Networks Idiot orders mobo without wifi

Hi,

So without thinking about it I managed to order and build a system around a motherboard (ASUS 11OI) which doesn't come with build in WIFI... In 2016 WIFI is not a given.. Apparently...

The board has USB3, USB2 and PCIEx16 so I've got plenty of choices, but no idea how good USB dongles are or if I should go with a proper card. Any suggestions to get me out of my self dug hole?

Cheers.

 

PCI-E card with wireless AC should do you proud

 

yeah the dedicated ac wifi pci cards are much better than the USB one's. i have no proof to back this up mind. just from personal experience.

The Asus one's are really good if you can afford them otherwise just make sure you go with a decent brand that is still supporting it.
tuns of cheap Chinese generic cards about, sometimes they work fine, other wise they dont. 50/50

On amazon TP-LINK Archer T6E and T8E are at a decent price and about £20 cheaper than there Asus equivalent

 

Cheers, I'll likely just go with N for the time being since it appears to be a third of the price on that TP-Link, link.
I'm repairing my parents system which only gets used for browsing and a little word processing. Also I don't think their router even supports AC.

 

i read an article a while ago that suggested always going the route of an add in Card as opposed to a stick, it claimed that the Sticks dont have enough juice flowing through the USB port to give them much power on the upload, and that makes 'talking' to the router problematic. It then went on to say that Add in cards can draw more juice, and make much better connection to the Router, add to that USB Wifi cards often have built in Antenna, While the Add in cards have Exterior ones make the add in card Superior in just about all performance cases

 

I know you've got loads of helpful advice here, but my two cents are to burn it. Burn it with fire.

 

Homeplugs are always an option.
I bought a second hand pair for £15 recently and they have been great.

 

I have used a USB netgear 3100 for a few years now. Its more than capable of maxing my download and upload on Sky Fiber ( I get 80/20 connection) Not had a single issue with it. Its currently connected to the router at 250Mbps.

Just depends on distance for speeds.

 

You're an idiot.

 

I never needed WiFi in my desktop, why should it be standard?

 

Ditto, I've been using Netgear's AC1200 USB stick and it's lovely. 802.11ac at full whack, way faster than my internet speed. Saves me using a non-existant PCIe slot as well. So yeah, USB Wifi isn't terrible at all, just buy a decent one.