I have an old wired router. I am thinking about changing to a wireless
router. I am also looking into buying wireless USB adapters to save the
time and hassles of having to open up the computer cases and install new
wireless cards. I don't know anyone that is using these USB adapters.
Do these work as well as the regular wireless adapters? Are there
problems that I should know about? If I do use USB adapters do I still
have to open up the computer cases to remove the old network cards?
> I have an old wired router. I am thinking about changing to a
> wireless router. I am also looking into buying wireless USB adapters
> to save the time and hassles of having to open up the computer cases
> and install new wireless cards. I don't know anyone that is using
> these USB adapters. Do these work as well as the regular wireless
> adapters? Are there problems that I should know about? If I do use
> USB adapters do I still have to open up the computer cases to remove
> the old network cards?
I use a USB adapter and a PCI card in various machines.
The USB adapter has the advantage that it can be put on the end of a
USB cable and sited to get best reception - without incurring siginal
loss.
The PCI card is OK except that it means the antenna is poorly located
at the back of the PC case. You can however replace the antenna with a
higher gain unit on a pigtail (cable) but you will lose strength from
the cable length.
You do not have to remove the network cards. Simply disable the card
in the PC system hardware device manager settings.
I regularly do this when I use a USB device on a cable with a laptop
with a built in antenna/card.
I would go for the USB device as it gives more flexibility.
Both perform about the same - PCI maybe slightly better.
me here wrote:
> sharonf wrote:
>
>> I have an old wired router. I am thinking about changing to a
>> wireless router. I am also looking into buying wireless USB adapters
>> to save the time and hassles of having to open up the computer cases
>> and install new wireless cards. I don't know anyone that is using
>> these USB adapters. Do these work as well as the regular wireless
>> adapters? Are there problems that I should know about? If I do use
>> USB adapters do I still have to open up the computer cases to remove
>> the old network cards?
>
> I use a USB adapter and a PCI card in various machines.
>
> The USB adapter has the advantage that it can be put on the end of a
> USB cable and sited to get best reception - without incurring siginal
> loss.
>
> The PCI card is OK except that it means the antenna is poorly located
> at the back of the PC case. You can however replace the antenna with a
> higher gain unit on a pigtail (cable) but you will lose strength from
> the cable length.
>
> You do not have to remove the network cards. Simply disable the card
> in the PC system hardware device manager settings.
>
> I regularly do this when I use a USB device on a cable with a laptop
> with a built in antenna/card.
>
> I would go for the USB device as it gives more flexibility.
>
> Both perform about the same - PCI maybe slightly better.
>
> Cheers
>
> Rob
>
>
Thanks for the reply. I have heard that PCI is slightly faster with the
internet than wireless. Is this true and if so is it significantly faster?
> me here wrote:
> > sharonf wrote:
> >
> >> I have an old wired router. I am thinking about changing to a
> >> wireless router. I am also looking into buying wireless USB
> adapters >> to save the time and hassles of having to open up the
> computer cases >> and install new wireless cards. I don't know
> anyone that is using >> these USB adapters. Do these work as well as
> the regular wireless >> adapters? Are there problems that I should
> know about? If I do use >> USB adapters do I still have to open up
> the computer cases to remove >> the old network cards?
> >
> > I use a USB adapter and a PCI card in various machines.
> >
> > The USB adapter has the advantage that it can be put on the end of a
> > USB cable and sited to get best reception - without incurring
> > siginal loss.
> >
> > The PCI card is OK except that it means the antenna is poorly
> > located at the back of the PC case. You can however replace the
> > antenna with a higher gain unit on a pigtail (cable) but you will
> > lose strength from the cable length.
> >
> > You do not have to remove the network cards. Simply disable the
> > card in the PC system hardware device manager settings.
> >
> > I regularly do this when I use a USB device on a cable with a laptop
> > with a built in antenna/card.
> >
> > I would go for the USB device as it gives more flexibility.
> >
> > Both perform about the same - PCI maybe slightly better.
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > Rob
> >
> >
> Thanks for the reply. I have heard that PCI is slightly faster with
> the internet than wireless. Is this true and if so is it
> significantly faster?
I don't understand this question.
Both the PCI and USB allow wireless internet transfer.
Both are rated at 54 mbit/sec in the basic form, so both can in real
world terms pass data at up to about 24 mbt/sec.
I have passed ADSL2+ at 22 mbit/sec with the USB dongle, so speed is
not an issue.
Be aware that the USB data speed only holds true for USB2. If using
USB1 (older PC) then the data rate will not be at G levels - only 11
mbit/sec.
