The job of a Wi-Fi adapter is to convert signals in the range of radio frequency to binary form and transmit them to the connected computer. Latest Wi-Fi adapters occur both in portable form as USB Wi-Fi adapters and fixed ones as wired Wi-Fi adapters. Irrespective of their construction, the job they do is the same. However, the features and advantages may differ from each other, and has to be wise in making a choice before finalizing the best Wi-Fi adapter.
Why do you need a wireless USB adapter?
A wireless USB adapter helps you in many ways:
- Without the need of an Ethernet cable, you can connect to a wireless network to your PC or laptop using a USB adapter.
- When you choose a plug and play USB adapter, you can enjoy connectivity anywhere on the go! Besides, a single USB wireless adapter solves the purpose for multiple computers in your home.
- Portable USB adapters are saviours for those people who are fed up with weaker wireless networks. They offer superior quality of connectivity at enhanced speeds and excellent signal reception too.
- A wireless USB Wi-Fi adapter is far better in performance compared to a built-in Wi-Fi chip of a computer.
- Besides, purchasing a wireless adapter is far economical option compared to upgrading your internet speed or improving your laptop specifications.
Tips to choose Wi-Fi adapter for gaming
A well-chosen Wi-Fi adapter gives ultimate satisfaction in terms of performance and will be worth every penny. But when you have a plethora of Wi-Fi adapter options available in the market, it can tricky to choose the best Wi-Fi adapter. As you move ahead in this post, you will understand how you can pick the best Wi-Fi adapters that will just excellently fit your gaming purposes.
Antennas are the pride for Wi-Fi adapter
When the ultimate purpose of a Wi-Fi adapter is to draw as much signal as possible and give you that best gaming experience with good quality and speed, should we not talkabout antennas first as they are the ones that draw the signal towards your gaming zone?
In layman terms, yes – antennas draw signal, but do you know that actually they carry data? Yes. Antennas carry data through them and play a major role in converting radio frequency Wi-Fi signals to binary form. Hence while choosing a Wi-Fi adapter; you should lay more focus on antennas.
The more the number of antennas, the better the signal receiving capacity. Also, the more devices you have at home, you need those many number of antennas to enjoy good quality connectivity with excellent bandwidth.
Ruggedness of Antennas
Now that we have seen that the number of antennas play an important role in drawing signals without losing the bandwidth performance of connected devices, let us understand how you have to select antennas by looking at their construction. The body of antenna tubes must be rugged and solid to match to daily usage. You do not want your Wi-Fi wires to hang out loose after a month of purchasing the adapter, do you?
Antennas are basically tubes that carry wires and data through them. So, while choosing a Wi-Fi adapter, check if the tubes are capable of broadcasting the signal to larger distances and can handle bulkier streams of data. Talk to your seller if you have queries about the performance or seek online reviews help to understand how good the signal broadcast is for a given model of Wi-Fi adapter.
Do you know? Latest wireless adapters even do come with removable and replaceable stock antennas. You can also rotate them in which every direction you want and thus they are very comfortable to use. Most Wi-Fi adapters can work well up to 30 feet distance and transmit signal without any loss of efficiency. If you need more coverage area, then definitely online reviews would help you.
Compatibility with OS
If yours is a plug and play type Wi-Fi adapter, you have to check if the model is compatible with your operating system. Go through the specifications provided by manufacturer incase of any clarifications needed while choosing the best Wi-Fi adapter.
Speed
When you are looking for Wi-Fi adapter for gaming, you should focus more on the speed. Because sped on internet connection plays huge role in making a difference in the gaming experience.
For a good gaming experience, your Wi-Fi adapter should have at least 1GB of data throughput and should be capable to deliver the same bandwidth to all the connected devices. In case you need more GB output, you do get such adapters in the market too.
But just because an adapter worked well for your friend, you picking it up would be not being a good option because both of your requirements would be different at the end.
Physical specifications
The size of the adapter needs to be chosen based on the measurement of your Wi-Fi case on your system or laptop. Take the help of PCIe specifications and check if they match with those of the Wi-Fi adapter that you have chosen. Take the help of reviews and guidance from sellers in this regard, in case of any confusion to decide on your own.
Another aspect that you have to keep in mind while choosing a Wi-Fi adapter is the cooling power of the circuit board of your adapter. For gaming purposes, you may have to keep your adapter ON for longer durations which mean it generates more heat. This may hamper the performance in the long run, if the cooling system is not designed properly. Hence to prevent the throttling of equipment at higher temperatures, opt for aluminum coolers, though they are little higher in cost.
Besides, when you place the adapter at your home, take care that there is no hindrance to the ventilation and air is flowing freely around the adapter.
Now, we are sure you are ready how to pick that best Wi-Fi adapter for gamin, go ahead and choose one! Happy gaming!
Author Bio:-
Joey is a long time enthusiastic gamer and love to review new electronics products. Initially he started his career as a blogger reviewing electronic gadgets and gaming consoles. Later he joined the team at HotRate as a writer. He spends most of the time with the team at work, getting inspiration & content for his articles as they review various products for gamers.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.