Best Wifi Mini Dongle for Gaming.

Hello all.

I've recently acquired a Dell Xps 15 Laptop and are having some issues with Wifi Connectivity.

It's not fast enough. As a matter of fact, its pathetic.
My wifi card is Intel Centrino N1030.

I've decided to purchase a mini Wifi dongle to increase the speed of my wireless connection.
I've come across this on Ebay.
Mini Wireless Wifi 11 N Usb Dongle Network Adapter WLAN | eBay

What are your thoughts?
I'm really after something thats mini but powerful enough to deliver smooth gameplay performance.

So whats the Best Wifi Mini Dongle for Gaming if such a thing exists?

 

You're heading in the wrong direction- the dongle in question has an antenna which you would see only with a magnifying glass.

First of all test the card you already have- it's a low end card but it's more likely that you're having config issues or issues with the router rather than that the card is complete rubbish.

If that doesn't help I'd advise you to but a proper internal card like an Intel 5200 or 6200.

 

How do test or configure it?
My router has had few issues with any other wifi cards from various laptops.
I'm I not able to just plug an external wifi device into one of my USB ports?

 

You should first try to fix your problems with the adapter in your laptop, make sure you have the latest drivers for example. Just out of curiosity, what router do you have and what do you mean by not fast enough?

If you do opt for a USB adapter, you'll need something bigger along the lines of this: Newegg.com - Linksys AE2500 High Performance Wireless-N Adapter IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n USB 2.0 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates WPA2. I didn't do much searching and Linksys gear is somewhat expensive so you might be able to find a better deal. The point is that you need a decent size antenna and you won't find it in an adapter as small as the one you linked.

 

....also need to get a good handle on the wireless environment you're working in.

The so-called 'best' of anything won't work worth a crap if you're a noisy environment or have something like building components between you and the AP.

If you go wired, does your gameplay play work ok for you?

 

those specific little dongles are turds if your going to rest allot of expectations on them. I would be trying to trouble shoot the internal one since most of the time they are on the PCIe bus and this usually less latency.
**though my little dongle works fine, I just don't trust it for a reliable connection do to where I got it

 

My router is based at home in a quiet environment.
It is a Belkin Wireless N router - It has never given laggy gameplay online for any laptop I've previously owned, our Xbox or Ps3.

I've installed the latest drivers for the wireless card.
By fast enough I'm meaning that the even the gameplay on the likes of league of Legends is intermittently laggy.

Basically I don't want to wait or go to the trouble of mauling my laptop apart just to install a card which is more expensive and more troublesome that just purchasing a wireless dongle online.

Would this one provide better reception?
WiFi WIRELESS 11 N USB ADAPTER 300Mbps DONGLE PC LAPTOP | eBay

Edit - The wireless card for the Dell Xps 15 is documented as crappy.

 

It's dongles that are more troublesome -and to be honest mostly crap- not internal cards. And there is a good reason some dongles are so cheap.

Also what do you mean by "quiet environment"? Have you tested with inSSIDer to see if you're not sharing a channel with lots of networks?

Belikin N router isn't specific enough- there are dozens of Belkin routers that support 802.11n.
Have you tested the latency? Have you compared the latency and gaming experience between being connected via Wi-Fi and via Ethernet cable?

No offense but if you expect any help you need to be more forthcoming and specific with information.

EDIT: BTW turn the Bluetooth off and check if the problem persists. This card is known to have issues with both BT and Wi-Fi off.

 

The full router model number is as follows.
Belkin Wireless N Network Router F5D8636-4.

By quiet environment I mean that performance does not increase despite on many occasions my Dell Xps 15 having the entire router to itself within the home.
The only other detectable wireless router in the neighbourhood has 2 bars of strength and this was detected even with older laptops.

It's been known that ethernet cable connection increases the internet speed therefore I can conclude that it has something to do with the internal card.
"Intel Centrino Wireless N1030".

I have already attempted to disable the bluetooth device via device manager option and this has not had any effect.

So I'm basically after some way or something to improve my speeds over what was meant to be an "upgrade".

