Recommendations for a wireless card

[Warty]

I just built my first pc gaming system in 10+ years, but didn't include a wireless card. I've been using a USB wireless adapter, one of the stick-type ones. It never gets more than 3 of 5 bars, and I often have to disconnect and reconnect several times before I can log in to AH arenas.

I suspect a wireless card would work better.... Any recommendations? Am I right about that?

[ACE]

Which ever provider has the best signal.  I use verizon.

[Chalenge]

Wireless is going to be a big problem in playing AH.

[Tigger29]

ACE, I believe he's talking about a wireless LAN, not a wireless provider.

Regardless Warty, you're correct in your assumption that a PCI or PCIe wireless adapter is going to perform better than a USB adapter, but there are many factors in play when it comes to wireless.  Keep in mind that Aces High likes having a rock-solid internet connection, and even a handful of lost packets can cause issues.

These factors include:
1> Distance from wireless router - closer is better
2> Any obstructions in the way - walls, floors, appliances between your computer and the router can reduce signal quality
3> Interference - your neighbor with a HAM radio, your cordless phones, or even a high amperage electrical device nearby (such as an Air Conditioner or Microwave oven) can throw a wrench in the works.

As for a recommendation.. to be honest I've always purchased the cheapest PCI solution available to me.  I've never had too much of an issue - except for occasional dropped packets which is typical with any wireless network.  The software that comes with the el-cheapos usually.. well suck.. but luckily you don't HAVE to use it.

[AAJagerX]

I'm using a Belkin N+ router with an Ultra wireless N USB adapter.  I'm using the drivers that Win 7 provides, and never had any issues with this setup.  The router is about 100ft away and I get 4-5 bars consistently.  Just make sure that the router is brodcasting on the 802.11 N band only.

Another thought...  If you're running Win 7, alot of the USB adapters get really finnicky if they weren't originally designed to be compatible with 7.  That actually sounds like the issue, as I experienced the same problem until I got a USB adapter that was designed for 7.

[SectorNine50]

If I may add my 2 cents...

Save the money on a PCI card, in my personal experience, all desktop wireless cards are crap.

I have ultimately turned one of those blue and black Linksys WRT54G routers into an access point that receives the signal from the base station upstairs using DD-WRT firmware.  I can't even tell that I'm on wireless, my connection is absolutely rock solid.  Only downside is that I'm using wireless g, which means it's a bit slow (~1.5 MB per second as opposed to ethernet's 10 MB per second) BUT it is isn't actually interfering with the internet's speed.  I'm saving up the money to get a linksys n router that I can throw the DD-WRT firmware on to replace it.  The benefits are 2 fold:

-You have a universal wireless adapter; anything with an ethernet port is now wireless to an extent.
-You have a receiver that has the same sending power as the base station.  This is important because when you see the signal strength on your computer, you are seeing how strong of a signal you are RECEIVING.  However, where most of the connection problems occur, is on the sending side.  With DD-WRT installed on my WRT54G, I am able to see the signal strength from the router's point-of-view, and it is very different.  While I'll have a great signal on my laptop or desktop wireless card (80-90%), the signal strength on the router's side is about 30%, and that's when speed throttling and packet-loss comes into play.

If you aren't comfortable with modifying the firmware on a router, they have access points for sale, however they tend to be quite a bit more expensive.  But don't let the term "modifying firmware" scare you away, it's actually much easier than it sounds if you follow the instructions at http://www.dd-wrt.com.  You can also get those WRT54G routers on ebay for fairly cheap, and you'll often see them pre-loaded with the custom software from the previous owner!

[Tigger29]

If I may add my 2 cents...

Save the money on a PCI card, in my personal experience, all desktop wireless cards are crap.

I have ultimately turned one of those blue and black Linksys WRT54G routers into an access point that receives the signal from the base station upstairs using DD-WRT firmware.  

Keep in mind a lot of people aren't comfortable performing that mod, and as a result I would never recommend it unless I'm 100% confident about the person's abilities.  I'm not saying it's not doable nor am I saying it doesn't work.. it's just all about the person's comfort zone.

I also need to touch base with the whole G vs. N thing.  The "G" standard has a maximum speed of 54Mbps (megabits per second), whereas wired networks have speeds of 10Mbps/100Mbps/1000Mbps depending on the networking adapter and the cabling (I don't know where you got the idea of 1.5MBps).  Keep in mind when it comes to networking, you're only as fast as the fastest connection.

Now I know that higher speed internet connections exist, but around here about 5Mbps internet is common, with 10Mbps being available, and some areas here might see 20Mbps.  Since the fastest internet speeds for most people is still slower than the wireless "G" standard (even if you account for some packet loss and overhead) then there is nothing to be gained by choosing "G" over the newer and faster "N" standard.

The only benefit to having a 1000Mbps (1Gbps) wired connection or the 150Mbps "N" standard wireless connection would be for transferring data from one computer at your home to another.

This is why your setup isn't interfering with your internet speed.

[SectorNine50]

It was late (oh my god why was I up at 4am), I apologize for my mix-up.  When I added that comment in parenthesis I stated my internet speed (1.5MB/second) instead of my total wireless speed (5.4MB/second).  Again, I apologize for my mistake.  I was ineffectively trying to explain why it wasn't interfering with my speeds...

N-wireless matters to me because I'm running a server behind the router, so yes, I'm transferring data across it.  As it stands, if someone is transferring wirelessly to or from the server, the bandwidth is considerably cut, which in turn interferes with my internet bandwidth.

All you say is true!  However, I did point out that you can get one of those routers pre-loaded with the firmware on eBay.  With some reading it really is not all that complicated of a procedure.

I figure give them all the options, let them decide what they are comfortable with.  Only way to get comfortable with something is to do it!