5 best usb antenna

A USB antenna, often associated with USB network adapters, is a device used to enhance wireless network connectivity for computers and other devices. These antennas typically come in the form of a small attachment that can be connected to a USB port on a computer or a USB hub. Here are some key points about USB antennas and their role in networking:

  1. Wireless Connectivity: USB antennas are used to improve the wireless connectivity of a computer or device. They can be particularly useful when a built-in Wi-Fi adapter is weak or when you need to extend the range of your wireless network.

  2. USB Network Adapters: USB antennas are commonly included as part of USB network adapters. These adapters are used to connect a computer to a wireless network, and they often come with detachable or external antennas to improve signal strength and quality.

  3. Antenna Types: USB antennas can vary in type and design. Some are omnidirectional, which means they transmit and receive signals in all directions, while others are directional, focusing their signal in a specific direction. The choice of antenna type depends on your specific networking needs.

  4. Signal Strength: USB antennas can help boost the signal strength and range of a wireless network.This is especially beneficial in larger homes or offices where the wireless signal may not reach all areas adequately.

  5. Easy Installation: Installing a USB antenna is usually straightforward. You plug it into an available USB port on your computer, install any necessary drivers or software, and configure the network settings. This ease of installation makes USB antennas a convenient option for improving wireless connectivity.

  6. Compatibility: USB antennas and network adapters come in various models and standards, such as Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 802.11n, or 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6). It's important to choose a USB antenna that is compatible with your network's specifications and your computer's operating system.

  7. Gaming and Streaming: USB antennas can be particularly useful for online gaming and streaming, where a stable and fast wireless connection is essential. They can reduce lag and buffering issues by providing a stronger and more reliable connection.

  8. Portability: USB antennas are often compact and portable, making them a convenient solution for travelers who need to improve their Wi-Fi connectivity while on the go.

In summary, USB antennas, commonly found in USB network adapters, are valuable accessories for enhancing wireless connectivity. They can help improve signal strength, extend network range, and provide a more stable connection, especially in scenarios where a built-in Wi-Fi adapter may not be sufficient.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best usb antenna on the market
  

TP-Link USB WiFi Adapter for Desktop PC, AC1300Mbps USB 3.0 WiFi Dual Band Network Adapter with 2.4GHz/5GHz High Gain Antenna, MU-MIMO, Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP, Mac OS 10.9-10.15(Archer T3U Plus) Black

TP-Link

Based on 1 reviews Check latest price

Product description

1. AC1300 Dual Band Wi-Fi: The Archer T3U Plus receives Wi-Fi signals on two separate bands for all your online needs. Choose the 2.4 GHz band for up to 400 Mbps of surfing, emailing

and social media, or switch to 5 GHz for up to 867 Mbps of gaming, HD streaming and large file downloads.

2. Boosted Throughput with MU-MIMO: MU-MIMO technology can provide two simultaneous data streams, improving the throughput and efficiency of the entire network when working with a compatible MU-MIMO router.

3. High Gain Antenna for Broader Coverage

A high gain antenna reaches your router from farther with more precise directional range, sustaining faster and more stable wireless connections.

4. Adjustable Multi-Directional Antenna: Rotate and adjust the antenna in the multi-direction to improve using experience in different environments.

  • Usb Computer Network adapters w/ Lightning-Fast Speed: AC1300 dual-band WiFi to ensure your device runs at full speed (867 Mbps on the 5 GHz band or 400 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band)
  • MU-MIMO Technology: Improves the throughput and efficiency of the whole network with MU-MIMO technology.
  • Dual-Band Wireless: The 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands provide flexible connectivity, giving your devices access to the latest dual-band WiFi router for faster speed and extended range.
  • 5 Dbi High-Gain Antennas: Advanced external high-gain antennas greatly enhance the reception and transmission signal strength of the USB adapter.
  • Supports the Latest Operating Systems: Fully compatible with Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP and macOS 10.9-10.15

Product features

Wider and More Stable Range

The advanced serial high-gain antenna structure creates a better overall connection throughout your home.

USB WiFi Adapter 1200Mbps Techkey USB 3.0 WiFi 802.11 ac Wireless Network Adapter with Dual Band 2.42GHz/300Mbps 5.8GHz/866Mbps 5dBi High Gain Antenna for Desktop Windows XP/Vista / 7-10 Mac

Techkey

Based on 16 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Techkey WiFi Adapter

