Wireless card
#1
So, following the suggestions given by Eskro and Poofyhairguy, I have finally decided to make the HTPC. My only doubt now (I think) is which wireless adapter should I use for this setup? Below is my setup

[Micro-ATX] i3-540 2x3.06Ghz + GT210 ( http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p...5&postcount=11 )

[cpu] Intel Core I3-540 3.06GHz LGA-1156 Dual-Core 73W
[mobo] ASRock H55M-LE LGA-1156 Micro-ATX
[gpu] ZOTAC GeForce GT210 512MB DDR2 64-bit Low Profile
[case+psu] Antec MicroFusion 350W 80+ Certified Micro-ATX
[RAM] Corsair DDR3 1333 2x2GB
[HDD] WD Cavier Green 2TB
[IR] Comes with Antec. If need be, in future, I will go for other IR receiver.

I am keeping everything as it is (unless someone suggests otherwise).
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#2
One I've had considerable luck with is the Asus N13. Works in ubuntu 10.10 right out of the box as well if you're going the linux route. Only issues I've had were in other distros, or older versions, the default drivers would not allow 802.11n speeds, took a bit of tinkering to get the drivers. Windows 7 was an easy set up.
I don't typically have very good luck with the USB sticks, so I recommend people avoid those, but you're experiences may be better than mine :p
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#3
Thanks for the info!

I should have mentioned it before, I do plan on using ubuntu. However, my wireless router does not support 802.11N, its only 802.11b/g. So, since this card supports b/g as well, I should be fine with this.

I was wondering if I could avoid the big antenna, and could get something like laptops where the antenna is not visible.

Also, I want to check if this card will work with the configuration that I am planning on getting.
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#4
I would really suggest upgrading your router to one that supports N at some point, streaming SD content over 802.11G is fine, but HD content will likely bog down with constant buffering, and that will ruin your whole experience if every 10 minutes it pauses itself for 30 seconds to buffer. I had terrible luck with my own system on wireless with 1080p. Granted my router was craptastic and died shortly after, and the new one has been problem free, I did jump to ethernet to avoid the potential for that problem.

The antennas are really not very big at all, just a few inches long...maybe 3-ish inches? Laptops utilize an internal antenna design, basically there are little wires that lead to a contact pad that is positioned somewhere on the laptop, typically in the side of the monitor, or behind it, to maximize the signal. If you are close enough to your router and get a solid signal you may not need a large antenna, but generally speaking you'll get a better experience with something using a decent antenna than some cheap USB stick with a tiny integrated antenna.

This card should work just fine with that motherboard provided the video card you are using does NOT have a dual slot heatsink. As the PCI Express 1x slot on that board is directly below the PCI Express 16x slot your video card uses, if your video card has a big heatsink it will block access to the 1x slot and you would have to use a PCI card or a USB stick. Other than that there is nothing to be worried about, if it fits and you get the drivers, it'll work. Asus includes drivers for linux, xp, vista, and 7. But if you are running ubuntu 10.10, it should detect it automatically.
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#5
Thanks for the info Wicky. I am going to go with Asus N13 then. I don't plan on streaming HD content, so I don't really need 802.11N as of now. I need wireless just for the scrapers to work and occasional surfing.
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