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Suggestions for Wireless PCI cards

I

Intelman07

Senior member
What wireless PCI or PCIe cards are people getting today? What seems reliable? I am in the market for a new Wireless card, and needed suggestions. My friend recently got a Dlink DWA-552, which caused bluescreens and freezing, which apparently is a known problem. I want to avoid that.

My Wireless Access Point is a Dlink DIR-655, which is 802.11n, but that isn't too important to me (thought it would be nice to use 802.11n), what matters to me is it is at least 802.11g and is reliable with good drivers that supports Vista x64.

So what do you guys reconmend?
 
The reason your friend is having problems with the DWA-552 is due to the Vista driver. If he uses the XP driver he should be good. That's for the 32 bit version of Vista, not x64.
 
Originally posted by: Muadib
The reason your friend is having problems with the DWA-552 is due to the Vista driver. If he uses the XP driver he should be good. That's for the 32 bit version of Vista, not x64.
Click to expand...

I do not get it.

D-Link writes Drivers for Vista and they do not test it at all?
 
Originally posted by: JackMDS
Originally posted by: Muadib
The reason your friend is having problems with the DWA-552 is due to the Vista driver. If he uses the XP driver he should be good. That's for the 32 bit version of Vista, not x64.
Click to expand...

I do not get it.

D-Link writes Drivers for Vista and they do not test it at all?
Click to expand...
With driver certification, it is pretty shocking.

 
I'm switching over from using USB / PCI client NICs to using access point/routers at BOTH ends of the connection, and wired ethernet connections from those to the devices to be connected over the wireless link between the two APs.

You can do this if your AP supports "WDS bridging" or "Client Mode" operation. Not too many APs support it well or at all with stock firmware, but several models can use custom 3rd party firmware (like DD-WRT, OpenWRT, etc.) to allow the function.

In the case of a client mode AP the other (main) AP never really even needs to know the other one is anything but some random wireless client, it can't tell the difference.

I figure the firmware for the APs is probably more highly evolved and reliable than the junk drivers you see for the PCI / PCI-E / USB Client NICs which are just HORRIBLE to use under Vista / LINUX / etc. much of the time.

This way if the wired ethernet drivers work on any given computer, voila, that's all that you need to get a wireless link that is pretty reliable.

You can also use some of those dedicated "wireless game adapters" that you'd use to connect a PS3 or Xbox or whatever console ethernet port into your existing wireless access point, they're just typically "client mode" type of wired ethernet to wireless ethernet converters.

And with the APs you probably have better antenna options and stronger transmitters etc.

 
Originally posted by: QuixoticOne
I'm switching over from using USB / PCI client NICs to using access point/routers at BOTH ends of the connection, and wired ethernet connections from those to the devices to be connected over the wireless link between the two APs.

You can do this if your AP supports "WDS bridging" or "Client Mode" operation. Not too many APs support it well or at all with stock firmware, but several models can use custom 3rd party firmware (like DD-WRT, OpenWRT, etc.) to allow the function.

In the case of a client mode AP the other (main) AP never really even needs to know the other one is anything but some random wireless client, it can't tell the difference.

I figure the firmware for the APs is probably more highly evolved and reliable than the junk drivers you see for the PCI / PCI-E / USB Client NICs which are just HORRIBLE to use under Vista / LINUX / etc. much of the time.

This way if the wired ethernet drivers work on any given computer, voila, that's all that you need to get a wireless link that is pretty reliable.

You can also use some of those dedicated "wireless game adapters" that you'd use to connect a PS3 or Xbox or whatever console ethernet port into your existing wireless access point, they're just typically "client mode" type of wired ethernet to wireless ethernet converters.

And with the APs you probably have better antenna options and stronger transmitters etc.
Click to expand...
Exactly. just get a Linksys WRT54G or GS, install some 3rd party firmware, and set it to Client Mode. You don't have to worry about blue screens from crappy wireless card drivers, less resources used from your machine to keep that card working, and it's pretty flexible (you can move it to another machine easily). As far as your machine is concerned, your using a nice and simple wired connection. That's what I'm doing with my friends machine that needs his broken wireless card replaced.
 
For internal PCI wireless 'g' cards, I've had the most reliable performance with any of the cards running the atheros ar5005gs (or higher) chipset. I always just use the generic atheros drivers rather than any customized versions supplied with the cards. 4.2.2.14 is my favorite version. I haven't had a chance to try any of the new atheros 'n' pci cards yet. I'm definitely not a fan of ralink or broadcom.

I've also had excellent results with the Linksys WGA600N wireless 'n' gaming adapter. It works great in some HD streaming setups that I have done. It is compact in size, does wpa/wpa2; has two internal antennas (none visible) and 1 ethernet jack. Its much like setting up another router in client mode as others have suggested above, but it also does 'n' mode, is really compact, and needs no firmware changes.

The D-Link DWL-G550 pci adapter has the atheros chipset. There are also cheaper versions in off-brands.
 
Originally posted by: JackBurton
Originally posted by: QuixoticOne
I'm switching over from using USB / PCI client NICs to using access point/routers at BOTH ends of the connection, and wired ethernet connections from those to the devices to be connected over the wireless link between the two APs.

You can do this if your AP supports "WDS bridging" or "Client Mode" operation. Not too many APs support it well or at all with stock firmware, but several models can use custom 3rd party firmware (like DD-WRT, OpenWRT, etc.) to allow the function.

In the case of a client mode AP the other (main) AP never really even needs to know the other one is anything but some random wireless client, it can't tell the difference.

I figure the firmware for the APs is probably more highly evolved and reliable than the junk drivers you see for the PCI / PCI-E / USB Client NICs which are just HORRIBLE to use under Vista / LINUX / etc. much of the time.

This way if the wired ethernet drivers work on any given computer, voila, that's all that you need to get a wireless link that is pretty reliable.

You can also use some of those dedicated "wireless game adapters" that you'd use to connect a PS3 or Xbox or whatever console ethernet port into your existing wireless access point, they're just typically "client mode" type of wired ethernet to wireless ethernet converters.

And with the APs you probably have better antenna options and stronger transmitters etc.
Click to expand...
Exactly. just get a Linksys WRT54G or GS, install some 3rd party firmware, and set it to Client Mode. You don't have to worry about blue screens from crappy wireless card drivers, less resources used from your machine to keep that card working, and it's pretty flexible (you can move it to another machine easily). As far as your machine is concerned, your using a nice and simple wired connection. That's what I'm doing with my friends machine that needs his broken wireless card replaced.
Click to expand...

I third this motion. If it's a desktop that won't be moving around a lot and is usually on most of the time, I'd go this route as well. The computer will think it's just a wired connection and you'll have a lot less hassles. A desktop that is wireless tends to not be as reliable.
 
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