Best USB Wi-Fi Adapter For Gaming – Top 5 Reviews in 2021

We Take You Through The Best Internal And External Wi-Fi Adapters At Different Price Points

Ben Atkins Chafer

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Over the past decade, we’ve seen some pretty impressive implementations come to fruition in the technological universe. We now have the ability to order our shopping via a speaker that talks to us, AMD CPUs are finally competing with Intel’s for the first time in decades, and Virtual reality gear now allows us to feel what we’re seeing.

However, one thing that hasn’t changed is the need for a wireless connection to the internet. Motherboard manufacturers still only provide onboard Wi-Fi support to a few hand-selected products. That means if you feel the need to connect wirelessly, you need to find one of the best Wi-Fi adapters the market has to offer.

But which one to choose? With a marketplace that’s currently flooded with affordable choices, how are we meant to know which are the best of the bunch?

Well, fear not, our team of dedicated PC enthusiasts is going to do all the research for you. We’ve tested some of the best (and worst) Wi-Fi adapters we could find to ensure your next purchase is the right one.

So, with that in mind, let’s dive into the best Wi-Fi adapters currently available.

Our Top Picks

A Premium Internal PCIe Wi-Fi Adapter

ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 PCIe Adapter

A Fast USB Wi-Fi Adapter With Great Range

TRENDnet AC1900 High Power Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter

A Good Value USB Wi-Fi Adapter With Great Range

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi USB Adapter

ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 PCIe Adapter

TRENDnet AC1900 High Power Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi USB Adapter

TP-Link AC1300 PCIe Wireless Wifi PCIe Card

Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N USB Adapter

In-depth Review

A Premium Internal PCIe Wi-Fi Adapter

ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 PCIe Adapter

Editor's Rating

★★★★★ 4.9/5

Pros

Cons

When we mention ASUS, we’re usually showcasing one of their impressive aftermarket GPUs or high-end monitors. However, in this case, we’re displaying their high-performance PCE-AC88 AC3100 PCI-e Wi-Fi adapter as the best in its class.

The PCE-AC88, as we’ll call it (catchy I know), comes to shelves boasting an array of premium features which include; the latest AC3100 Dual-band 4×4 Wi-Fi, 802.11ac wireless standard, excellent coverage/speeds, and a custom heatsink that not only looks great but excels in reducing temps as well.

It’s part of the AC3100 line by ASUS, which is head and shoulders above the more commonly used AC1900 you’re likely to see in other Wi-Fi adapters. Furthermore, all the modern-technologies have been implemented in the PCE-AC88, which makes this product extremely good value for money. Think MU-MIMO, an extremely effective antenna setup, and beamforming.

As far as gaming is concerned, you’re going to do well to find anything better equipped for the job. It offers an extremely stable connection thanks to high speeds and its wide range.

Overall, as far as internal PCI-e Wi-Fi adapters go, this is by far one of the best currently available.

A Fast USB Wi-Fi Adapter With Great Range

TRENDnet AC1900 High Power Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter

Editor's Rating

★★★★★ 4.9/5

Pros

Cons

Moving away from the internal PCI-e options comes the ever-popular TRENDnet TEW-809UB USB Wi-Fi adapter. It’s our number one pick for an external option and for good reason.

This adapter comes to the table boasting all the premium features you would want from a Wi-Fi adapter and more. It may be a little on the bulky side, but the size really pays off in both the speed and range departments.

The TEW-809UB makes use of super-fast AC1900 speeds and comes equipped with a four antenna hub as well. Each antenna has a 5 dBi strength and can accommodate an entire household with ease.

We tested the TEW-809UB in several different games and were surprised at how good this device was at keeping a stable connection. We tested it in both 2.4/5GHz bands, and both offered a great connection and in the hardest to reach parts of our office.

Overall, a fantastic purchase if you don’t mind having a large antenna hub lying around.

A Good Value USB Wi-Fi Adapter With Great Range

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi USB Adapter

Editor's Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5

Pros

Cons

It’s probably to no one’s surprise that our guide features a NETGEAR adapter in it. NETGEAR has been offering excellent networking devices for sometime now, and the Nighthawk AC1900 is no different.

