Network - PCIe vs USB?

[Tech Wizard]

Hello,

 

I'm moving out, resulting in having to drop ethernet for wireless options. What are the differences between PCIe and USB adapters, if there are any? 
There's a "TP-Link TL-WN781ND" PCIe for about $13 here, delivering up to 150Mbit/s, and another delivering up to 300 for $2 more. I don't know the speeds to the place I'm moving to.

Also, what does these mean, and what's the difference? IEEE 802.11b, +2  /  IEEE 802.11b, +3  /  IEEE 802.11b, +4 ?

[jj9987]

802.11b is ancient and useless, it is limited to 11 Mbps.

802.11n and 802.11ac are the WiFi standards you should be looking out for, depending what your router/access point is also capable of.

 

As for PCIe vs USB - PCI Express cards are usually more reliable and better built. It also does not take up any existing USB ports, that you might need.

[Tech Wizard]

3 minutes ago, jj9987 said:

802.11b is ancient and useless, it is limited to 11 Mbps.

802.11n and 802.11ac are the WiFi standards you should be looking out for, depending what your router/access point is also capable of.

 

As for PCIe vs USB - PCI Express cards are usually more reliable and better built. It also does not take up any existing USB ports, that you might need.

PCIe cards are more reliable and better built - Go indepth please.

 

Wait, so 11b only gets me 11Mbps, even though speeds at new place is higher?
I'm guessing the place has anywhere from 30mb/s to 60mb/s download speed. Are 11n + 11ac good for that?

 

[manikyath]

1 minute ago, Tech Wizard said:

PCIe cards are more reliable and better built - Go indepth please.

 

Wait, so 11b only gets me 11Mbps, even though speeds at new place is higher?
I'm guessing the place has anywhere from 30mb/s to 60mb/s download speed. Are 11n + 11ac good for that?

if i'd have to go more indepth, how thrilled would you be with your wireless option having a maximum of 5 watts available, when you could theoretically have 75 watts available if you did the right thing.

 

that, is why i recommend people to go pcie. and preferably look for an option that has a can or heatsink over the components, and comes with an antenna/antennas on a wire. these arent really "marks of quality" but they are the ones often axed the first by companies willing to cut corners.

[Septimus]

2 minutes ago, Tech Wizard said:

PCIe cards are more reliable and better built - Go indepth please.

 

Wait, so 11b only gets me 11Mbps, even though speeds at new place is higher?
I'm guessing the place has anywhere from 30mb/s to 60mb/s download speed. Are 11n + 11ac good for that?

 

Yes, you will only be able to receive up to 11Mbp/s. Definitely go for an AC card. 

[jj9987]

Just now, Tech Wizard said:

PCIe cards are more reliable and better built - Go indepth please.

 

Wait, so 11b only gets me 11Mbps, even though speeds at new place is higher?
I'm guessing the place has anywhere from 30mb/s to 60mb/s download speed. Are 11n + 11ac good for that?

802.11b is an old standard, that WiFi devices still support for compatibility reasons.

 

802.11n is capable of up to 300Mbps and 802.11ac up to goes even higher. It all comes down to what router/access point is being used and it's capabilities. My old AC68U was capable of 1300Mbps on 802.11ac for example. It depends on the amount of antennas, MU-MIMO support, hardware used etc.

 

As for PCIe vs USB. PCI Express cards can use more power from the connector than USB, hence can achieve better signal and bandwidth. This can also mean more antennas, which USB devices are very often (if not always) limited to one. USB devices might be getting plugged and unplugged, causing wear on the device. 

[Tech Wizard]

3 minutes ago, manikyath said:

if i'd have to go more indepth, how thrilled would you be with your wireless option having a maximum of 5 watts available, when you could theoretically have 75 watts available if you did the right thing.

 

that, is why i recommend people to go pcie. and preferably look for an option that has a can or heatsink over the components, and comes with an antenna/antennas on a wire. these arent really "marks of quality" but they are the ones often axed the first by companies willing to cut corners.

 

3 minutes ago, Septimus said:

Yes, you will only be able to receive up to 11Mbp/s. Definitely go for an AC card. 

 

1 minute ago, jj9987 said:

802.11b is an old standard, that WiFi devices still support for compatibility reasons.

 

802.11n is capable of up to 300Mbps and 802.11ac up to goes even higher. It all comes down to what router/access point is being used and it's capabilities. My old AC68U was capable of 1300Mbps on 802.11ac for example. It depends on the amount of antennas, MU-MIMO support, hardware used etc.

