[solved] USB wifi dongle suggestions?

Rob

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The internal wifi/bluetooth card in my laptop died and i'm currently using an old usb wifi guy that i probably bought 7-8 years ago and looking for recommendations for a new one that i could pick up from amazon.

Looking for one that is basically the size of a flash/thumb drive that works well with Linux. No giant antennas or anything, just a small guy to plug in.

Thanks!
 


Hi Rob,
I have 2 that I use on my old dell, a mini N150 and a pen-drive size N300 both TP link [only problem can be TPL use RTL chipsets, so you may need to download/install the correct drivers]
 
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I guess i could also figure out which internal card i have and get a replacement.

Or just one that works with Linux - should you not be able to find the exact replacement. They're a standard shape and size (from when I've replaced them).

How broken is it? There's like a press-fit antenna that needs to be connected and it could have come loose. I figure you'd have checked already, but I might as well be sure.
 
Embarrassingly I couldn't get past getting the back cover off lol. Supposedly you remove all the backing screws, then push in with a small object to push the keyboard away. I pushed and pushed but nothing happened so i put all the screws back in and looked around the house for a wifi adapter :)

 
Looks fairly straightforward , compared to some, I remember the first time I stripped an Acer ZG5 it took me well over an hour to get to the part that needed replacing, I ended up with 142 parts and screws in dishes and saucers on the dining table, the worse i have dealt with was fitting a new battery to a MacBook
 
It's been my experience, more often than not, laptop have the wifi chip integrated or soldered onto the motherboard.
(Not always, but usually). Newer motherboard typically use the M.2 type wifi adapters.


In my experience, intel wifi chips seem to be the most compatible with Linux. Although RealTek and Broadcom are getting better.
The other thing that determines what kind of wifi adapter is... what Wifi protocol does your router support?

B, N, G, AX or AX. You likely want the fastest one that your router supports. 5GHz is slightly faster on your local LAN
but is no faster out to the internet. 2.4GHz has a little more range if your router is a ways away from your computer.

 
ha - i was able to get it open - i had skipped a step :) I unclipped the antennas and re-clipped them, took a pic of the card, put it all back together and have wifi again. I'll keep an eye on it to see how well it works or if it sputters out again.

Thanks everyone.

Edit: Also ordered an identical new one from Amazon for ~$19 so i can replace it if it disappears again.
 
Yeah, those antenna connections can get loose over time and, I would assume, heat cycles.

Don't forget to mark your thread solved! :D
 
Yeah, those antenna connections can get loose over time and, I would assume, heat cycles.

Don't forget to mark your thread solved! :D
ha - i guess i should prob install an add-on where users can just click 'solved' instead of editing the title :)
 
I firmly agree. That'd be a good add-on.

If the add-on lets them specify a specific response as the answer that solved it, all the better. Discourse will let you do that without add-ons.
 
Well, who's spoiled, then? ;)

The Boss swings by with a support question, and in no time there are 12 Posts.

Good outcome.

i guess i should prob install an add-on where users can just click 'solved' instead of editing the title :)

While you're at it can you get a glass of wine Like icon for David G. and a Groan icon for people responding to my jokes?

Avagudweegend all

Wiz (swans off for another coffee, humming We Gotta Get Out of This Place, by The Animals)
 

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