USB N adapters?

[speedlever]

I mistakenly thought that I had more G devices than N devices when I bought the Asus RT-N66U to replace my venerable old WRT54G router (since moved to the other side of the house and used to extend my wifi).

As it turns out, I think I only have one G device still in use... an old Asus Z71A laptop (Pentium M 1.6GHz CPU, 2Gb ram, 80Gb drive, Intel 2200BG wireless adapter). Yes, it's an ancient laptop.

But I'm running Win 8.1 pro (x86) on it. The only thing I really lack is a decent video driver which is apparently unavailable.

Unfortunately, a new laptop is not in the budget at this time. Would I benefit from disabling the Intel 2200BG adapter and adding a USB N adapter like this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00416Q5KI/?tag=snbforums-20

or this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JZAB8OI/?tag=snbforums-20

I prefer a micro-mini adapter so it won't get broken off in the USB port, but I don't know how any of them perform. The Bolse has good reviews but looks fragile and like it wouldn't take long to break it. The TP Link has really good reviews but is kind of clunky. But hey, I can live with that!

Any suggestions on this issue? I have 30/30 internet, fwiw.

N clients:
One iPad gen 1
Three iPhone 5
One iPod gen 5
One Galaxy S4
Two Lenovo laptops
One PS/3
One iPod Touch gen 4

G client:
Asus Z71A
all other G devices have been retired.

 

[F5ing]

I've got one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003MTTJOY/?tag=snbforums-20

Works great, although I don't roam that far from the router. I usually use it in the same room as the router, though I've used it a few times about 30ft or so away thru two sheetrocked walls.

Might check out this as well:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LGN8HWS/?tag=snbforums-20

Says it's for Macs, but there are apparently drivers for Windows (see reviews).

 

[RogerSC]

The wireless-n USB adapter that I like is the Linksys AE3000. It costs a little more (the refurbished ones from Linksys are less *smile*), but has the full 3-streams on both the 2.4GHz. and 5GHz. bands (N900). It also worked well for me with the Asus RT-N66U.

 

[speedlever]

I like the nano-sized adapters... unless I sacrifice performance for size. Therein lies the question.

Has there been any recent test of these USB adapters where I could do some reading?

 

[ChristineBCW]

Speed, I take two USBs on the road for travels and that TP-Link has the most consistent top-performer over an Asus N. The TP-Link's cord allows a flexible positioning that might be responsible for that.

I'll be dropping the Asus N from my next road trip and trying one of the Edimax AC1200s, not that I expect 5gz connects, but I'll compare it's 2.4 speeds to the TP-Link.

 

[bigben]

Tenda W311MI has great performance for its size.

 

[speedlever]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm thinking I would like both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. But that may push the price out too much. I'm leaning to the TP-Link WN822N, but it is only 2.4 GHz.

I'd sure like to see some reviews on the current products.

Still meditating on my options.

 

[ChristineBCW]

I didn't want to spend money on the AC1200s because most of our stops are lucky to have 2.4s available, and I'm sure none of them will move into 450+ speeds so why bother with anything but an 2.4-N rated one?

"But why spend new money on a product that won't have any max improvement at all?" Yeah... that's the REAL question. The EdiMax ac1200 at $30 seemed like a ho-hum acceptable proposition, though. "How else will I know if The Fishin' Inn has gone to 5gz unless we try it?!!"

(This place still uses stone carvings for cabin numbers, by the way. "No batteries, and they're all-weather!")

 

[speedlever]

I mainly want 5GHz because with the N66U, I have both freqs and that is where I'll use the old laptop the most. Plus, I have a lot of 2.4GHz congestion in my 'hood.

 

[speedlever]

Here is the only info I've found on this forum and the test is nearly a year old and doesn't include any of the above mentioned devices:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/32271-ac1200-usb-wireless-adapter-roundup

 

[ChristineBCW]

Speedy, your link was one of the culprit reasons I'd picked up that Edimax (I call it "ac1200" simply because I haven't/won't memorize any better specific model numbers - I kept a 54G for a long time and that's emblazoned on my peabrain - that's enough donated gray-matter to model numbers.)

I like finding competing models that use the same radio-chipsets and maybe I'll add a Linksys for our next road trip.

 

[speedlever]

"How else will I know if The Fishin' Inn has gone to 5gz unless we try it?!!"

(This place still uses stone carvings for cabin numbers, by the way. "No batteries, and they're all-weather!")

To answer this question (if you have an Android smart phone) is easy. Get either inSSider ($$) or Wifi Analyzer (free) from the Play store.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer

 

[F5ing]

An older version (for Windows) of InSSIDer (v2.1 I believe) is available here:

http://www.ampedwireless.com/wifianalytics/

Scroll down to the bottom to find the link on the lefthand side of the page.