  • Ultra-speed: Up to 300Mbps on 2.42GHz band or 866Mbps on 5.8GHz band, AC1200Mbps WiFi adapter provides fast speed and lag free connection for PC Laptop, online video, or gaming.
  • 5dBi High Gain Antenna: 5dBi dual band high-gain antenna can further enhance the reception and transmission signal of the WiFi card. 360° rotatable antenna provides a stronger wireless transmission and receives signals from any angle.
  • Dual Band Connectivity: This WiFi antenna offers flexible connectivity in both 2.42GHz and 5.8GHz bands, enabling faster access and extended range for your PC desktop laptop. You can switch freely between the two frequency bands according to the actual situation
  • USB 3.0 Port: Using the USB 3.0 interface, the ethernet adapter is 10 times faster than USB 2.0, ensuring the highest throughput performance and a more stable Internet connection. Backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1.
  • System Support: Supports Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 / XP / Mac OS 10.4-10.15. Driver installation may be required. Note: the driver does not support Mac OS 11.0.1 or above

User questions & answers

Question: windows 10 drivers laggy. Do I really need the realtek drivers or is the windows one just as fast
Answer: Well i can tell you that this antenna does not need a driver from the manufacturer, Windows 10 provides a universal driver for it.
Question: Does this come with link to download drivers? I have mac and can't use mini cd
Answer: I had the same problem. They provided a link to download the drivers, which I did. I installed them on my MacBook Pro and attempted to restart as prompted. My trusty Mac refused to restart even in "safe mode". Tried rebooting in recovery mode and again, would not boot up. I ended up reinstalling my entire drive from a back up drive. Total time wasted=5 hours and I sent this back for a refund. Don't bother wasting your money if you have a Mac, it will only cause you grief.
Question: im confused is this a device that will allow a non wifi laptop/desktop to have wifi? can i use it simply as a booster for my wifi enabled laptop
Answer: To be technical this creates another network adapter for your computer/laptop. It can NOT be used as a booster for range with an existing wireless adapter. It might get better range than your current adapter. But it will not supplement it at all. Completely separate device from any other network adapter (wired or wireless).
Question: Success installing drivers on Linux
Answer: Hey guys, I'm able to have it working on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. I did follow the dkms solution posted by the other user; the script ran into an error, that's when I noticed the shell script requires a manual edit to edit out the version number for the driver's directory, once that's done the shell script ran just fine. Also, I had this adapter plugged into a USB 2.0 port, and the wifi would not accept the password; once I plug it into a USB 3.0 port (duh, lol) the wifi accepted the password and working just fine.

Product features

Ultra-speed:

Up to 300Mbps on 2.42GHz band or 866Mbps on 5.8GHz band, AC1200Mbps WiFi adapter provides fast speed and lag free connection for PC Laptop, online video, or gaming.

Dual Band Connectivity:

This WiFi antenna offers flexible connectivity in both 2.42ghz and 5.8GHz bands, enabling faster access and extended range for your PC desktop laptop. You can switch freely between the two frequency bands according to the actual situation

System Support:

Supports Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 / XP / Mac OS 10.4-10.15. Driver installation may be required.

USB 3.0 Port:

Using the USB 3.0 interface, the ethernet adapter is 10 times faster than USB 2.0, ensuring the highest throughput performance and a more stable Internet connection. Backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1.

5dBi High Gain Antenna:

5dBi dual band high-gain antenna can further enhance the reception and transmission signal of the WiFi card. 360° rotatable antenna provides a stronger wireless transmission and receives signals from any angle.

Wireless USB WiFi Adapter for PC - 802.11AC 1200Mbps Dual 5Dbi Antennas 5G/2.4G WiFi USB for PC Desktop Laptop MAC Windows 10/8/8.1/7/Vista/XP/Mac10.6/10.13, WiFi USB Computer Network Adapters

Nineplus

Based on 6 reviews Check latest price

Product description

01:Here is tips special for you:WiFi Dongle Support Systems: Windows 10/8/8.1/7/Vista/Xp, Mac 10.5-10.15 ,Not support TV,Projector,Printer .you can connect with 802.11 ac 1200 Mbps 1750 MBPS router 02:WiFi Antenna:When signal is weak, you can turn the antenna 60 degree tilt,the signal of wireless USB WiFi adapter for desktop computer will better.B: The WiFi adapter for desktop speed max. speed up to 867Mbps just works when wireless WiFi adapter connect to 5G band, otherwise, the wireless card will just run at the max. speed of 300 Mbps with 2.4G. Normally, your PC's network speed can't up to the WiFi USB adapter's speed as it depends on many factors, Such as the network size,router, barriers, laptop or desktop or PC 's internal memory 03: 5 GHz mode stands out within short range. If your wireless card is closed to the router, then WiFi signal will be stronger under 5 GHz than 2.4 GHz .Now You want to have fast speed in watching video and playing online games, We suggest that you should connect;wireless USB adapter to the 5G band. If your wireless USB is far away from the router, and you just want to surf the internet, you’d better connect to 2.4G band for better and stable signal. 04: This USB WiFi adapter for desktop only can receive network signals, but can not strengthen it, If you want to get booster function, then you choose a WiFi extender not WiFi USB adapter for PC E: It is different for the program between our USB network adapter with notebook's built-in 5 GHz wireless adapter,The ability to receive WiFi for notebook with built-in network card is weaker than mobile phone, While external network WiFi card is not better than notebook.The same router,From the ability to receive WiFi,the speed of the phone will be faster than Desktop or laptop. 05: Don't shaking and frequently plugin and unplugging,which may be cause looseness.

