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So, I focused on the signal strength and the speed loss when moving the laptop quickly from one location to another. Top speeds were unreliable because congestion kept changing. When I tested the Wi-Fi 5 adapters against each other earlier in 2021, my whole family was working and learning from home. I tested Wi-Fi 5 performance with a 500Mbps symmetrical Verizon Fios fiber connection using a Verizon Fios G1100, an AC1750 router. The Archer T9UH works both as a docked adapter and as a plug-in dongle No, there are no Wi-Fi 6E USB adapters yet. 802.11ac is a massive improvement over the previous 802.11n and can give you a boost even without the benefits of the bigger antenna on an adapter. Your laptop probably supports 802.11ac-most laptops released since 2013 do-but if yours doesn't, that's another reason to get an adapter.

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In our full review of the X1850, we found that while it showed better signal strength than the Wi-Fi 5 adapters on a 2.4GHz network in a weak signal situation, that characteristic didn't at all translate into actual speed or reliability improvements in other situations.Īll the other adapters we tested support Wi-Fi 5, or 802.11ac. All of the current adapters use the AX1800 version of the Wi-Fi 6 spec, so they aren't inherently faster than the best 802.11ac adapters we tested. We reviewed the first model to hit the market, D-Link's DWA-X1850. Since the first one launched last summer, a few other Wi-Fi 6 USB sticks are now available, including the Asus USB-AX56, the D-Link DWA-X1850, and several shifty-looking Amazon brands. Wi-Fi 6 promises to bring better speeds, better range, and less interference to business and home networks, but so far, that experience hasn't materialized in real-world environments. If this chart makes your head hurt, just remember that higher numbers are better. Here's how all of those AC numbers in that range translate into potential speeds on the two main Wi-Fi frequency bands: 2.4GHz and 5GHz. The adapters we found perform at the AC1200, AC1300, and AC1900 levels. The 802.11ac Wi-Fi spec is disturbingly complicated, with more than a dozen different performance levels referred to by AC and a number. Adapters also likely won't work with other home electronics, as they require the right drivers.

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An enterprising independent programmer has developed macOS 11 and macOS 12 drivers (Opens in a new window) for many of the adapters we've reviewed, but you should yse these at your own risk. None of them have official drivers for macOS versions later than 10.15 (and some don't even have that), because the chipset vendors don't bother to support macOS. Recently, we purchased the first available Wi-Fi 6 adapter and tested it against some of the best-performing models from the earlier bunch.Īll of these adapters are compatible with Windows PCs and several also work with Linux.

We tested those models in four locations: right next to my router in my home office, only a few feet away but through two walls by my building elevator, which is another 20 feet away and through another wall and on the next floor up. In 2021, we purchased three adapters from TP-Link, one from Netgear, and two random low-cost Amazon brands. These adapters work on a simple principle: If you improve your antenna, your signal will improve too.

If you just need to eke a little bit more Wi-Fi out to one laptop or desktop, a USB adapter is a much cheaper alternative. Wi-Fi extenders are another option, even though they can create interference and add latency I wasn't thrilled when I tried one. The best way to improve your Wi-Fi signal is to switch from a single router to a mesh network system, but mesh systems can be expensive. The router itself is perfectly adequate for the space my computer's Wi-Fi antenna is what falls short. I live in a pretty small apartment, but two thick, 1928-era walls separate my home office from my Wi-Fi router. As you carve out odd spaces for home offices, you may end up in weird corners of kitchens, attics, or basements where your Wi-Fi doesn't reach. Good Wi-Fi is a modern necessity, especially for homes where multiple people are trying to work, learn, or be entertained.

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