Reddit reviews ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 4x4 802.11AC PCIe Adapter

Mother boards with WiFi have external antennas (scroll down a bit), they just screw on the back like any other WiFi radio. Bluetooth receivers tend to be no bigger than USB dongle ones but they don't take up a USB slot.

Wifi motherboards do not cost more than using an external card. WiFi LGA1151. Non-WiFi.. The 3 external adapters you linked cost $37, $85 and $108 respectively. The difference between two motherboards is certainly less than $85 for one with and without Wifi.

Additionally, if you notice most of the WiFi enabled motherboards are mini-ITX where space is at a premium. Using built in Wifi is a space saver. Rather than trying to cram another PCI card in your already limited space.

There are plenty of valid reasons to buy a motherboard with built-in WiFi, don't come at me with your bullshit.

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-802-11AC-Wireless-AC3100-Adapter-PCE-AC88/dp/B01H9QMOMY

I don't see anyone else recommending a 4x4 AC wave2 wifi adapter, which until 802.11ax is out should be the best. Assuming you have a 4x4 AC wave2 router of course.

Yeah, I say return that shit, you got taken in by very misleading marketing.

A wireless router can't transmit data any faster than what the client it's talking to is capable of.

Most modern clients are only capable of the 867Mbps or 1300Mbps max 802.11ac PHY rates, which, after typical Wi-Fi overhead, means 500-700 Mbps max throughput, and that's on a clean channel with the client in the same room as the AP, and no other devices taking up any airtime. The max PHY rate you can get drops off dramatically with distance and interference, so if you put a wall or a floor/ceiling between your client and the AP, you'll get far less throughput.

I could go into painful technical detail about how shitty TP-Link's marketing claims are for that router, but unless you're really ready to nerd out about wireless modulation and coding schemes, let me just leave it at this: Your "red beast" isn't going to improve over the "550 wireless, 900 wired" performance of your existing rented router unless you have clients capable of one or more of the following unusual speed-boosting technologies:

1. Support for 4 spatial streams. One ASUS PCIe WNIC for desktops supports this, but it's not common in laptops or tablets or phones because small devices don't have enough room for 4 separate antennas spaced out enough to be useful. Support for 4 spacial streams also adds power consumption (lessens battery life), increases thermal load (fans would have to run more, or throttle the CPU, GPU, or Wi-Fi more), and adds cost.
   
2. Support for using nonstandard 1024-QAM modulation with 802.11ac. 1024-QAM is part of the brand-new, just-barely-started-shipping 802.11ax/"Wi-Fi 6" standard, but some vendors added nonstandard 1024-QAM support to their 802.11ac devices. Your "red beast" doesn't actually support 802.11ax, so this speed boost only works with client devices that support this weird nonstandard mode. As it turns out, that same ASUS PCE-AC88 I linked to above happens to be one of the few WNICs that supports this. It seems Broadcom added nonstandard 1024-QAM support to one or two of their highest-end 802.11ac chipsets a couple years ago, so there are a few Broadcom-based client devices or WNIC cards that support it. I'm not aware of whether any other chipset vendors support it, or whether the support is interoperable between vendors (since it hasn't been standardized by the IEEE and the Wi-Fi Alliance doesn't certify compatibility for it).

You might as well just buy a NIC for that price. What head end router do you have anyway?

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-802-11AC-Wireless-AC3100-Adapter-PCE-AC88/dp/B01H9QMOMY

I bought [this one] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H9QMOMY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) . it is a bit expensive but to be honest I am enjoying it because there are no compromises . its very comparable to being hardwired. I went from hardwired to this for different reasons but I haven enjoyed this immensely for the past 5mo.

I'm currently in the process of upgrading my home network and have a similar problem. I'm renting and understand not being able to run a cord across the house. I've been using the top end powerline adapter (TP-link AV2000) and getting 60-70Mbps. I've read that this can be much better or worse just depending on your house wiring. I just quickly tried an Ookla speedtest with a MoCa 2.0 adapter and was able to get all of my 200Mbps internet connection. So it's at least that fast. I have a MocA 2.5 adapter coming in the mail today and I'm going to run an iPerf3 test on all three solution to see their full bandwidth. MoCa was the best solution for me. Other possible solutions:

1. Move the router, NAS, and workstation all into the same room and wire them with ethernet
   
2. Put a nice 4x4 AC router in the middle of the house and use 4x4 adapters on the NAS and workstation (or hardwire one of them). This won't be gigabit but can still be pretty fast. There might be fastest Wifi 6 hardware out now, but it's hard for me to keep up. It's still very early days for Wifi 6.
   
3. If they insist on a wireless solution and can't get a good connection to their workstation with a single router, the Orbi RBK50 is the fastest mesh solution.
   
