If you’re paying more, you might as well consider upgrading your standalone router, running an Ethernet cable to the PC, or installing a new mesh network in your home. Paying more doesn’t necessarily mean better performance the pricier adapters didn’t win all of our tests.

Good price: This factor is very important-you shouldn’t have to pay more than $40 to $80 for a USB adapter.

Good range: A good Wi-Fi adapter should be able to maintain a strong connection and reasonably quick transfer speeds even when it’s several rooms away from your router.

We tested each adapter to see how it could do in a real home. For example, an AC1200 adapter is rated to provide 300 Mbps (megabits per second) on the 2.4 GHz band and 867 Mbps on the 5 GHz bands, but no adapter can achieve that. We started by looking at each adapter’s AC rating: while those numbers are generally pretty misleading, they do tell you each adapter’s maximum theoretical throughput. You need throughput to download updates and stream videos at the quality you’re paying for.

Good throughput: Think of the tasks you do the most where you’re waiting and watching a spinning pinwheel.

If the network is secure, you will be prompted to enter the Wi-Fi password. Open your wireless utility and select the network you want to connect to. Simply press the WPS button on your adapter and your router to automatically configure and connect. WPS Setup – Use if your wireless router supports WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup). Wireless Utility – Connect to your wireless network using the wireless utility method.ī. There are two ways to connect to a wireless network:Ī.

Follow the on-screen instructions in the setup wizard.

Note: If the setup wizard does not automatically start, navigate a file manager to the virtual CD-ROM and double-click Setup.exe The setup wizard should start automatically.

Insert the DWA-171 into a USB port on your PC.

Verify the settings such as the wireless network name (SSID) and security settings of the network(s) you want to connect to.

Disable any built-in wireless and/or Ethernet adapters.

Remove any previous installations of wireless adapters.

Use router as wireless adapter for pc