced me to just get a long ethernet cable. I guess I'll buy like 150 ft white cable. A long cable would be fine right?

 

[thiggins]

Man you guys have convinced me to just get a long ethernet cable. I guess I'll buy like 150 ft white cable. A long cable would be fine right?

300M is the maximum. So 150ft is fine.

 

[element72]

I read buying a new modem will allow me to regulate the bandwidth is this true? If so, what specs should I focus on?

 

[L&LD]

Man you guys have convinced me to just get a long ethernet cable. I guess I'll buy like 150 ft white cable. A long cable would be fine right?

Also check out Monoprice for the flat cable variety too and get a Cat5e or higher quality cable that is much longer than you think you need as long as it is less than 300M, of course.

 

[L&LD]

I read buying a new modem will allow me to regulate the bandwidth is this true? If so, what specs should I focus on?

How? What modem? As Tim has suggested, only uploads can be properly regulated by some equipment on our end. The ISP would be the one to regulate the download side.