   So I'd rank possible solutions:
   
   Wired Ethernet > MoCa > 4x4 Single AC Router with a strong signal to workstation > Orbi > Powerline

Asus makes some excellent PCI-E Wi-Fi cards. I have a PCE-AC56 and it has worked flawlessly for me for over two and a half years. It's well within your price range and it offers excellent performance. If you're looking for something a bit more powerful, the PCE-AC68 is basically the upgrade to the PCE-AC56, and I can only assume it performs slightly better. A final choice is to go balls to the wall overkill with the PCE-AC88, which I find hard recommending unless you need massive range and signal strength, which doesn't seem to be something you require. It's also out of your stated price range, so this one is entirely up to you. Any one of these should handily solve your problem. If you're looking for a good quality Wi-Fi solution that doesn't take advantage of your wallet like a prison bitch, the PCE-AC56 is a great choice.

I was more asking how far the signal has to travel. The big bonus that more expensive cards give you is more range, but if he's only going to be a room away then the range matters a bit less.

If price legitimately doesn't matter and his PC is pretty far away from the router or there are thick walls between the PC and router, this thing gets great reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-802-11AC-Wireless-AC3100-Adapter-PCE-AC88/dp/B01H9QMOMY

Never personally used that one, but a lot of people seem to like it. The drivers are a bit wonky though. If that's overkill, I own the card linked below and have never had any issues with it, and for the price I honestly don't know if you can beat it performance-wise. I would recommend it to anyone unless they need some serious range:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Archer-Heatsink-Technology-T6E/dp/B016K0896K

You don't need a $125 AIO cooler to prevent overheating lol. That cooler would be for if you wanted to OC that bad boy up to 5.0ghz or something.

With a 23in 1080p monitor, you really don't need much. If I were you, I'd upgrade to a 27in 1440p 144hz monitor for the best gaming experience. Key here is to get either a Freesync or Gsync monitor, coupled with the correct GPU. I personally use a BenQ 27in model that's 1440p/144hz with an rx 470 8gb GPU (freesync). I have never had such a good gaming experience as to 144hz and Freesync, honestly, it's that good! edit-it also has incredible color accuracy for being a TN panel, better than my IPS panel next to it.

Don't spend $2300 on something only to look at it through a 23in shitty monitor. That's just ludicrous.

I dunno what your homework entails, or how intensive your art would be, but my guess is the 7700k would do just fine for that. The 1700 really shines when it comes to video encoding, virtualization, multi-tasking, etc etc. It games perfectly well, but with an Nvidia GPU you'll notice better framerates on the 7700k (at the high end). The one key thing about 1700 gaming performance, and this is entirely subjective but often repeated by actual owners...is that the 1700 is really* smooth. Like...really smooth to game with. No lag, no jittering, it's really immersive that way. It's probably because the CPU has so much overhead to it.

Anyways, give this WiFi card a look if you absolutely demand the best signal. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H9QMOMY/?tag=pcpapi-20

yes, if you would have gone for something like this, you would have got better numbers than A7000 which is limited by USB performance.

​

Internal cards are PCie based which is much higher performance than USB2.0 and even USB3.0.

one example,

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-802-11AC-Wireless-AC3100-Adapter-PCE-AC88/dp/B01H9QMOMY/

​

I would not recommend any specific solution as everything has some or other problem.

​

other solution is you get a triband extender with ethernet port to get even better numbers. an example is NETGEAR EX8000 and plug in your PC to the LAN port.

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Tri-Band-Extender-EX8000/dp/B074F3M2W8/

​

**Other big question** you need to answer is whether your ISP router is even capable of gigabit performance on Wireless. I think Zyxcel C3000Z has pretty crappy wireless performance. You are better off with 3rd Party router.

​

​

A 3x3 AC like that TP-Link should be fine. You should get 300 to 400 Mbps with it from 15-20 feet, which is what I get with a Macbook Pro.

There is also the Asus PCE-AC88, which is a 4x4 AC. It's substantially more expensive. IMO, it's overkill for one computer but to each their own.

I'm a little clueless on what to look for in a wifi adapter nowadays. You used to just pick one with the highest letter at the end of it's name.

I'm sure my router doesn't support it, but I'd prefer if my wifi card can last me the next few years, which a router upgrade is possible during that timeline.

Could you suggest a decent PCI express card to go with?

I'm thinking maybe this one. Seems a bit expensive for a wifi card though.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H9QMOMY/?tag=pcpapi-20&th=1

Actually should I just go with a motherboard with onboard wifi?
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2Phj4D/asus-strix-z270-e-gaming-atx-lga1151-motherboard-strix-z270-e-gaming

There's no built in wireless adapter if that's what you're asking.