 

It's not true that an Ethernet improves Internet speed- it offers better throughput and sometimes better latency but weather is increases you Internet speed or not largely depends on how fast is your Internet connection and what wireless connection are you using.
In your case it's most likely gonna be faster but I'd like to know how much faster and what's actually improved.

So back to the drawing board- can you post speedstest.net results (to the same server) measured via Wi-Fi connection and via Ethernet connection.

Another thing- if you're using Win 7 make sure that no power-saving is on for the card (advanced setting of power management allow you to change that value for each profile)

Also what is the Wi-Fi speed as Windows declares it?

Another question- what wireless security settings do you use on the router?
Using WEP can influence throughput a lot- WPA2 should be used at all times since all routers these days are optimized for WPA2 + AES.

EDIT:

BTW if you end up replacing Intel 1030 I would still recommend an internal card.
Here's a picture of your notebook with the service hatch open. Wi-Fi card is the one to the left of "WWAN/TV".
All you need to to to replace it is to remove a few screws holding the service hatch and one holding the card.
If you really don't want to do this it's fine but it's easy and neat solution that doesn't require any serious skills nor disassembly on your part.

 

USB dongles won't solve your problem.
What speeds are we talking about?

 

I greatly appreciate the help from everyone.

The card's settings are all set to maximum performance via the battery options.
I've decided to purchase the best Wifi Card available rather than dongle for the Dell XPS 15.
Are there any suggestions on where to buy?

I've reviewed the online store for which models are compatible with the system.
The best available configuration from them is Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 (2x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo.

Awaiting feedback.

 

Do you need Bluetooth?
I'm asking because both 1030 and 6230 have caused a fair bit of troubles for owners- possibly because BT and Wi-Fi share the same antenna and range (2.4GHz).
So if you don't really need Bluetooth I'd go for 6200 rather then 6230.

 

Does Dell use a wifi card whitelist in their BIOS?

 

What does the term "whitelisting" mean?

 

That means only cards from a given manufacturer are allowed meaning you'd have to but Intel 6200 or 6230 meant specifically for Dell.
To be honest I can't remember if dell does that either- they probably do.

 

It would be like Dell to whitelist their devices, there's someone on these forums that know, i'm certain.I second the 6200 over the 6230, i've seen more issues pop up with the 6205 and 6230 over the 6200.

 

Hello again.

Is the 6200 compatible with the Dell Xos 15?

If so, where can I purchase it?

 

Apparently Dell still uses whitelists so 6200 will work if you buy one from Dell or meant for Dell or you remove the whitelists altogether (which I have no idea how to do )

 

Would either of these do?
Dell Intel Centrino Advanced N 6200 Wireless Card 2GGYM | eBay

Dell Intel WiFi Link 6200 802.11n Half Size Mini Card | eBay

I don't care if I lose bluetooth.

 

Removing the whitelist usually involves bios editing which is dangerous and not something i'd recommend. Contact the sellers and make sure it is indeed an adapter intended for Dell laptops. If htye confirm it is, then you can go ahead and pull the trigger.

 

Nobody seems to have noticed that no actual speeds or any relevant data was given yet by Calladon.
I'm pretty sure it's just a case of misconfiguration and that the upgrade would do nothing.

 

That was with an ethernet cable plugged in!

And btw - It's "Caladdon".

And yes - The upgrade or change would help because every other machine I still own with a "Lesser" card runs better.
That and the M14x I owned previously with N6205 worked fine.

 

Caladdon your ping is not very good to be honest.
Can you run the same test via wireless?

Bandwidth is not likely to cause any problems- it's usually latency. Yours is bad enough with an Ethernet connection- it may or may not be higher with wireless connection.

 

Yeah, that's pretty bad. Both ping and upload speed. Can you run this test through wireless?

 

Dell whitelisting is news to me, would definitely be a recent thing if true. I've swapped a dozen different wifi/wwan/etc cards in a vostro 1700 for someone that travels a lot.

Go with a better internal card unless you want to use high gain/directional antennas (not the 50 cent rubber ducky that some dongles have).
Even if that were the case I would rate expresscard or a portable AP/bridge as better options.