Wi-fi PCI vs Network Cable...Want to keep a tidy off is why i ask.

Adam Senior · 11 Mar 2012 at 21:26

Ok, i once had a PCI wireless card and tbh from what i remember my experiences were not great. And i think this was at least 6years ago.

So basically the area in which i will be having my equipment is not close to one of the wall sockets.

Leading to my question, i am currently twiddling my thumbs regarding either
a) Installing a PCI wireless card, giving me freedom to move my PC around if need be.
b) Installing a hard wired cable.

I will be doing some FPS gaming ect on this but iv been using my gaming consoles on wi-fi for a long time and it seems fast.

So basically will i see much difference or has tech come a long way that i probably would not notice much difference.

I was looking @ this fella TP-Link 300Mbps Wireless N PCI Adapter

Tealc · 11 Mar 2012 at 22:13

For FPS gaming you really want to be wired, it's just more reliable. If your access point is a long distance from your PC and there are a lot of other 2.4GHz devices broadcasting you may find frequent lost packets. That said a lot of people find wireless just fine.

bitslice · 11 Mar 2012 at 22:34

Wireless is always iffy at some point, I've 5-6 of the things hooked up over the years and all have suffered the odd drop out. The newer MIMO ones are much better though.

Cable is fit and forget, also cheaper.

kerrgreg · 12 Mar 2012 at 08:31

I would always go cable if you can

People do seems to be OK using wireless but personally I just find cable is faster and more reliable.

insejn · 12 Mar 2012 at 08:59

Ping / speeds / crc is all good over WiFi as long as you have "full bars" or around 90% signal all the time for the PC. Otherwise it will have hiccups, possibly in crucial moments or when suddenly more data is sent as burst.

I have an Edimax N Wifi card bought from OCUK which I used for about a year in my old apartment, worked great for playing WoW and EVE, downloading as well, but that was after some rigorous modem placing tests in the apartment to get proper signal from the very cheap modem.

Werewolf · 12 Mar 2012 at 12:52

Cable is more mucking around initially, especially if you want things nice and tidy.
However once you've got the basic cabling in, it's pretty much trouble free for life, with upgrades being cheap.
I've had my network setup for about 10 years now, and I'm just now considering retiring the switch that has been in use that whole time, mainly because it's only 10/100 and 1gbit switches are now cheap enough to be worth doing.

We've got a wireless router and an access point but we still don't get reliable wireless coverage at a good speed across the house.

bitslice · 12 Mar 2012 at 13:17

Yep, it sounds ridiculous but even in a normal house I switch between the AP upstairs and the one downstairs because video streaming isn't perfect otherwise.

Turn the microwave on or any AC motor and you can forget about getting a signal.