  • Dual High Gain WiFi Antenna - Weak Signal Increased by Wireless Adapter for desktop computer Use 2pcs Long Range WiFi Antennas of 5dBi, which makes usb wifi Adapter Ensures Range Extended WiFi Connection and Superior Stability for Desktop, Laptop, PC
  • 1200Mbps High WiFI SPEED 802.11ac 5G/2.4G - Ultra-fast AC1200 wireless adapter speed, You Can Get Maximum 867Mbps Wireless Speed on 5GHz WiFi Band or 300Mbps on 2.4GHz WiFi for gaming online and seamless HD video streaming.
  • Super USB 3.0 WiFi Adapter for desktop PC - USB 3.0 Adapter Speed is 10times than USB2.0 it Support the wireless adapter for desktop speed up to fast link for the USB port.
  • Wi-Fi Hot Spot - You can create a Hot spot with the Soft AP Feature if your desktop is under wired Internet connection. You can boost Wi-Fi to your mobile devices from your computer
  • Warranty Service - 7X24Hours Technical Support. Please contact us if you have any problems about the usb wireless network adapter, we will respond to your issue within 24 hours.24Month Warranty.

User questions & answers

Question: While it sees my 5ghz network, it refuses to connect to it. it only connects to the 2.4ghz one. why? i'm using the latest realtek drivers
Answer: The short answer is that 2.4 GHz will generally register as having better signal strength compared to 5GHz. Windows tends to prefer this, and most consumer routers won't signal the endpoint to switch to 5GHz. You can fix this by going to the advanced adapter properties, and seeing if you can set it to "Prefer 5GHz". Alternatively, the WiFi Mode setting can be set to a set that excludes 2.4GHz like 802.11 a/c/n/ac.
Question: What benefit for dual 5dbi wifi antenna,and what's the difference with one antenna wifi adapter
Answer: If near router,it is nearly same as one antenna,but if your usb adapter is far router such as on upstairs/basement.it signal is also very good .so this is two wifi antenna benefit.
Question: If I don’t already have a Wi-Fi card in my pc will this still work
Answer: Yes. I work separately. As long as your PC has USB port.
Question: Does this usb wifi adapter come with link to download drivers? i have mac and can't use mini cd
Answer: windows10 and Linux drivers https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iY6OuLImG-awZoHRSsPhue1LFIi9Z4bs/view MAC OS 10.15 Drivers https://github.com/chris1111/Wireless-USB-Adapter/releases/tag/V8

Product features

Dual Band 5Ghz/2.4Ghz Dual Antenna

Do you want super-fast speeds for your bandwidth-intensive applications, like HD video streaming and multiplayer gaming? Then the 5GHz WiFi adapter for pc is more favorable. Do you need to do simple tasks like emailing or web surfing? The traditional 2.4GHz band is good enough, and offers a more stable connection. With our AC1200M wifi adapter you have a Good wireless Connection choice..

High Gain Dual 5Dbi Antenna ,With MU-MIMO technology, provide two simultaneous data streams, improving the throughput and efficiency of the entire network when working with a compatible MU-MIMO router,Boost WIFI Coverage ensure stronger signal transmission and reception for a Smooth Surfing Experience

USB WiFi Adapter Wireless Network Adapters AC 600Mbps Dual Band 2.4G/5.8Ghz Wi-Fi Dongle with External Antenna for Laptop Desktop PC Compatible with Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista /Mac OS X 10.6~10.15.3

EDUP

Based on 8 reviews Check latest price
  • Compatible OS with Windows XP/ Vista/ 7/ 8/ 8. 1/ 10 and Mac OS X 10.6 ~10.15.3 ( Not work with Linux )
  • USB Wifi Adapter upgrades your WiFi Card to AC 600Mbps Wi-Fi speeds, offering 433Mbps over 5GHz / 150Mbps over 2. 4GHz
  • EDUP USB Wifi Dongle supports AP function, you can use this adapter create a Wi-fi hot spot to offer wifi signal for more wifi devices.
  • This USB Wifi Adapter can Plug and Play for Windows 10 without installing driver; It is must install driver for Window 8.1/8/7/XP/Vista and Mac OS
  • Remark: First install the driver from CD ( included in the package ), then plug this wifi adapter into your PC.
  • Install Driver Tips: If the CD can not be used, please contact us via amazon message, thanks!

