Whats the best Wireless PCI card for me to buy? I'm sick of adapters...

revorocksrevorocks England, East Sussex, Hove Member
edited December 2008 in Science & Tech
Hi,

I'm looking to buy a wireless PCI card for my desktop pc.
Our wireless network is at 802.11G 108Mb/s so I dont need N draft, unless there is a good one and is cheap.

All I want is somthing that is reliable, Vista compatible and doesn't suffer lag spikes every 2 minutes like my currant adapter.

I am 1 floor above the wireless router so Im sure range isnt much of an issue.
Whats the best PCI card I can get? I'm looking to spend around £20. Also, I'm in the UK so buying from US isn't really an option because import tax is a nightmare.

Like I said, I just want it to work properly, without all these lag spikes and random disconnecting.

Thanks.

Comments

  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Which brand are you using now? I've had a lot of success with the Linksys WMP54G.
  • revorocksrevorocks England, East Sussex, Hove Member
    edited November 2008
    Im using a Sweex wireless LAN 54mb/s USB 2.0 adapter but that gets lag spikes every 2 minutes and randomly disconnects.
    Also, I use a Netgear WG111T 108mb/s USB 2.0 adapter but that overheats, causing me to either freeze, or BSOD.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Are you sure it's your adapter? http://icrontic.com/articles/solve_xp_wlan_disconnects
  • revorocksrevorocks England, East Sussex, Hove Member
    edited November 2008
    Wow, that does look jsut like my problem. So its the WZC thats causing these lag spikes. Do you know of any free software that I can use instead of WZC thats reliable and doesn't suffer these lag spikes?

    I cant use that optimiser because its vista only :(

    Right I've typed net stop wzcsvc but I cant try it out today. I will test it tomorrow.
    Thankyou for a solution Thrax! :)
  • RichDRichD Essex, UK
    edited December 2008
    Most Network adapters come with some form of software bundled. Have a look at the disks that your adapter came with. Personally I tend to avoid the user designed software like the plauge as I have had more problems trying to conect with them. I have found WZC much easier to get conected. However if that is causing problems then you may have to disable it and use some manufacturer software.
  • revorocksrevorocks England, East Sussex, Hove Member
    edited December 2008
    I can fix the problem by typing net stop wzcsvc in run.
    It stops the lag spikes but sometimes the adapter overheats causing me to loose connection. Because I disabled WZC with that command I have to reastart it by net start wzcsvc.

    While this isn't too hard I would still prefer to have a PCI card that doesn't have the problem of overheating like my adapter does.

    What is the best PCI card for me to buy? I need somthing reliable.
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    Orinoco Classic Gold is a great wireless card, I've had one for years. But it's an 802.11b card, you might not be able to use it on a newer network.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2008
    802.11b is a dump.

    Really, any card from a major brand is a solid choice. 3Com, DLink, Linksys, etc. Can't really go wrong unless it's just a bum card.
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