 

As for PCIe vs USB. PCI Express cards can use more power from the connector than USB, hence can achieve better signal and bandwidth. This can also mean more antennas, which USB devices are very often (if not always) limited to one. USB devices might be getting plugged and unplugged, causing wear on the device. 

Thanks for your answers. My knowledge is really weak in network. So I decided I'm going with PCIe over than USB. I did a filter on cheapest 11n, and cheapest on 11ac.

11n = TP-Link TL-WN781ND Wireless Adapter (150Mbps, 15$)
11ac = D-Link DWA-582 Wireless AC1200 (867Mbps, where I probably only will have 60 maximum, and costs $38).

Which of the two do you think is better suited for me? I'm thinking of the 11n, much cheaper, and if they both provide the same? Forgot to mention I'll be living in a "student house", so there'll be at least 4-5 other persons sharing same wifi.

[Septimus]

Just now, Tech Wizard said:

11n = TP-Link TL-WN781ND Wireless Adapter (150Mbps, 15$)

11ac = D-Link DWA-582 Wireless AC1200 (867Mbps, where I probably only will have 60 maximum, and costs $38).

Which of the two do you think is better suited for me? I'm thinking of the 11n, much cheaper, and if they both provide the same? Forgot to mention I'll be living in a "student house", so there'll be at least 4-5 other persons sharing same wifi.

The AC standard also offers slightly better signal strength. If you know that the place where you're staying may have shotty Wi-Fi and you don't mind spending the extra money, give the AC card a go. Otherwise, the "n" standard will be just fine. 

[Tech Wizard]

20 minutes ago, Septimus said:

The AC standard also offers slightly better signal strength. If you know that the place where you're staying may have shotty Wi-Fi and you don't mind spending the extra money, give the AC card a go. Otherwise, the "n" standard will be just fine. 

I decided I'm going with a unit called "TP-Link TP-Link 300Mbps Wireless-N PCI Express Adapter", costing $15, with 2 antennas, 300Mbps, and it says 11b/g/n. What does this mean? Will it use the best of the 3? I will attach picture below.

 

 

(btw, is more antennas better? Found some with 3, but much more expensive)

[Septimus]

4 minutes ago, Tech Wizard said:

I decided I'm going with a unit called "TP-Link TP-Link 300Mbps Wireless-N PCI Express Adapter", costing $15, with 2 antennas, 300Mbps, and it says 11b/g/n. What does this mean? Will it use the best of the 3? I will attach picture below.

 

(btw, is more antennas better? Found some with 3, but much more expensive)

Essentially the different letters are different standards of wireless communication. The reason that they are usually all listed on each product is for marketing purposes - most consumers will figure that more is better. They are all backwards compatible though, so even if you find an adapter that is advertised with "AC Wireless", it would still work with a router that only supported the "b" standard (the router would have to be extremely old, almost every router now days is AC, and pretty much every router that is still alive today is compatible with the "n" standard. More antennas aren't necessary, it just helps in situations with a poor signal strength. Adding more antennas after two turns into a diminishing returns pattern. 

 

Basically, I guess you could say that it would use the best of the three available. 

[Tech Wizard]

1 minute ago, Septimus said:

Essentially the different letters are different standards of wireless communication. The reason that they are usually all listed on each product is for marketing purposes - most consumers will figure that more is better. They are all backwards compatible though, so even if you find an adapter that is advertised with "AC Wireless", it would still work with a router that only supported the "b" standard (the router would have to be extremely old, almost every router now days is AC, and pretty much every router that is still alive today is compatible with the "n" standard. More antennas aren't necessary, it just helps in situations with a poor signal strength. Adding more antennas after two turns into a diminishing returns pattern. 

Exactly the answer I was looking for. I think this one will fit be best. I'm using an X79-Deluxe motherboard. Can I install the card in the bottom PCIe, just above the PSU? https://imgur.com/WIRWZxF

[Septimus]

Just now, Tech Wizard said:

I'm using an X79-Deluxe motherboard. Can I install the card in the bottom PCIe, just above the PSU? https://imgur.com/WIRWZxF

Yep, it will work just fine right there. 

[Septimus]

1 minute ago, Tech Wizard said:

 https://imgur.com/WIRWZxF

By the way, it looks like you've got an NZXT Hue light kit, do you have to re-tune the kit to the color/mode you want each time your system starts up? 

[Tech Wizard]

Just now, Septimus said:

By the way, it looks like you've got an NZXT Hue light kit, do you have to re-tune the kit to the color/mode you want each time your system starts up? 

No NZXT stuff in here. Just a simple white LED light strip

[Septimus]

Just now, Tech Wizard said:

No NZXT stuff in here. Just a simple white LED light strip

lol oh well. 

[Septimus]

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