Best way to connect PC up to WiFi broadband aside from cable)

Jedi boro

Jedi boro

Well-known member
Hi all just bought a new pc and I’m using the small usb route that came with it but my down loads speeds are shocking. I’m trying to install my games on steam but only getting 1mbs sometimes not even that

What’s the best dongle WiFi pc adaption you’d recommend

Btw we have great WiFi sky hub average 40/50

Thanks
 
I've just bought a laptop and I was getting slow speeds, despite having excellent WiFi coverage on my phone in the same position. I made a couple of changes and it's now much better but I can't remember exactly what they were.

The issues were that it was defaulting to the 2.4GHz connection instead of the 5GHz which is much faster. The was also a power setting which disconnects the WiFi and that could take a while to kick in when it loads up.

Ill try find the instructions I used.
 
Can you park it next to the hub and use an Ethernet cable?

Sorry must read the title better next time...

Check that you have the best driver loaded for your WiFi adaptor you should be able to use 802.11ac or 802.11n and if you can get as close to the Router as possible. In my experience WiFi speeds are more dependent on signal strength than anything else, the adaptor will negotiate with the router to get a good connection.
 
If you are using the pc close to the router, try connecting to the 5GHz as this provides faster speeds with more wireless channels to choose from unlike 2.4GHz which if most of your neighbours are using the same channel then that can slow your speeds down. If you use 2.4GHz then your should only use channels 1,6 or 11 as these are the only non-overlapping channels so you get the least amount of traffic.

Only downside is 5GHz doesn’t have a good as range as 2.4GHz but should be fine in most homes that don’t have thick walls. It all comes down to trial and error.
 
Last edited:
I'm guessing your Sky router supports 802.11ac and as such you'll get the best performance if you get a decent 802.11ac adapter and plug it into a usb 3.0 port so that you don't limit the data throughput.
A cheap ac adapter might not cut it so if you do online gaming then it'd be best to check out some of the gaming sites for recommendations.
If money is no object then combining a fast 802.11ac adapter with a fast 802.11ac router in place of your Sky router would be your best bet.
Check the Sky forums for any threads that have asked the same question.
 
dooderooni said:
I'm guessing your Sky router supports 802.11ac and as such you'll get the best performance if you get a decent 802.11ac adapter and plug it into a usb 3.0 port so that you don't limit the data throughput.
A cheap ac adapter might not cut it so if you do online gaming then it'd be best to check out some of the gaming sites for recommendations.
If money is no object then combining a fast 802.11ac adapter with a fast 802.11ac router in place of your Sky router would be your best bet.
Check the Sky forums for any threads that have asked the same question.
Click to expand...

This was the problem I was trying to describe. My WiFi card supports 5GHz but I had to force it to use the 5GHz by selecting ac, it was defaulting to n (I think). I was all set to buy a new WiFi card but didn't need to. It defaults to the 2.4GHz because it is the more stable connection. Older routers used to use different SSIDs for the 2 frequencies but now that they use a single one it isn't obvious which one you're device will choose.

I know the settings are in the device manager, network adapter and then advanced settings.
 
Just checked amazon is this it.
NETGEAR A7000-100PES Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi USB Adapter (USB 3.0, Dual Band Wi-Fi, Magnetic Cradle Included)
 
zorro_mfc said:
Just checked amazon is this it.
NETGEAR A7000-100PES Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi USB Adapter (USB 3.0, Dual Band Wi-Fi, Magnetic Cradle Included)
Click to expand...
That's one of the better rated ones, but they do work best when paired with a similarly powerful router and you could be looking at £300+ to get the hardware.
Make sure it isn't your settings that are holding you back before purchasing any new equipment, particularly stuff that might be far too good for your usage scenario. Research Windows 10 wifi optimisation and do some testing before hitting the shops as it could be a simple fix.
Do you game online a lot? What titles do you play? Is lag and latency the biggest obstacle to victory etc? If the answers to these questions put you in the market for the best possible wifi then you'll need to pay for it.
If you just need decent download speeds to install the games and online speed isn't a priority then you may find much cheaper solutions if it does turn out to be hardware and not software related.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top