Best wifi dongle for strong range/coverage

neilmcl

that wrote: »

that dongle will at leas have to have a long antenna,

for single room use i would get a wifi enabled powerplug, but it could be best to get a mesh system that covers your house.

The antenna on those dongles is perfectly fine, and for around a tenner it sorts the OP's issue out (or should do).

wongataa

EveryWhere wrote: »

The 5 GHz band tends to have less overcrowding than the 2.4GHz band because fewer devices use it and because it has 23 channels for devices to use, while the 2.4GHz band has only 11 channels.

13 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi channels in the UK. The US has 11.

that

neilmcl wrote: »

The antenna on those dongles is perfectly fine, and for around a tenner it sorts the OP's issue out (or should do).

I have two similar, and they work well most of the time, stick out a it too much for my liking with potential to snag on stuff.

If it is bad for the laptop, possibly also bad for the mobile, smart watch etc?

If to much metal in place, or the router is poor design, you just cant polish a turd

EveryWhere

neilmcl wrote: »

The antenna on those dongles is perfectly fine, and for around a tenner it sorts the OP's issue out (or should do).

You can buy similar that are position-able; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1200Mbps-USB-Wifi-Adapter-USB-3-0-Wireless-Network-Dongle-with-Base-for-PC-UK/153151621684

mksysb

Do you need wifi, a powerline adapter may work better.

Robisere

Is this requirement for a desktop or a laptop?
If for a desktop, this is the newer version of the adapter I had in my desktop before I ran an Ethernet cable across the bungalow loft. It gave me great reception across 3 rooms and 3 walls. It's Gigabit and Dual Band:
https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/adapter/archer-t9e/

For a laptop, I would use this:
https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/adapter/archer-t2uh/

Don't need this for wife's laptop, as she uses it close enough to the router. to the router.

arciere

I would spend the money on a Powerline adaptor rather than a (often useless) external dongle.

If you are using a laptop, its WiFi card / antenna will 99% of the cases have a better reception than a USB dongle (the majority of laptops have antennas that run all over the back of the screen).

Remember that WiFi is a two-way communication system: you can have the most powerful antenna in the world, but the other device (either the router or the laptop) must be able to communicate back. If it can't, there is nothing you can do.

5 Ghz will also not solve your problem, if you have very low signal (opposed to good signal but poor quality), as 2.4 Ghz network have a better ability to penetrate obstacles than 5 Ghz, therefore wider range.