WiFi PCI / PCIe Cards

WiFi PCI card vs. WiFi USB adapter - which is better?
Most people now rely on Wi-Fi for their Internet access. This eliminates annoying cabling and you can move, especially with notebooks freely within the range of the wireless network. The connection of other devices such as printers is possible. While most modern devices are already WiFi-ready at the factory, this can not be the case with older PCs or for other reasons. If you still want to connect these devices to a WiFi network, you can either do this via a WiFi USB stick or via a WiFi PCI card. Depending on user requirements, the PCI card may be preferable to a USB stick.

For bargain hunters exists in both variants, no significant difference, both sticks and PCI cards are available from well below 20 euros. Only those who want some extras have to dig deeper into their pockets. A financial factor, to opt for a WiFi USB stick or adapter or a WiFi PCI card, so there is not.

The differences between the stick and the card are somewhere else, for example the range. This is, depending on the positioning of the PC with a WiFi PCI card usually much better, since it has an antenna. Especially for larger houses, therefore, offers the use of a PCI card. Although there are also WiFi USB sticks with external antennas, these play for the range but not as crucial as the WiFi PCI card. Nevertheless, good ranges can also be achieved with the USB adapters. In the long term, it makes sense that the antenna of the PCI card can be replaced and therefore not a whole new card must be purchased immediately. Since it is usually installed on the back of the PC, this should not be directly with the back to the wall, otherwise the antenna is otherwise completely shielded, which then logically suffers the range. Of course, this problem is also equivalent to USB adapters. The normal disruptive factors such as metal struts in the walls, furniture, etc., which can lead to a restriction of the wireless range, apply equally to both variants, but are not so significant in a WiFi PCI card.

If you are not technically well-versed, but would still like to forego the advantages of a WiFi PCI card, you should follow a detailed guide during installation or get help if necessary. The installation takes place in a dedicated PCI slot on the back of the PC. However, one does not have the risk with the installed PCI card to accidentally tear it out when carelessly passing it and to damage it as it would with the inserted USB adapter.

The advantages of the WiFi PCI card are therefore above all in their range. If you are looking for it, especially if you have to overcome a lot of walls and longer distances, you are very well advised to use it due to the powerful external antennas, despite the somewhat more complicated installation.

Why do I need WiFi at all?
WiFi has become established worldwide and is hard to imagine in our lives. On the one hand, this is due to the significantly higher flexibility compared to wired networks and, on the other, the lower outlay. While each new network participant would first have to be wired via LAN, one can simply dial into a WiFi network via a corresponding password. Since the laying of network cables is not possible anywhere at all and is associated with both a financial and time, it seems obvious that most people prefer to use Wi-Fi. A spontaneous connection of multiple networks as an "ad hoc network" is possible. This allows different devices to communicate with each other, even if the output devices are no longer within range of each other. This is especially helpful for larger networks, for example in companies or at trade fairs. The ability to connect to the Internet via hot spots is also welcome in airports and hotels. For home use is especially important that you can move freely with WiFi-enabled devices within the range. Non-WiFi-capable devices can be easily and inexpensively integrated into an existing WiFi network via a USB adapter or even a WiFi PCI card.

However, one should also consider the security aspect, since WiFi networks offer much better access for harmful third-party attacks. To avoid this, a secure and individual password should be chosen, with which all users must be dialed into the network. If this is the case, the WiFi network is in no way inferior to the wired LAN network in terms of security. Which type of internet connection you ultimately choose is always a matter of taste