This restriction does not apply to a PCI card installation.
sharonf wrote:
> me here wrote:
>
>> sharonf wrote:
>>
>>> I have an old wired router. I am thinking about changing to a
>>> wireless router. I am also looking into buying wireless USB adapters
>>> to save the time and hassles of having to open up the computer cases
>>> and install new wireless cards. I don't know anyone that is using
>>> these USB adapters. Do these work as well as the regular wireless
>>> adapters? Are there problems that I should know about? If I do use
>>> USB adapters do I still have to open up the computer cases to remove
>>> the old network cards?
>>
>>
>> I use a USB adapter and a PCI card in various machines.
>>
>> The USB adapter has the advantage that it can be put on the end of a
>> USB cable and sited to get best reception - without incurring siginal
>> loss.
>>
>> The PCI card is OK except that it means the antenna is poorly located
>> at the back of the PC case. You can however replace the antenna with a
>> higher gain unit on a pigtail (cable) but you will lose strength from
>> the cable length.
>>
>> You do not have to remove the network cards. Simply disable the card
>> in the PC system hardware device manager settings.
>>
>> I regularly do this when I use a USB device on a cable with a laptop
>> with a built in antenna/card.
>>
>> I would go for the USB device as it gives more flexibility.
>>
>> Both perform about the same - PCI maybe slightly better.
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Rob
>>
>>
>
> Thanks for the reply. I have heard that PCI is slightly faster with the
> internet than wireless. Is this true and if so is it significantly faster?
Apples are slightly faster than oranges, and bananas really fly.
In article <gg3g87$ap8$1@news.motzarella.org>,
Bob Willard <BobwBSGS@TrashThis.comcast.net> wrote:
> Apples are slightly faster than oranges, and bananas really fly.
>
> So, what is your question?
I think he wants to ask if a wired connection is faster than a wireless
one. Gigabit gigabit gigabit you can't pull enough cable (By the jeez,
Warren, when are you gonna get that crap hidden in the walls like you
promised? Patience, cherub.)
--
W. Oates
Warren Oates wrote:
> In article <gg3g87$ap8$1@news.motzarella.org>,
> Bob Willard <BobwBSGS@TrashThis.comcast.net> wrote:
>
>
>>Apples are slightly faster than oranges, and bananas really fly.
>>
>>So, what is your question?
>
>
> I think he wants to ask if a wired connection is faster than a wireless
> one. Gigabit gigabit gigabit you can't pull enough cable (By the jeez,
> Warren, when are you gonna get that crap hidden in the walls like you
> promised? Patience, cherub.)
I understood the original question, which 'me here' completely answered.
But the follow-up question from 'sharonf' made no sense.
--
Cheers, Bob
On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:09:37 -0700, sharonf <me7@privacy.net> wrote in
<4924d4f2$0$31146$8f2e0ebb@news.shared-secrets.com>:
>Thanks for the reply. I have heard that PCI is slightly faster with the
>internet than wireless. Is this true and if so is it significantly faster?
You wouldn't be able to notice any difference.
--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://wireless.navas.us>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>
> Thanks for the reply. I have heard that PCI is slightly faster with the
> internet than wireless. Is this true and if so is it significantly faster?
A PCI card does have the potential to be faster at passing a lot of data.
Certainly faster than, say, a USB 1.1 connection. A USB 2.0 connection (and
drivers that properly use it) would probably be fast enough to keep up with
the connection to the Internet in most situations. If you have a lot of
PC-to-PC traffic it might be faster to use PCI cards. Certainly faster if
you have gigabit cards and switches (and cable that will carry it).
But why switch to wireless when you already have wires? Wires don't
(generally) suffer interference. Most routers also have a couple of wired
ports (typically 4). So keep the current wired stuff as-is and use wireless
for new stuff.
"John Navas" <spamfilter1@navasgroup.com> wrote in message
news:cbpdi4t6j8ekshn1b3plq9f46kl96m5nqi@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:09:37 -0700, sharonf <me7@privacy.net> wrote in
> <4924d4f2$0$31146$8f2e0ebb@news.shared-secrets.com>:
>
>>Thanks for the reply. I have heard that PCI is slightly faster with the
>>internet than wireless. Is this true and if so is it significantly faster?
>
> You wouldn't be able to notice any difference.
Without knowing what sort of internet connection he has how can you make
that claim? Just pulling it out of your ass again.
On Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:48:39 -0500, "Bill Kearney" <wkearney99@hotmail.com> wrote:
~
~ "John Navas" <spamfilter1@navasgroup.com> wrote in message
~ news:cbpdi4t6j8ekshn1b3plq9f46kl96m5nqi@4ax.com...