Product features

EDUP WIFI adapter

Wireless network adapter work for dual band 2.4Ghz 150Mbps & 5.8Ghz 433Mbps

Connect wifi for your PC desktop laptop

Note:

1.Please FIRST install the driver from CD or EDUP officail website, Then insert the wifi adapter AC600Mbps

2.We suggest you to insert wireless dongle into back USB port of your desktop,because usb port in the back can provide more power.

If you could not download CD driver, please download the driver from EDUP official website

Dual band 600Mbps wifi adapter
Extenal Hign Gain antennas
Wifi Distance Wifi Band AP Mode

No obstacles, the WiFi signal received better



More stable--2.4G wifi signal

More fast --5.8G wifi signal

How to update the driver manually

How to update the driver manually.

1.Open the Device Manager,

2.Right- click the Realtek driver you want to update, and choose "Update Driver”

3.Click "Browse my computer for driver software"

4.Click"Let me pick from a list of avalable driver on my computer"

5.Choose the Realtek driver, then click"Next"

6.The driver will be updated automatically

BrosTrend 1200Mbps Long Range USB WiFi Adapter for PC, Desktop, Laptop of Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP, MAC, 2.4G/ 5GHz, w/ 2 X 5dBi Antennas, USB 3.0 Cradle

BrosTrend

Based on 6 reviews Check latest price
  • ULTIMATE WI-FI SPEED: You Can Get 867Mbps Wireless Speed on 5GHz WiFi Band or 300Mbps Speed on 2.4GHz WiFi Band, Excellent for Online 4K Video, Gaming, High Quality Music and Facebook by Using this Dual Band USB WiFi Adapter
  • BOOST YOUR RANGE: Comes with 2 pieces of 5dBi High Gain Wifi Antennas, this Long Range WiFi Adapter Ensures Range Extended WiFi and Superior Stability on Your Desktop, Laptop, PC
  • FLEXIBLE DEPLOYMENT: Equipped with a USB 3.0 Cradle with Extension Cable of 5 Feet, Connect it to Any USB Ports of Your Desktop, Laptop or PC and Put this USB Wireless Network Adapter in Spot with Optimal WiFi Signal Reception; Or You Can Also Plug this USB WiFi Dongle Directly to Any USB Port of Your Desktops or Laptops
  • USB 3.0 PORT WITH GOLD PLATED: Comes with USB 3.0 Port which Works 10 Times Faster than USB 2.0; USB Port with Gold Plated Ensures More Stable and Solid Internet Connection; And it is Backward Compatible with USB 2.0 Port; Your Best WiFi Adapter for PC of Desktop and Laptop
  • UNIVERSAL COMPATIBILITY: Works with Any WiFi Routers; Support Windows 10 /8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, MAC OS X 10.9~10.14; *To Get OPTIMUM WIFI SPEED, Please Download Latest Driver on BrosTrend Official Website; Comes with 7X24 Technical Support

Product features

5GHz 867Mbps Speed | 2.4GHz 300Mbps

Boost the wireless network speed and range of your desktop and laptop PC by plugging this USB Wi-Fi adapter to any USB ports of your computer. Comes with USB cradle with extension cable of 5 feet, you can put this WiFi adapter on top of your desk or any other spots to have optimum wireless connection.

Next Generation AC WiFi Chip Inside

Latest 802.11 ac WiFi chip brings wireless network speed of 3 times faster than that of Wireless-N.

**Note: The chipset model number is Realtek RTL8812BU or RTL8822BU.

BrosTrend WiFi Range Extending Technology

Thanks to 2 X external 5dBi detachable antennas, you can get connected even when your wireless router is on a different floor.

Brings much stronger WiFi connection than other Wi-Fi adapters with only one external antenna or the ones with internal antennas

USB 3.0 Port with Gold Plated

USB 3.0 works 10 times faster than USB 2.0 port; USB port with gold plated ensures more solid network connection on your computer

Support Various Operating Systems | Works With Any WiFi Routers

Works with laptop, desktop, PC, MAC including:

  • Install driver and works on Windows 10/8.1/8/Vista/XP
  • Plug & Play on Windows 7
  • MAC OS X 10.9~10.14

Works with latest AC WiF Routers and previous Wireless-N routers.

Supports WPA2/WPA/WEP, TKIP/AES wireless encryption to secure your network privacy.

*For getting Optimum WiFi Speed On Windows 10 or driver for MAC OS X, please update with latest driver on BrosTrend official website: www.brostrend.com

24/7 Technical Support Email is printed on the product package.

This model does NOT come with Linux Support Ticket, for getting expertise support in installing on Linux, please choose our model number of “BrosTrend AC3L” or BrosTrend AC1L”.

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