WiFi Card

Hi there,
I have my custom build PC with decent specs, however it has a terrible wifi card. I have adjusted the antennas on the back of the desktop to no avail. My internet connection is 150Mbps as it is with all my other devices in the same location as the PC, but on the PC I am getting 15-40 Mbps..
I remember I put in a cheap wifi card as I didn't believe I needed to spend a ton, but now I am regretting it.

The card I have is a Realtek RTL8192EE and is 802.11n.

I'm looking to swap this out for a better one that will give me the full speed and before anyone says - no I can not use ethernet/powerline solutions.
I'm thinking I don't want to spend much - maybe a maximum of £30. I have had a quick look at some gigabit TP-link ones but if anyone has any recommendations I'm open to hearing them (prices new or used).

Requirements are just the capability of getting that full 150mbps, I don't mind about BT as my current one doesn't have anyway so I have a dongle. Would be nice to have a heatsink etc..


Thanks

james

My personal preference for WiFi adapters are the Intel adapters. It appears that you can get a PCIe card based on Intel WiFi 6e for right about $30 (US). I realize that you may not have a router that has the 6GHz band that WiFi 6e adds, but as inexpensive as it is to go from WiFi 6 to 6e, it seemed like a no-brainer for me, allowing me to be ready for eventual replacement of my router. I eventually upgraded the router and now I get slightly better than gigabit Ethernet speed on WiFi.

NOTE: To get that speed I need to be close to the router, but I still get very good performance at further distances.

I have had some systems that came with Realtek adapters but was always disappointed with the performance. I tore those out and replaced them with the Intel based adapters and have never regretted it.

I have a Wireless Router with computers connected using CAT 5 and CAT 6e Ethernet cables for the Gigabit LAN and different Notebooks with 802.11n, ac and ax 2G and 5G Wireless/Wi-Fi connections to it, get the full ISP service I pay for. I did have an issue few months ago with daughters Wireless Router set by the ISP as 5G only and my older/10-year-old 802.11n 2G Notebook adapter didn't support it.

hsehestedt said:

My personal preference for WiFi adapters are the Intel adapters. It appears that you can get a PCIe card based on Intel WiFi 6e for right about $30 (US). I realize that you may not have a router that has the 6GHz band that WiFi 6e adds, but as inexpensive as it is to go from WiFi 6 to 6e, it seemed like a no-brainer for me, allowing me to be ready for eventual replacement of my router. I eventually upgraded the router and now I get slightly better than gigabit Ethernet speed on WiFi.

NOTE: To get that speed I need to be close to the router, but I still get very good performance at further distances.

I have had some systems that came with Realtek adapters but was always disappointed with the performance. I tore those out and replaced them with the Intel based adapters and have never regretted it.

Click to expand...

I didn't consider intel initially so thank you for this post as it has brought in some new options. I've heard plenty of complaints about Realtek.

Berton said:

I have a Wireless Router with computers connected using CAT 5 and CAT 6e Ethernet cables for the Gigabit LAN and different Notebooks with 802.11n, ac and ax 2G and 5G Wireless/Wi-Fi connections to it, get the full ISP service I pay for. I did have an issue few months ago with daughters Wireless Router set by the ISP as 5G only and my older/10-year-old 802.11n 2G Notebook adapter didn't support it.

Click to expand...

I really wish I could use ethernet as it is a solid and fast solution. i don't have this 4g/5g backup router system so that isn't a worry but interesting that the notebook adapter didn't support it as I would've thought the router would broadcast the same signal??

Definitely go with an Intel card AC/AX capabilities. They're usually very good.

I did this upgrade on my laptop to Intel from Realtek and don't regret it the least. Same goes for desktop variants though I don't use WiFi on my desktop PC, but I know many who do.

James said:

I really wish I could use ethernet as it is a solid and fast solution. i don't have this 4g/5g backup router system so that isn't a worry but interesting that the notebook adapter didn't support it as I would've thought the router would broadcast the same signal??

Click to expand...

The Router can be new enough to support both 2G and 5G wireless but the wireless adapter in the computer has to support the same, older ones can't if they are too old and if a new adapter has not been installed. Can also use USB Dongles with newer Wireless support, I keep some on hand for that reason, also for use in Desktops without the optional Wireless adapter. My latest Desktop from 2022 came with the Wireless along with the Ethernet port.

SlicEnDicE said:

Definitely go with an Intel card AC/AX capabilities. They're usually very good.

I did this upgrade on my laptop to Intel from Realtek and don't regret it the least. Same goes for desktop variants though I don't use WiFi on my desktop PC, but I know many who do.

Click to expand...

Am I correct in saying that intel do not make any wifi cards and rather just the chips and thus you must get one from another brand that just uses the intel chip? If so, any recommendations? I would rather go with a big brand than an amazon Chinese brand

James said:

Am I correct in saying that intel do not make any wifi cards and rather just the chips and thus you must get one from another brand that just uses the intel chip? If so, any recommendations? I would rather go with a big brand than an amazon Chinese brand

Click to expand...

Good question when it comes to PCIe cards for desktops...I'm not sure. There's probably someone here who can answer that.

But what I do know for sure is that Intel does make WiFi cards for laptops.

EDIT: Asus cards are very good. I have had a few of those. No issues what do ever.

There are PCIe cards for Wireless support, some even have Bluetooth Wireless. Some will fit PCIe X1, X4 or if it is available the PCIe X16 slot usually for video cards. Haven't checked in a long while but there used to be some for the older PCI slots.

Thank you for all the replies. Will do some more research and look into purchasing an asus one probably.

Just be sure the card supports 2G and 5G if your Router also has 5G.

Because of an old Notebook that supported only 802.11n 2G I got a TP-Link AC600 USB dongle that includes Bluetooth and 802.11ac 2G&5G, works fine.