~ > On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:09:37 -0700, sharonf <me7@privacy.net> wrote in
~ > <4924d4f2$0$31146$8f2e0ebb@news.shared-secrets.com>:
~ >
~ >>Thanks for the reply. I have heard that PCI is slightly faster with the
~ >>internet than wireless. Is this true and if so is it significantly faster?
~ >
~ > You wouldn't be able to notice any difference.
~
~ Without knowing what sort of internet connection he has how can you make
~ that claim? Just pulling it out of your ass again.
John seems to have been making a subtle point that may have eluded even a
sophisticate like you.
I.e. that, with extant "wireless" (assuming here 802.11 techology), per-client
throughput above 300Mbps half duplex has not been demonstrated. Since the
capacity of both PCI and USB 2.0 is significantly above that, it would seem
that the bus choice is not a bottleneck.
On Nov 19, 5:41*pm, sharonf <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
> I have an old wired router. I am *thinking about changing to a wireless
> router. I am also looking into buying wireless USB adapters to save the
> time and hassles of having to open up the computer cases and install new
> * wireless cards. I don't know anyone that is using these USB adapters.
> Do these work as well as the regular wireless adapters?
Since you didn't mention special requirements such as a big internet
pipe (T3+) or wanting to be able to toss massive amounts of data
around your LAN (such as HD video), it is safe to assume that your
requirements are the same as 95% of everyone else. In this case, yes,
a USB adapter(s) will work fine. I noted that you wrote
"computers" (plural). More on that later...
> Are there problems that I should know about?
Think of wireless as a supplement to an existing wired network.
Wireless is great for mobile devices such as laptops and computers
where it would be a pain to run cable to, but "if you can run wire
easily, run wire". Using wireless just for the sake of using wireless
is a waste of money and performance.
> If I do use USB adapters do I still have to open up
> the computer cases to remove the old network cards?
Nope. Keep the ethernet NIC cards in place. They will co-exist
peacefully with wireless hardware. They may even come in handy
again.
Back to "computers": Are these computers in the same physically
location, or in locations where running wire between them is
practical? If so, you can use one piece of wireless hardware (such as
USB device) to give connectivity for all of them. If you get a
wireless router, use your old wired router as a hub for all of them.
On the computer with the wireless hardware, run wire from the ethernet
port to one of the LAN ports on the wired router. Then, simply,
connect the rest of the computers ethernet ports to the other LAN
ports on the wired router. Don't use the WAN port on the wired
router. Make sure DHCP is turned off on the wired router, since DHCP
will now be coming from the wireless router. Finally, bridge the
wireless hardware and the ethernet NIC together on the computer with
both. In Windoze, this is done simply by holding control down + left
clicking both icons, then right click, then select "bridge".
Everything will now talk.
>On Nov 19, 5:41*pm, sharonf <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>> I have an old wired router. I am *thinking about changing to a wireless
>> router. I am also looking into buying wireless USB adapters to save the
>> time and hassles of having to open up the computer cases and install new
>> * wireless cards. I don't know anyone that is using these USB adapters.
>> Do these work as well as the regular wireless adapters?
>
>Since you didn't mention special requirements such as a big internet
>pipe (T3+) or wanting to be able to toss massive amounts of data
>around your LAN (such as HD video), it is safe to assume that your
>requirements are the same as 95% of everyone else. In this case, yes,
>a USB adapter(s) will work fine. I noted that you wrote
>"computers" (plural). More on that later...
>
>> Are there problems that I should know about?
>
>Think of wireless as a supplement to an existing wired network.
>Wireless is great for mobile devices such as laptops and computers
>where it would be a pain to run cable to, but "if you can run wire
>easily, run wire". Using wireless just for the sake of using wireless
>is a waste of money and performance.
>
>> If I do use USB adapters do I still have to open up
>> the computer cases to remove the old network cards?
>
>Nope. Keep the ethernet NIC cards in place. They will co-exist
>peacefully with wireless hardware. They may even come in handy
>again.
>
>Back to "computers": Are these computers in the same physically
>location, or in locations where running wire between them is
>practical? If so, you can use one piece of wireless hardware (such as
>USB device) to give connectivity for all of them. If you get a
>wireless router, use your old wired router as a hub for all of them.
>On the computer with the wireless hardware, run wire from the ethernet
>port to one of the LAN ports on the wired router. Then, simply,
>connect the rest of the computers ethernet ports to the other LAN
>ports on the wired router. Don't use the WAN port on the wired
>router. Make sure DHCP is turned off on the wired router, since DHCP
>will now be coming from the wireless router. Finally, bridge the
>wireless hardware and the ethernet NIC together on the computer with
>both. In Windoze, this is done simply by holding control down + left
>clicking both icons, then right click, then select "bridge".
