WiFi on desktop computer?

November 9, 2012 6:25:02 PM

I'm building a gaming computer (desktop) for a friend and it'll be going in his bedroom. The only problem is that he has no ethernet ports in his room. What are my options? Should I tell him he needs to install an ethernet port into the wall, or should I tell him to spend the money on something that would let him use the WiFi network in his house on the desktop? I understand using a wired network is much faster, and since he'll be gaming, it would probably be a bad idea to use the WiFi network on the desktop. What is the best option?

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bill001g

November 9, 2012 6:45:04 PM

If you can get a cable in the wall it will be best and once its in it will never cause a issue unlike wireless which can vary from day to day.

Desktop you have 2 option. You can use a USB card which is simple, plug in usb port load drivers and done. Or you can use a PCI card. This requires you to disassemble the machine. The main reason to use a PCI card is so you can buy one that can do 3x3 mimo (assuming the router has this feature). This give better performance to games in particular since you get a little better jitter numbers.

Still gaming on any wireless is a risky thing to try since you can get random periods of interference which games really hate.

All going to depend how easy it is to run the wire.

.... you could also look at power line extenders or moca devices if you have tv coax but these devices sometimes have issues also.

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johnbl

November 10, 2012 1:53:16 AM

NotSoHonestAbe said:

I'm building a gaming computer (desktop) for a friend and it'll be going in his bedroom. The only problem is that he has no ethernet ports in his room. What are my options? Should I tell him he needs to install an ethernet port into the wall, or should I tell him to spend the money on something that would let him use the WiFi network in his house on the desktop? I understand using a wired network is much faster, and since he'll be gaming, it would probably be a bad idea to use the WiFi network on the desktop. What is the best option?

Look for a powerline networking device. They are cheap, and easy to use.
Just plug a Ethernet cable from your Router to your PowerLine device, plug it into the wall. It will send signals thru your electrical wires to a second PowerLine device you put in the second room. Then you just plug a Ethernet cable to the device and into your computer Ethernet port.

www.newegg.com search for powerline networking
I am have been using a old netgear version I got for under $50 several years ago to stream from my internet router in the den to a router in the living room that provides internet access for the Xbox and the wireless laptop. (I did this because my wireless signal to the Xbox kept dropping to low values, and Netflix resolution would drop)

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hometownfl

November 13, 2012 5:12:58 PM

For a gaming rig, definitely don't use wireless if you can avoid it. A wireless connection will probably increase your latency significantly, causing your ping to be higher in games.

You can run an internet connection through almost any type of wire. What type of wall jacks does he have in his room? If it's just power, than go powerline. If he has phone lines, he can use those to give himself a low-latency 100mbit connection. If he has coax, he can use MoCa. The solution depends on what's available.

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