AC USB adapter

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › AC USB adapter

mrphil

425 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 21

#139171 30-Jan-2014 10:13

Hi all

Just a quick question

Would you be able to get the full AC speed when using a AC adapter on a 2.0 USB port? Or should I just stick with wireless N since I only have a 2.0 USB port?

wellygary

8810 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5287

#977153 30-Jan-2014 10:40

Forget about it,

USB2 maxes out at 480mbps, ( but with signalling overheads its usually at least 10% lower than that), so theoretically your N dongle can already run faster than the USB port,

AC might give you other benefits, but in terms of speed you will need to go to USB 3 to really get the full benefit of an AC dongle

mrphil

425 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 21

#977155 30-Jan-2014 10:43

wellygary: Forget about it,

USB2 maxes out at 480mbps, ( but with signalling overheads its usually at least 10% lower than that), so theoretically your N dongle can already run faster than the USB port,

AC might give you other benefits, but in terms of speed you will need to go to USB 3 to really get the full benefit of an AC dongle

That's what I was thinking, but wasn't 100% sure and it's always nice to have someone else confirm it

Thank you wellygary

wasabi2k

2102 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 860

#977180 30-Jan-2014 10:56

I was so confused as to why you were plugging your USB device into AC Power.

Makes more sense that you're talking about 802.11ac.

Also be wary - most cheaper usb wifi adapters have incredibly rubbish throughput.

mrphil

425 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 21

#977407 30-Jan-2014 13:55

wasabi2k: I was so confused as to why you were plugging your USB device into AC Power.

Makes more sense that you're talking about 802.11ac.

Also be wary - most cheaper usb wifi adapters have incredibly rubbish throughput.

lol sorry should of wrote 802.11ac

agree only stick to the good brand adapters

DravidDavid

1907 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 305

#977499 30-Jan-2014 15:21

Haha, the AC thing got me too!

Reviews will help as well. Not all brand names are the same. Some may be as bad as the cheap knock offs! Getting user reviews for all my computing equipment has saved me a lot of money and disappointment. Reviews will also highlight whether a certain model of a certain brand is better than their other similar products too.

In other words, even though one dongle might be marketed as "better", you may find the cheaper model out-performs the newer one or has more reliable firmware than the next generation.

webwat

2036 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 145

Trusted

#978451 1-Feb-2014 10:31

Thought you were talking about 230V-AC...

Time to find a new industry!