Wireless USB/PCI adapter for heavy (40gb) downloads and online gaming

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Angel_13

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Feb 2, 2016
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Hi, I was thinking about purchasing the Tp link TL WN7200ND for heavy downloads and online gaming.

Tried with a nano USB adapter but the thing hardly ever worked properly, didn't download at full speed and I lagged constantly while gaming. The store guys told me that all USB and PCI wifi adapters were going to present the same type of problems if I used them for such heavy downloads, and I was better off just connecting directly with an Ethernet cable (which is hard since the modem is in a different room).

Is this true? What wifi adapter can you guys recommend for my gaming and download needs? Or am I forced to connect directly with Ethernet.
 
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There shouldn't be much of a reliability difference between the major brands: at the end of the day, they are all little more than a re-packaging of a Broadcom, Alcatel, Qualcomm, Intel or other company's WiFi chipset, most of which closely following if not outright duplicating the reference designs.
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Titan
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May 18, 2007
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A wired connection is the best option if you want to avoid the often unpredictable performance of WiFi. I would not rely on WiFi for a performance-critical application such as competitive MMO gaming where each avoidable lost packet translates to one additional unnecessary chance of ruining your game.
 
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Angel_13

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I know the wired connection is more reliable, but is it really that bad with TP Link usb or PCI adapters? I had a bad experiencie with their USB nano adapters, is not that it was unreliable, it was borderline garbage, I couldn't even use the internet most of the time let alone download or online gaming.

A wired connection is going to cause a TON of problems since the modem is in a different room: gonna have to call someone that makes a hole in the wall and connect my PC to the modem with a10 meter Ethernet cable, so I'm only considering this as a final option in case is unavoidable.

Keep in mind:

I download games from steam constantly (once a month at least) and according to the store clerks a TP Link usb adapter cannot keep up with the download burden and its going to keep failing constantly for even something as simple as downloading a 30 GB game (the nano adapter constantly interrupted the download)
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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There are TWO different issues to consider:

1) bandwidth (MB/second) which should be fine with most wi-fi adapters, and

2) latency (lag/delay due to extra processing time for wireless vs wired).

So...

One of the good TP-LINKS wi-fi devices is fine unless minimum latency is required. Here's the W10 compatibility list:
http://www.tp-link.com/en/article-15587.html

(you probably want to use the 5GHz network if your router supports that)

*There are also devices that use your AC power so should be similar in latency to ethernet though I've not tested it:
http://www.cnet.com/topics/networking/best-networking-devices/power-line-adapters/

It essentially replaces an ethernet cable

Other:
The nano device was either defective or simply too small to have an effective antennae.
 
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Titan
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May 18, 2007
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Depending on how many neighbors' WiFi routers you can see, WiFi may be hopeless at least in the 2.4GHz range. Micro-adapters and PCIe cards may have issues due to being so close to the PC's steel/aluminum case. The micro adapters' tiny antennas aren't going to help either. You may have better luck using a full-size USB adapter and a 36" USB extension cable to locate the adapter away from the PC and other large metallic objects. If your router is dual-band, improve your chances by getting an adapter that supports the 5GHz band too which is much less crowded.

With a little luck, it should be at least reasonably stable.
 
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Angel_13

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I was told by the store clerks that 10gb or more "overheats and burn the logic card from usb adapters" which is a problem since most recent games are on the 40 Gb order , and it was imposible for such devices to keep up with the load (they weren't build to do that) and that they were going to stoo working at some point.

So with the TL WN7200ND i should be able to download my games and play online with them at at least reasonable latencies right? I just. The damn things to work decently.
 
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Titan
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May 18, 2007
23,815
5,265
108,890
There shouldn't be much of a reliability difference between the major brands: at the end of the day, they are all little more than a re-packaging of a Broadcom, Alcatel, Qualcomm, Intel or other company's WiFi chipset, most of which closely following if not outright duplicating the reference designs.
 
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