Wireless Network Card Buyers Guide

A wireless network card is an add-in card for a desktop PC or workstation to enable it to connect to the wider network and outside world. Although most computers include a basic wired network card installed as standard, the choice to connect wirelessly will often be driven by wishing to keep cabling to a minimum or add convenience - either at home or in a small office. Connecting a device wirelessly is straight forward but does come with various considerations around speed of connection, range of wireless coverage and number of concurrent users.

It is worth noting that laptops usually have wireless cards built in so no additional card is required, unless an upgrade is desired. When it comes to servers, wired network connectivity is the preferred choice due to his volumes of traffic, large data sizes and desired resiliency.

Wireless Standards

Before we get into the various types of wireless cards available, we’ll spend some time looking at the technology. Wireless networking or WiFi refers to the transfer of data over radio waves rather than a cable. The speed of data transfer is measured in bits-per-second - Mbps for a thousand and Gbps for a million. The early speeds of wireless were less than could be achieved by basic wired connections (100Mbps), but later versions are now equalling the common 1Gbps speeds seen in many home network scenarios. Wireless technology has been around for many years, and the different versions are compared using the 802.11 standard or more commonly now, a sequential number. Let’s take a look at the common standards.

Generation	IEEE Standard	Year Adopted	Frequency	Max. Data Rate	Max. Range
Wi-Fi 2	802.11b	1999	2.4GHz	11Mbps	450ft
Wi-Fi 1	802.11a	1999	5GHz	54Mbps	400ft
Wi-Fi 3	802.11g	2003	2.4GHz	54Mbps	450ft
Wi-Fi 5	802.11ac	2014	5GHz	1Gbps	1000ft
Wi-Fi 6 / 6E	802.11ax	2019	2.4 / 5GHz	10Gbps	1000ft
Wi-Fi 7	802.11be	2024	2.4 / 5GHz / 6GHz	24Gbps	1000ft

Although each new version does promise greater theoretical speeds and distances of coverage, it is worth pointing out that the performance seen in the real world will be affected by obstacles, thickness of walls, building materials and other potential interference but we’ll look at these more later on.

To have the best chance of seeing the largest speeds and range seen in the table above, you will need to ensure that the wireless NIC in your device is connecting to a compatible access point or router (the device that then connects to the outside world). For example if your desktop has the latest 802.11ax wireless NIC, but is connecting to a 802.11n access point, it will work but your performance will limited to the slower 802.11n standard. The data rate seen will also be affected if others are also connecting at the same time.

Wireless Frequencies

The primary differences between the three frequencies are the range (coverage) and bandwidth (speed) that the bands provide. The 2.4GHz band provides coverage at a longer range but transmits data at slower speeds, whereas the 5GHz and 6GHz bands provide less coverage but transmits data at faster speeds. The range is lower in the 5GHz and 6GHz bands because higher frequencies cannot penetrate solid objects, such as walls and floors.

The wireless connection on a particular frequency band can also be faster or slower because of interference from other devices. Many WiFi devices use the 2.4GHz band, including microwaves and garage door openers. When multiple devices attempt to use the same radio frequency, overcrowding occurs. The 5GHz and 6GHz bands tend to have less overcrowding than the 2.4GHz band because fewer devices use it and because it has more channels for devices to use.

Types of Wireless NIC

Wireless cards can either connect to the PCIe slot or M.2 slot on the motherboard, or use an external USB port. The result will be the same, it just depends on whether you have compatible or available slots on your motherboard, or whether external ports would work better.

PCIe Cards

A PCIe add-in card fits into a slot on the motherboard and has one or several antenna that protrude outside the computer case to transmit the signal. Some PCIe cards feature an antenna on a cable so it can be better placed as often the rear of a desktop PC may be under a desk or close to a wall.

M.2 Cards

An M.2 card is a smaller form factor card that also connects to the motherboard, but usually found in laptops. As mentioned previously laptops will already feature built in wireless connectivity, but an M.2 card offers the chance to upgrade to a newer wireless standard if so desired, either for faster connectivity or greater range.

USB

It is also possible to use an external USB port to connect a wireless dongle or antenna. This is often the simplest way of adding wireless to a computer as no opening of the case is required. Again, as with PCIe cards the antenna may be internal to the dongle, connected out the back of it or be able to be used on a cable attachment for better positioning.

Network Considerations

Although this guide is concerned with wireless networking cards there are a few related aspects to consider when looking at configuring systems and connecting them a wider network.

Access Points and Routers

At some point a wireless network connection has to become wired to make the link to the wider world and Internet. The device that connects to a network switch is called a Wireless Access Point (WAP). The network switch may connect multiple WAPs and wired users too, that ultimately connect to a router for external connections. In home scenarios, the access point and router are usually combined into a single device called a wireless router. In a business scenario, multiple WAPs may be employed to reduce the burden on any given one access point. Using multiple access points does require extra configuration so that users don’t lose signal as they move about an area. This can be minimised by using mesh access points that are centrally controlled from one WAP designated a master unit. This mesh approach ensures even load across all access points thus guaranteeing consistent speeds and performance, as they act like one unit rather than individual access points.

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However if you would like further advice on the best connectivity solution for your system, don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team on 01204 474747.