AC1200 USB Wi-Fi Adapter Verdicts

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Conclusion

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D-Link DWA-182

Reasons to buy

Slimmer profile, included USB extension cable promotes optimal positioning

Reasons to avoid

Expensive, oldest adapter, slowest performance

Netgear A6210

Reasons to buy

Flip-up antenna, blistering 5 GHz speeds that literally smoke the competition, 2.4 GHz speeds are second-fastest at the closer distances, excellent software with automatic updates, extension cable with docking station

Reasons to avoid

Flip-up antenna makes adapter prone to being knocked out of its USB port, slowest speed on the 60-foot test on the 2.4 GHz frequency, omission of status LED

TP-Link Archer T4U

Reasons to buy

Software with more options for power users, better performance at the 60-foot distance being the fastest on 2.4 GHz, and second-fastest on 5 GHz, status LED design is slick and innovative

Reasons to avoid

Struggled to maintain a consistent connection to the router, a slower adapter overall on most of the tests

ZyXEL AC240

Reasons to buy

Fastest speeds at 25 feet and 50 feet on the 2.4 GHz frequency, second-fastest throughput speed on the 5 GHz frequency at 25 feet, rock-solid stable

Reasons to avoid

Overall performance on 5 GHz is non-exemplary, large driver installation with no software interface

Final Thoughts

One lesson we learned from our data is that the 2.4GHz band won't always give you the best Wi-Fi range. Even from 75 feet away with a wall interfering, the 5GHz band facilitated better performance.

We also quantified the need for good antennas. In the end, Wi-Fi, with all of its fancy algorithms, is a radio send-and-receive problem. It should be no surprise that the two better-performing adapters from Netgear and ZyXEL are the ones with flip-up antennas.

Overall, with its significantly faster speeds on the 5GHz band and solid performance on 2.4GHz, Netgear sells the AC1200 Wi-Fi USB adapter we'd recommend based on our data.

While much attention is often paid to the right router for your network, be equally mindful of the Wi-Fi adapter you buy. With these types of USB-attached adapters available, even older PCs can be upgraded to the latest 802.11ac wireless standard with an impressive connection speed improvement, particularly on the 5GHz band.

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Jonas DeMuro is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware.

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