This Wi-Fi adapter brings the AC1900 rating to the portable world and offers up fantastic speeds and range for both desktop and laptop users alike. Even though it falls short of the internal PCI-e cards in performance, it does offer a much easier to use design and comes with a magnetic desktop cradle as well. The cradle, for those unaware, ensures your PC gets the absolute best possible connection from your router at all times.

On the downside, the NETGEAR is a little bulky when comparing it to other similarly priced alternatives.

As far as quality USB adapters go, this one comes to the table showcasing excellent bang-for-your-buck and should definitely be considered.

A Generously Priced Internal Wi-Fi Adapter With A Great Range

TP-Link AC1300 PCIe Wireless Wifi PCIe Card

Editor's Rating

★★★★★ 4.7/5

Pros

Cons

Next up is TP-Link’s T6E Wi-Fi adapter. It’s our number one pick for people looking to purchase an internal PCI-e card on a budget.

The T6E is a standard two antenna internal Wi-Fi card that, unlike the ASUS, doesn’t come with an antenna hub. It does, however, offer two small antennae, which are directly attached to the card itself, making it much more discrete.

As for speeds, the T6E falls into the entry-level end of the spectrum when referencing 802.11ac standards. Having said that, it’s still a fairly decent option for gamers. When we tested this adapter, we found the connection to be pretty solid for the most part. It also allowed for a pretty decent range as well, which is always a bonus.

The heatsink on this thing is definitely something you don’t usually get with adapters of this price point – which only increases the overall value of this product. It ensures temps are kept low at all times, meaning your internal system temps won’t be affected by this card.

If you’re looking for an internal PCI-e Wi-Fi adapter but don’t fancy spending a fortune, look no further. TP-Link have you covered.

A Compact Wi-Fi Adapter WIth Surprisingly Good Range

Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N USB Adapter

Editor's Rating

★★★★★ 4.7/5

Pros

Cons

The Dual-Band Wireless-N adapter from Linksys is another interesting one. While it still doesn’t have USB 3.0 and drops the Wireless AC from the previous entrant, it’s quite a bit more interesting thanks to two new features.

The first of which being its internal antenna array. This is the largest of the plug-it-and-forget-it options because of that, using a 3×3 MIMO antenna array to offer amazing wireless performance despite no visible antenna.

In addition to the MIMO array within the adapter, it also supports proper Dual-Band Wi-Fi and WPS connections. With a max speed of up to 450 Mbps, this is one of the most powerful USB Wi-Fi adapters you can get.

Final Word

And that’s it!

We’ve gone through all the best options for USB Wi-Fi adapters for gaming. We hope that our analysis of the contenders, in addition to our info section, helped make your next Wi-Fi adapter purchase a little easier.

Which one was that for you?

WePC’s mission is to be the most trusted site in tech. Our editorial content is 100% independent and we put every product we review through a rigorous testing process before telling you exactly what we think. We won’t recommend anything we wouldn’t use ourselves. Read more

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Best USB Wi-Fi Adapter For Gaming – Top 5 Reviews in 2021

Our Top Picks

ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 PCIe Adapter

ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 PCIe Adapter

TRENDnet AC1900 High Power Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter

TRENDnet AC1900 High Power Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi USB Adapter

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi USB Adapter

ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 PCIe Adapter

ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 PCIe Adapter

TRENDnet AC1900 High Power Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter

TRENDnet AC1900 High Power Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi USB Adapter

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi USB Adapter

TP-Link AC1300 PCIe Wireless Wifi PCIe Card

TP-Link AC1300 PCIe Wireless Wifi PCIe Card

Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N USB Adapter

Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N USB Adapter

In-depth Review

ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 PCIe Adapter

ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 PCIe Adapter

TRENDnet AC1900 High Power Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter

TRENDnet AC1900 High Power Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi USB Adapter

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi USB Adapter

TP-Link AC1300 PCIe Wireless Wifi PCIe Card

TP-Link AC1300 PCIe Wireless Wifi PCIe Card

Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N USB Adapter

Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N USB Adapter

Final Word

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The Author Who Worked On This Article

Ben Atkins Chafer

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