What networking method would be best for new build?

[xAshes]

I am about to order my first build but am stuck on one part. I need a method for connecting to the internet and have found several solutions but am unsure on what method would be best for the price. Due to the location of the pc, I am unable to just use an ethernet cable.

1. Wireless USB dongle / PCI card
This method seems to be the cheapest but I am unsure at how reliable it is for a solid connection or ping. I am also unsure as to whether the USB dongle will suffer because of it being a USB connection.

2. Wireless Bridge
This method would let me connect to the wireless router and then connect devices via ethernet. However, I have heard that there may be a speed loss of 50% due to it being a bridge but am unsure as to whether this is true or not. This method is average in price.

3. Powerline Adapters
This method would probably give the best performance but I understand that the performance depends on the wiring in the house. As I am unsure on this I am also unsure at the performance. Also, due to using surge protected power strips, I would have to buy passthrough adapters which are more expensive.

Can anybody advise me on what method would probably give the best performance for the price or suggest another solution which I haven't thought about.

[b0redom]

The answer is really...... it depends.

I use Cat5e wherever it's humanly possible - usually trunked inside D-line trunking (that stuff is awesome).

I wouldn't bother with a wireless bridge for a single device.

So I guess it depends on your budget/performance requirements.

You could always buy both from an online retailer, test them out and send back the one you don't want under DSR?

[DanceswithUnix]

If you can afford it, I would go powerline. My homeplug AV 500 boxes (TP-Link ones) manage about 80Mbit/sec across the house, through the circuit breakers in the garage, and back to the far end of the house on a different circuit.

I have three of them, one feeds broadband to the TV & game consoles as well.

I have used a wireless bridge in the past. It sort of worked OK, but being 2.4GHz it did get interference problems. Perhaps a 5GHz setup would work well, but that isn't cheap.

USB dongle on a USB cable can work OK, because you can move the USB stick location to get a better signal without moving the PC. If you have a decent MiMo router then this might be worth a shot as the initial cost is so low.

[xAshes]

I think i'll go with the wireless PCI card and risk having disconnects. If it is enough of a problem I guess ill just try to return it and go for the powerline solution. Thanks for your replies

[LowMoralFibre]

I'm so far behind the times when it comes to networking..

I was stressing about poor Wifi reception and having to lay cables or set them in the walls (which would go terribly no doubt) when I read this thread and learnt all about powerline adapters so thanks for that.

[DanceswithUnix]

WiFi is better if you use a modern 3 antenna mimo access point as well, I hardly get dropouts these days. The one I got wasn't expensive, but works far better than my router. The Wireless-g router before that was awful. Things move on...

[Dooms]

Our flat is networked with 4 of these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

at £30 for 2 and 500Mbps (haven't actually tried speed but at least 100mb as I can max out the virgin line) they do the job nicely

[xAshes]

Ok, now im having second thoughts about the pci adapter due to the signal possibly getting affected by it sitting behind the case. Could anybody tell me whether these products (http://www.scan.co.uk/products/edima...-5-port-switch) or (http://www.scan.co.uk/products/edima...-5-port-switch) would provide a good connection when connected to my router? I will be connecting it to my pc and ps3 via eithernet.

Would these products also suffer from the 50% performance cut which i heard happens with bridges?