My computer's WiFi card is really weak, and since my modem is in another room, I can't run an Ethernet cable through the house. I'm trying to decide between two options: plugging in a WiFi adapter directly into my PC or setting up a WiFi extender in my room and connecting my PC to that with an Ethernet cable. What do you think is the better choice?
5 Answers
Before you decide, check how well your other devices get a connection. If your phone and laptop get a strong signal, a new WiFi card for your PC could be the cheapest fix. But if they also have poor signals in your room, you might want to look into a powerline adapter instead, as that might give you better speeds overall.
Quick question: Does your PC's WiFi card have antennas sticking out? Sometimes the metal case can block the signal. Just something to check!
I think a new WiFi adapter or even a powerline adapter might be your best bet. I had a similar issue—got a USB WiFi adapter with a bigger antenna and it fixed my connection issues entirely!
Just a heads up, if you go with the powerline adapter, make sure your rooms are on the same electrical phase for the best performance.
Make sure your current card is set up correctly. Do you have the antennas attached properly? If there’s metal blocking the signal, that could really affect performance.
Honestly, I'd suggest going with the extender plus Ethernet. It's usually a lot more stable than relying on a weak WiFi card.
My laptop gets around 700/500 Mbps from the same spot, but the PC barely hits 15/8 Mbps! Clearly, I need a better solution.