Honestly not very read up on the M.2 wireless adapters but if you have a free M.2 slot I don't see why you couldn't get an M.2 adapter (don't take my word for it, not read up very well on them).

Generally though M.2 slots deactivates some SATA ports so I'd probably opt for a PCI-e 4x4 MIMO wifi adapter for future proofing. ex. https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PCE-AC88-AC3100-802-11AC-Adapter/dp/B01H9QMOMY (note, not a recommendation, just an example)

If you don't have a high speed connection or a good router it's probably a waste of money and most 1x1/2x2 PCI-e adapters would suffice.

As I said though, my knowledge on M.2 wireless adapters is limited but for one it's noteworthy that if you don't have a 3x3 or 4x4 router it'd be wasted resources to get much more than a 2x2 adapter.. Also questioning the performance of mounting it inside the computer compared to external antenna of a PCI-e.

P.S. I'd probably have let someone else comment on it but I've seen a few similar posts lately with no answer so I figured I'd share my opinion on it at least even if it may not be the most helpful.

Im thinking about getting the ASUS AC88 Wifi adapter
(Because I cant run Ethernet to the room and various Powerline adapters have not worked out for few different reasons)

Anyway my question is it safe to assume that if my phone can consistently connect to my 5ghz signal this adapter can too? The only real reason I’m getting this specific adapter is because of the reach because my router is a bit far.

The price is a bit out there but I’m tired of it at this point and just want something that’s gonna work well and deliver the speeds I should be getting. My phone can always hit 120-150 Mbps while my computer jumps around 5-25 through Powerline/cheap USB WiFi adapters.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B016EWKQAQ/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H9QMOMY/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_3?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

even with these?

Out of curiosity, you talked about the 4x4 and the 2x2 is there any benefit to have a 4x4 adapter on a two 2x2 network? I do own a single 4x4 and it is this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H9QMOMY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_10?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1.

Edit

I know there is an ethernet cable wired from the room where the modem is to the wall and I believe it goes back to a box in the laundry room, there is a second ethernet cable in there that I believe goes to the exact opposite corner of the house. I am sure if I were to get some kind of ethernet coupler that could give me the cable to the other end of the house.

> My router is downstairs and across the house, so direct ethernet is not an option.

Wifi mostly likely is not an option either - at least not with JUST a WiFi card in the PC..

802.11 2.4Ghz my reach but that frequency band is so over saturated these day you will be lucky to minimal speeds and high latency on it..
and 802.11 AC 5GHz band probably will not have enough signal strength to reach..

So your entire WiFi configuration comes into play..

The Gateway that is used from your ISP to broadcast the WiFi signal... How far the device that wants WiFi is from that Gateway.. How much OTHER Wifi Signal (from all your neighbors) is clogging up the airways.. What building / appliance / stuff is between the far reaching device and the Gateway..

To combat these issues Mesh WiFi networks are being implemented more and more - So I would look into those..

https://www.pcmag.com/roundup/350795/the-best-wi-fi-mesh-network-systems

Ethernet over Powerline is also an option, but due to it being across the house they will not be on the same circuits and that adds some complication to the system..

Ethernet over powerline basically transmits a signal over your power lines to modules on either end.. Home wiring / power panels and appliances on the lines can effect the quality of the Ethernet of powerline signal..

These solutions are one of those try it and see if it works and works well in your situation.. They can either work GREAT or be a complete nightmare,

If you get a cheap set of adapters that were made a while ago with older EOP technology it likely will not work - They keep refining the process..

https://www.lifewire.com/best-powerline-network-adapters-4141215

With all that out of the way..

If your WiFi solution is decent then the Maximus X Hero(wifi-ac) will be adequate..

If it is not or you need faster transfers with a WiFi gateway that supports Multi-User MiMo Multiple in Multiple outs.. Which would aggregate more than one WiFi data streams..

You can get a card like this: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-802-11AC-Wireless-AC3100-Adapter-PCE-AC88/dp/B01H9QMOMY

If the Ethernet over powerline works out then your Built in Ethernet would work..

So how do you know if your WiFi as it sits will even reach?

Use your smartphone as a WiFi signal detector..

Here are some Android APPS - if you only have Apple your on your own lol..

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vrem.wifianalyzer


https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pzolee.wifiinfo

I would download them all and try them out and learn how the WiFi signals in your area are and what the traffic looks like..

Then go up to where the PC would be check the signal strength and traffic..

While up there run a Speetest

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.zwanoo.android.speedtest

and see what kind of speeds you get...

you can take your phone around to various areas to see how this changes..

Oh and good luck WiFi is all witchcraft and magic so it is not an exact science (unless you have the knowledge and equipment for proper evaluation)

With these simple tools you can gain a better understanding of your WiFi and what works and what does not..

