

Best Features:Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi USB Adapter at Amazon, “Includes an extension wire and stand so you can set it upright like an antenna to improve signal.”.Runner-Up, Best Compact:Glam Hobby 600Mbps AC600 at Amazon, “An excellent and smart way to add a 5GHz connection to a laptop or desk in a small package.”.Best Compact: TP-Link N150 Nano at Amazon, “Has a plug-and-play design that requires little configuration regardless of your operating system.”.

Best Budget:Panda Wireless PAU06 at Amazon, “Keeps itself in the background so it does not take up too much of your laptop’s battery.”.Best Overall:Net-Dyn AC1200 USB Wireless Wi-Fi Adapter at Amazon, “Capable of covering an area of around 100 yards while still offering its fastest connection speed.”.We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products you can learn more about our review process here. We've showcased the M.2 form-factor model here, and it's ideal for IT professionals who need their fleet of older laptops to have excellent connectivity while also allowing secure Remote Access. And if you really know what you're doing, you may need something like the Intel 9260 chip itself.
BEST WIFI ADAPTER FOR MAC BLUETOOTH
The Rosewill is similar, though it doesn't have the Bluetooth 5.0 capability that the Fenvi does. It plugs straight into a PCIe slot, and a lot of motherboards have one of those to spare. If you're comfortable taking some things apart, want the best speeds offered, and have the right slot open, the Fenvi is hard to beat. In fact, the EDUP also works fantastically for a desktop computer thanks to its detachable antenna, which helps avoid interference from the PC's case. They're all pretty small, especially the TP-Link, and are great workarounds for a laptop's broken internal Wi-Fi chip. They are all a little bit larger than is ideal for today's ultraportables, though, so if you'll be on the move, consider the OurLink, EDUP, or TP-Link. If that's the case with your setup, the NetDyn, BrosTrend, Netgear, and Asus all plug into a USB port and let you start surfing without having to open up your case or unscrew anything. The problem is, many desktop motherboards (especially older ones) don't have integrated wireless adapters. In the mean time, the Wi-Fi formerly known as 802.11ac is still the most common, and its bandwidth is generally more than enough to accommodate most Internet service plans. Wi-Fi 6 is just around the corner, but it will take a while to become mainstream.