A link to their analyzer for Android is also on that page.

In some ways I like this version better than the different 3.x versions I've got...

BTW, the device you run the analyzer on has to have a radio that supports the band you're trying to detect (if your radio only supports the 2.4 band the analyzer can't detect 5 GHz radios in the area).

 

[speedlever]

I got caught up in other things and dropped this for a little while.

Right now, my old G laptop is getting file transfers at about a max of 2.0 MBps (16 Mbps), sometimes slightly more, and often less.

Can I expect faster file transfers with an N USB adapter on this old laptop? Or am I just putting lipstick on a pig?

Also, how do I enable the full capabilities of my N66U in my WLAN environment? IE, how do I get file transfers to approach the max practical throughput than this router is capable of providing?

Are there settings on both the router and the USB N adapter (and iPhone 5, Galaxy S4, other N laptops) that I need to set in order to do this?

Right now I have my 2.4GHz band set to 20MHz bandwidth and the 5GHz band set to 40MHz bandwidth on the N66U router.

 

[ChristineBCW]

Speed, one thing I discovered late this week was that TP-Link - and my favorite 822N adapter - isn't offering Win 8.1 drivers to a lot of their N adapters. I can't recommend that, therefore - it's rewarding companies for adding to our landfill.

The Edimax as1200 (technically EW-7822UAC) is 300+867 rated and does have Win 8.1 drivers. I have a USB extension cable so I can move the unit around instead of merely being attached to my computer. So far, it's 2.4 speeds are the same as other USB-N adapters.

 

[speedlever]

Thanks Christine.

Unfortunately, I do not care for the form factor of the ac1200. In my application, the long USB device is prone to breakage.

I'm leaning presently to the Linksys AE3000 that Roger suggested early on. It's a bit more expensive, but with 3 streams and dual band, it has the specs that I prefer. It is also the longer USB style, but has a mount so I can connect by USB cable. I think that will minimize my breakage concerns.

I found it refurb'd at Linksys for ~$22 plus tax and shipping... right at $31. I can get a new one from Amazon for about $44 for everything.

That's quite a bit more than I was looking to pay. So I'm just meditating on it for now.

 

[stevech]

USB wifi dongles.. can connect via a 6 ft. or so USB extension cord. Then place it in a more RF clear area, and avoid damaging it if plugged in to a laptop.

 

[speedlever]

That is an excellent and obvious option that I overlooked. A USB A-male/A-female extension makes any of the longer USB adapters workable.

That being said, there's another $6 into the pot for the cable.

Checking reviews of this particular device (EW-7822UAC), it seems that Edimax (as of a few days ago) is still trying to sort out drivers for Win 8.1 and MS says no info on compatibility with Win 8.1:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wind...evance&Compatibility=Unknown&LastRequested=14
http://www.amazon.com/review/R4TNV4PYAAHT1/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

The good news is that Edimax seems responsive. The bad news is that they are still working on the drivers.

OTOH, MS says the AE3000 is compatible with Win8.1:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wind...ndor=Cisco&Type=Hardware&tempOsid=Windows+8.1

I'm glad this came up. I just assumed that Win8.1 compatibility was a given.

 

[ChristineBCW]

...just assumed that Win8.1 compatibility was a given.

You and me, both. (Once I started scouring adapter-brand websites and seeing an amazing dearth of Win8.1-for-N updates, I realize we may all be agreeing to mass junkings when Win9 arrives. Will these anti-Win8.1-driver companies support any old products with any newer OS?) EDIT - I should say "support them WELL..."

Yes, I noted the extension cord or 'cradle' aspect earlier and it's the only way I can easily adjust WiFi reception. Hubby can only stand on one leg with arms akimbo for so long, and his round head still isn't flattened enough when I've mounted the laptop up there for the very best reception.

He seems to prefer I use extensions or cradle-type devices, too. Odd, huh?

 

[speedlever]

Hah! Well, what can I say. My wife is semi-tolerant of my gadget obsession. So I can't really count on her to stand in as a gadget accessory.

Back to the topic at hand... Win 8.1 drivers for USB N adapters. The Linksys site does not provide any Win8 or 8.1 drivers for the AE3000... only XP/Vista/Win7.
http://support.linksys.com/en-us/support/adapters/AE3000

Perhaps it will all sort itself out by plugging the device in, going to device manager, and updating the driver from there. Assuming of course, the device shows up there. Sheesh.

It's hard enough sorting out the wheat from the chaff with respect to hardware... but to have to contend with driver compatibility issues?