Always go with an external antenna on a wire, so you can get the antennas up above your desk, for better line-of-sight.

The Asus PCE-AC88 looks like the most capable offering I can find. 4x4 MIMO is compelling for future-proofing.

The slightly less capable, but also lower-cost Asus PCE-AC68 looks like good hardware as well.

I wish they were Intel-based WiFI, and not Broadcom. But Broadcom drivers have gotten better these past few years.


I'd re-ask this question in both /r/wireless and /r/homenetworking before you spend $100.

Extreme casual
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H9QMOMY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_uHuvybHTDKRNX

Do you think that will outperform this one?

I'd say they're probably about the same thing ... the tp-link is advertising some smart-home fluff like alexa compatibility and IFTTT compatibility. How many devices are you going to be running off of it ... these are a bit overkill for most situations ?

Here's two expamples of the type of wifi adapter you'll probably want if you do decide to go with one of these routers:

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Wi-Fi-Express-Adapter-PCE-AC56/dp/B01H9QMOMY/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1502291134&sr=1-3&keywords=wifi%2Badapter%2Bpcie&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-PCI-Express-Beamforming-Archer-T9E/dp/B00TQEX7AQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1502291113&sr=1-2&keywords=wifi+adapter+pcie

Find out this information if you can. Assuming you are using the integrated wifi on the motherboard, you can always try disabling that and getting a better wifi adapter with position-able antennas:

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PCE-AC68-Dual-Band-Wireless-Adapter/dp/B00F42V83C/

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PCE-AC88-AC3100-802-11AC-Adapter/dp/B01H9QMOMY/

Edit: Just saw your update, glad that worked. Signal was probably partially being blocked by your system.

I do have devices that support 4x MiMo yes. Two computers in particular.

As to beamforming, I'm not an expert on radio signals and engineering, however enabling it client-side has shown a dramatic increase with the speeds I get on a computer located furthest away from the AP. Perhaps this is just a client-side benefit?
This is what that client machine is using to connect: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H9QMOMY/

Speed tests showed a jump of 100% toggling it on/off.

The problem I have with the multiple APs is to be effective and IMO worth much more than say a tri-band router they would have to be placed in different parts of the house which would require running some wiring, drilling holes, etc and at that point I might as well just run wiring to every room. To be clear I agree multiple APs would work better, but it isn't something I can reasonably do. I have looked into wireless bridging but from what I can tell outside of external antennas and purpose-built enterprise equipment it works like crap.

Thanks for the info on the Ubiquiti APs.

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What does this one use? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H9QMOMY

With the small USB adapters you often have undesirable location issues with the antennas being right smack next to a huge metal box. that is about the worst place for wifi devices. Even PCIe devices with external antennas are somewhat susceptible to that.

The PCE-AC68/88 being a little different, since the radio is cabled to a remote antenna.

minimum should be 2x2 AC1200, single antenna devices tend to have pretty bad performance.

Asus makes a few great adapters.


PCE-AC56


PCE-AC68


PCE-AC88

Same with tp-link

Archer T6E

Archer T9E

https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/ROG-STRIX-Z270G-GAMING/

will this mobo work with

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-802-11AC-Wireless-AC3100-Adapter-PCE-AC88/dp/B01H9QMOMY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

A great Wireless-N Wi-fi card is the TP-Link TL-WN881ND for under $20.

If you need bluetooth as well as a basic Wireless-AC (AC1200), then there's an Asus PCE-AC55BT that has you covered.

For higher performing 802.11ac with beamforming, an affordable option is the TP-Link Archer T9E AC1900 card. For top of the line, you should look at the AC3100 capable Asus PCE-AC88 card.

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-802-11AC-Wireless-AC3100-Adapter-PCE-AC88/dp/B01H9QMOMY

Maybe not - I pulled up the manual from the manufactures website, and couldn't find ad-hoc on it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H9QMOMY

Is this good?: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PCE-AC88-AC3100-802-11AC-Adapter/dp/B01H9QMOMY
Thank you!

That's a good unit, this or this are a bit nicer. Have you considered a powerline adapter instead of wifi?

Do you have a router that supports MU-MIMO technology?

If so, this one will work well:

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PCE-AC88-AC3100-802-11AC-Adapter/dp/B01H9QMOMY/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=pcie+wifi+3x3&qid=1565575856&s=electronics&sr=1-7

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PCE-AC88-AC3100-802-11AC-Adapter/dp/B01H9QMOMY/ref=sr_1_3?crid=13U90MCSUGGGD&keywords=asus+pcie+wifi+card&qid=1566063468&s=gateway&sprefix=asus+pcie%2Caps%2C212&sr=8-3

Just get one of these and plug into your desktop. Don't need a router.