Best USB 3.0 Wireless AC Adapter for Mac

[taylord22]

Anyone have any suggestions or experiences they could share?

I'm looking at getting one for my 2012 iMac

 

[blueroom]

Nothing available currently for the Mac. Not likely either. Those super fast 802.11ac speeds only apply if you're fairly close to the router.

Best bet is wired GigE to the router or a fast POE adapter or an expensive 802.11ac access point (goes to the GigE on the Mac)

It might be possible to setup an AEBS as an GigE access point but I've never tried it.

 

[taylord22]

Nothing available currently for the Mac. Not likely either. Those super fast 802.11ac speeds only apply if you're fairly close to the router.

Best bet is wired GigE to the router or a fast POE adapter or an expensive 802.11ac access point (goes to the GigE on the Mac)

It might be possible to setup an AEBS as an GigE access point but I've never tried it.

My problem is that I live in a brick tri-level where the access point/modem is located in my basement. My office, however, is on a main floor addition that wings out.

I get a decent signal, and thought that I might be able to reap some AC benefits on my main machine (iMac) if a USB 3AC adapter was available.

Do you have any other ideas? I'm hesitant to run cable through my basement wall, into the garage, then out of the garage, and along the side of the house in IL.

 

[blueroom]

Unless you're about 20ft from the router with no obstructions you're not going to get those blazing speeds. You could try a pair of Ethernet over Power adapters.

 

[RMo]

Best bet is wired GigE to the router or a fast POE adapter or an expensive 802.11ac access point (goes to the GigE on the Mac)

I assume you mean Ethernet over Powerlines, not Power over Ethernet, which is quite different.

For the original poster: I'm not sure what their real-world, practical throughput is, but some newer Powerline models claim 500 Mpbs (rivaling theoretical 802.11n speed, but the real question here is how they actually perform in your situation). Some older ones claim 200 Mpbs. Many people get by on a wired 100 Mpbs home network, so if the Powerline adapters come even close to that, you might be better off with this if wireless is bad for you. However, it sounds like 802.11n (theoretically faster than the previously mentioned Fast Ethernet but not rivaling Gigabit) is working at least decently well for you right now.

 

[taylord22]

Best bet is wired GigE to the router or a fast POE adapter or an expensive 802.11ac access point (goes to the GigE on the Mac)/QUOTE]

I assume you mean Ethernet over Powerlines, not Power over Ethernet, which is quite different.

For the original poster: I'm not sure what their real-world, practical throughput is, but some newer Powerline models claim 500 Mpbs (rivaling theoretical 802.11n speed, but the real question here is how they actually perform in your situation). Some older ones claim 200 Mpbs. Many people get by on a wired 100 Mpbs home network, so if the Powerline adapters come even close to that, you might be better off with this if wireless is bad for you. However, it sounds like 802.11n (theoretically faster than the previously mentioned Fast Ethernet but not rivaling Gigabit) is working at least decently well for you right now.

My wireless works pretty well, but lately I've been noticing some issue stemming from outside conditions. Not a big deal, except that I consume my media through the Apple TV with my iMac acting as the source for all of my media. I tend to strive for really high quality rips, so I'm looking to circumvent as many of these issues as possible.

It sounds like figuring out a way to run a gigabit line from my basement, to the outside, and back in to the addition is really the only (long-term) suitable way of accomplishing this.