Ports On A Computer

I'm trying to refresh my memory on computers. I opened up my computer and took a picture of its MB buses. One of which I am seeing is a PCI card slot the other being in ATA slot, correct?


Would it likely work with this wireless interface?

 

Do not confuse PCI with PCIe (PCI Express or PCIE). Despite their names, they are very different and not physically or electrically compatible. PCI is quite old, but some later motherboards still supported it.

And ATA is totally different again, and comes in two flavors; SATA and PATA (or EIDE). These are commonly used as drive interfaces.

A model number of your computer (or motherboard) would be very helpful but it looks like those are both PCIe with the longer one being PCIe x 16.

You likely have another option and that is a USB wireless adapter.

 

I am currently using a USB wireless adapter. But it is slower than snot. So I'm looking to get a faster option, I opened up the computer it took a good look at the ports it looks like it might be compatible I need to go into the specs on the computer and verify this. I am using this new to me computer.

 

Manual, if I interpret the manual correctly the Wi-Fi card would be compatible yes?

 

Well, like PCIe adapters, there are different speed USB adapters too. And note that computer has USB 3.0 ports so you could get a faster USB adapter.

That said, if me, I would get a PCIe too. And for sure, one with external antennas like the one you linked too.

But do note, according to that Amazon link, that computer comes with wifi.

 

So they say, what I got was two USB Wi-Fi adapters. one with an antenna and one without. I do weekly backups on my computer, today's backup using my network was almost unbearable. It worked well enough to get me on the Internet and that is about it.

 

Just to clarify, most likely the adapter with antennas does have antennas - they are just inside the adapters housing. Those work okay if close to the wireless access point (WAP) - but not so good if any distance is between.

I am just concerned because many people waste money on new adapters only to discover they don't fix the problem. There are many things that affect wifi performance. Distance and barriers are the biggest two.

If you are in the same room as the WAP, try using the 5GHz band, if supported. 5GHz works best with short distances between the endpoints. Try to limit the number of barriers (walls, floors and ceilings) between the endpoints - especially barriers that may have lots of wires and metal pipes in them.

Most other wireless devices (including smart phones, smart TVs, smart security cameras, thermostates, etc.) use the 2.4Mhz band. If many devices, that can bog down your network.

Also, if you live in a crowded wifi neighborhood (in or near a large apartment complex, for example) the 2.4MHz band can be crowded, subject to interference. If that applies to you, you might check in your router's admin menu to see if you can change channels. This is actually easy as you only have to change it in the router. The connecting devices will do it automatically.

If your WAP (typically integrated with the router) has external antennas, try moving them around. If internal antennas, try rotating the whole router 90°.

Move the endpoints away from (or out of the path of) any large metal objects like refrigerators or metal file cabinets. If possible move the WAP to a more central location.

Note that 802.11ax is the latest (and best) wifi protocol. The adapter you linked to supports 802.11n. If your current wireless router does not support 802.11ax, your next one most likely will (or even a newer protocol). So for future proofing, best to get the latest.

Also, I like adapters with detachable antennas that you can re-position them up high. A neighbor just bought this one and claims it made a huge difference. His WAP is upstairs and his computer is downstairs but also sits on the floor downstairs. He was able to position the antenna up high on a shelf and is now real pleased with his wireless performance.

 

So I bought the card, installed it, and saw an immediate increase in speed by a factor of about 5 to 10. Thank you for the help. It is a challenge doing these things with just one hand but I managed it. The new computer is of a size that I can carry it with one hand.

 

Great! I am glad it worked out for you and thanks for coming back with your follow up.