USB vs PCI Express wi-fi? Edimax range.
I have a dilemma between Edimax USB and PCIe wi-fi adaptor.
USB Edimax EW-7811Un
PCI Express Edimax EQ-7612Pln
I would prefer USB as able to transfer to any system, including old laptops if need be. But when I last used USB 7+ years ago the devices got pretty hot, so worried about connection stability and system load (especially with this nano size).
The PCI-Express wifi would be good for transfer to a new motherboard as PCI is getting replaced on micro ATX boards. And I assume it would perform better than USB, unless that is outdated information.
I don't need a strong signal, so USB shouldn't be disadvantaged much. Just long term usage I'm worried about.
Re: USB vs PCI Express wi-fi? Edimax range.
From what I gather there will not be much difference between USB and PCI-Express wi-fi cards. The PCI-E board may get a bit lower latency and slightly higher throughput, but it will be very small if there is any difference.
I've used a USB dongle for about 6 months after the one in my laptop died and have no complaints, apart from I keep knocking it!
Re: USB vs PCI Express wi-fi? Edimax range.
May not be important but you might want to ensure your WiFi card is compatible with Microsoft's Virtual WiFi (assuming you use Windows 7). This allows you to create a wireless hotspot with WPA2 security. It does not appear as an "ad-hoc" network, as most other solutions do and you can both connect to a wireless network and provide a wireless hotspot at the same time (I believe). This allows you to share an internet connection (wireless or wired) via a personal WiFi hotspot. May not be a feature you would even think about, but it can be handy in certain situations (when you are limited to a single internet connection for whatever reason e.g. student accommodation, hotel). I don't know much about it other than the fact that the latest drivers for my Intel chipset support it.
See: http://www.istartedsomething.com/200...-wifi-support/
The full script I use is:
Code:
@netsh wlan stop hostednetwork
@timeout /T 2
devcon disable "PCI\VEN_14E4&DEV_432B" [my wireless network device]
@timeout /T 1
devcon enable "PCI\VEN_14E4&DEV_432B"
@timeout /T 1
@netsh wlan stop hostednetwork
@timeout /T 1
@netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=PrivateWifi key=mysecretpassword
@netsh wlan start hostednetwork
You must also set e.g. your wired connection to share its internet connection with Wireless Network Connection 2 (or whatever it gets named).
A list of compatible cards can be found here (although note that you do not need to use the "connectify" product - its mostly just a user interface for the above script and actually gave me a BSoD several times):
http://www.connectify.me/support/ind...ode=view&id=13