Wireless PCI card vs USB Wireless Adapter

Is there a big difference in performance? I need to set up a desktop for
wireless.

 

Depends on distance. With USB you can extend the USB cable
and adapter to where you get the best signal. A PCI card with
fixed antenna is fine for nearby stations.

 

I'd go with a USB adapter, it won't be stuck under a desk and can be placed
accordingly for the best signal, it doesn't require opening your case to
install and can easily be used with other machines.

An interesting note: USB wireless adapters actually contain the same
assembly as PCMCIA cards (and often an actual PCMCIA card inside), with a
PCMCIA to USB interface, PCI cards also contain the same PCMCIA assembly
attached to a PCB with a PCI interface.


--
All the best,

Ryan Younger.
http://spaces.msn.com/members/wirelessnetworking/ - Ryan's Wireless
Networking Weblog

 

Yep. PCI or PCMCIA cards don't get as good reception, depending upon
circumstances local to any given machine, than USB wi-fi NICs can. Now I say
"can" because you can get wi-fi NICs that look like bluetooth adapters (look
something like a flash drive hanging out of a USB port) and you can get USB
wi-fi NICs that have a USB cable out to an adapter that can stand up looking
like it is just an aerial. The aerial looking ones are much better than any
other because you can place them where you like within the reach of the USB
cable and quite honestly, I sit one I use on top of a TV in the "computer
room" and it goes from one end of the house to the other to get the signal
to/from the router. Never a problem yet any machinery such as washing
machines, microwaves, handheld landline phone etc may be working and the
router sits within inches of the base station of a handheld move around
landline phone. I even turned the router down to 25% output power and still
no troubles.

I can also take this NIC out of my desktop and shove it in my laptop and any
other machine I may bring home and use it, too.

In short, better distances and more versatile. Gee, even a Mac person I know
can use my wi-fi NIC in his laptop.