>Everything will now talk.
It's probably worth mentioning that the bridge computer will need to
remain on, right? I've never done this kind of bridge but I assume
that would be the case.
Char Jackson <none@none.invalid> wrote:
> It's probably worth mentioning that the bridge computer will need to
> remain on, right? I've never done this kind of bridge but I assume
> that would be the case.
Yes, that would be true.
If there were multiple computers near each other, a better solution might
be a Netgear wireless print server, which also allows four computers to be
connected through it to a WiFi network. $74.99 on Amazon. http://www.netgear.com/Products/Prin...s/WGPS606.aspx
I have never tried one, but I expect to buy one as soon as I get my new/old
iMac working, since it has an ethernet connection, and i want it to be
wireless.
--
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5
On Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:48:39 -0500, "Bill Kearney"
<wkearney99@hotmail.com> wrote in
<8Jqdnbw2Lap0qrXUnZ2dnUVZ_uednZ2d@speakeasy.net> :
>"John Navas" <spamfilter1@navasgroup.com> wrote in message
>news:cbpdi4t6j8ekshn1b3plq9f46kl96m5nqi@4ax.com.. .
>> On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:09:37 -0700, sharonf <me7@privacy.net> wrote in
>> <4924d4f2$0$31146$8f2e0ebb@news.shared-secrets.com>:
>>
>>>Thanks for the reply. I have heard that PCI is slightly faster with the
>>>internet than wireless. Is this true and if so is it significantly faster?
>>
>> You wouldn't be able to notice any difference.
>
>Without knowing what sort of internet connection he has how can you make
>that claim? Just pulling it out of your ass again.
All the ad hominem does is make you look childish and petty.
In fact there is no noticeable difference between the speed of USB and
PCI Wi-Fi adapters, as you would know if you'd measured as many as
I have. That's not terribly surprising, since the speed of both is much
faster than the Wi-Fi network. To be clear, I'm assuming USB High Speed
(400 Mbps), which should be true of anything the OP would buy these
days, although even USB Full Speed (12 Mbps) is fast enough for most
broadband.
Have a nice day.
--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://wireless.navas.us>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>
On Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:18:15 -0500, "Bill Kearney"
<wkearney99@hotmail.com> wrote in
<c_CdnWagTbvaXbrUnZ2dnUVZ_qadnZ2d@speakeasy.net> :
>> Thanks for the reply. I have heard that PCI is slightly faster with the
>> internet than wireless. Is this true and if so is it significantly faster?
>
>A PCI card does have the potential to be faster at passing a lot of data.
>Certainly faster than, say, a USB 1.1 connection. A USB 2.0 connection (and
>drivers that properly use it) would probably be fast enough to keep up with
>the connection to the Internet in most situations. If you have a lot of
>PC-to-PC traffic it might be faster to use PCI cards. Certainly faster if
>you have gigabit cards and switches (and cable that will carry it).
Nope. PCI Wi-Fi is no faster than USB Wi-Fi even for PC-to-PC traffic.
That's because USB High Speed is sufficiently faster than any Wi-Fi
link.
The only caveat might be sharing a USB controller between maximum speed
Wi-Fi and a very fast peripheral at the same time, but even that is
unlikely to be an issue, in part because most computers use different
USB controllers for different USB ports. Just don't use a hub to share
a single USB port between Wi-Fi and (say) a high-performance disk drive.
BTW, your use of USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 is incorrect. USB 1.1 includes two
possible speeds; USB 2.0 includes three possible speeds; and there are
USB 2.0 products that do not support High Speed. To be correct you must
specify the speed, not the version of USB.
--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://wireless.navas.us>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>
On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:26:57 +0000 (UTC), dold@78.usenet.us.com wrote in
<ggpuo1$3da$4@blue.rahul.net>:
>Char Jackson <none@none.invalid> wrote:
>> It's probably worth mentioning that the bridge computer will need to
>> remain on, right? I've never done this kind of bridge but I assume
>> that would be the case.
>
>Yes, that would be true.
>If there were multiple computers near each other, a better solution might
>be a Netgear wireless print server, which also allows four computers to be
>connected through it to a WiFi network. $74.99 on Amazon.
Or other wireless client bridge. Good advice. In addition to the
bridge computer having to be left on, all the traffic running through
the bridge computer can have a performance impact, both on the bridge
computer and on the client computers.
--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://wireless.navas.us>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>
USB Adapter 
Linear Mode
