which wifi option is best

nnjond · 01-22-2010, 08:07 AM

Hi,

It's no longer convenient for me to use a cable for my Desktop Internet connection, but i don't know the pros and cons of my options ; an internal card or a dongle?

Does any one have any opinions?

Thanks

TB0ne · 01-22-2010, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nnjond

Hi,

It's no longer convenient for me to use a cable for my Desktop Internet connection, but i don't know the pros and cons of my options ; an internal card or a dongle?

Does any one have any opinions?

You'll get as many opinions as there are people.

But the real answer is, "it depends". If you're using it for hard-core gaming, and need something with very little lag, an internal card will probably be better (of course, you'll need WiFi N too...). Even that's not as good as gigabit copper.

If you just need basic email/web browsing, either will work fine.

business_kid · 01-22-2010, 08:57 AM

For a desktop pc, I would go for the internal card, after checking it out carefully first. Dongles can be inconvenient sticking out of boxes, and disaster prone. In general, more cards than dongles currently work well with linux.

Forr a laptop, it would be pcmcia card or well behaved dongle.

parnote · 01-22-2010, 06:26 PM

nnjond,

Whichever way you decide to go, be absolutely sure to check the Linux HCL (Hardware Compatibility List) to make sure it works well with Linux, before you lay down your hard-earned cash. Plus, there's no sense in laying out cash for hardware that is known to have issues.

And, FWIW, I find that most any card that is based on the Atheros chipset is well supported in Linux.

parnote