Connecting devices via Wi-Fi is very common nowadays. We have many gadgets that don’t even work through cable. Now, for the connection to be adequate, it is important to have good adapters. In this article we are going to give a series of essential tips to buy a USB Wi-Fi adapter and make it work as well as possible. Let’s see what features it should have.
Essential points in a USB Wi-Fi adapter
When we buy a Wi-Fi adapter, we can buy it both internally and externally. In the case of those that are USB, we can say that they are more useful for laptops. But we must always take into account some factors to make them work as well as possible and not have problems.
USB port type
The first is to see what type of USB port you use. It can support USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 . Ideally, it should be compatible with the latter, since in this way it will improve performance and achieve greater speed, which is ultimately what we want to achieve when connecting via Wi-Fi.
A USB 2.0 port has a maximum bandwidth of 480 Mbps, while version 3.0 can reach 10 times more. To achieve the maximum fiber optic speed, it will be essential to have a Wi-Fi adapter that works through a USB 3.0 port. It will not be the only condition, but it will be something essential.
double band
We must also observe that it works in the 2.4 GHz band and in the 5 GHz band. Today most modern adapters will have this feature, but it is something that we must verify so as not to be limited and have a bad speed or quality of the signal when connecting.
We can say that the 5 GHz band is the one that will provide the maximum speed, although it is more sensitive to distance and possible obstacles. On the other hand, the 2.4 GHz one is ideal if we are going to connect far from the access point or there may be obstacles that affect the signal.
Physical format
Another point to take into account is the format of the USB Wi-Fi adapter. There are those that are basically like a flash drive, small in size that we can save anywhere. There are also larger ones, with an external antenna that will take up more space and can be more complicated to transport.
Do we want something that is as small as possible? In that case, the ideal would be one the size of a USB stick. Now, it will have less range than another that does have an external antenna. Therefore, it is another thing to take into account and that we must decide.
Encryption that supports
It is important to maintain maximum security. Wireless networks need to have a good password to avoid intruders. But beyond the key itself, we must also look at the type of encryption they support. Not all adapters are going to be the same in this regard.
What type of encryption should they support? The interesting thing is that they are compatible with WPA-3 if we want to use the most current encryption and that it will be used more and more. It is undoubtedly the most secure that exists today, above WPA-2.
In short, these are the main factors to buy this type of device. You can see some tips to avoid cuts in the USB Wi-Fi adapter and prevent it from malfunctioning.
