Reddit mentions of OURLINK 600Mbps AC600 Dual Band USB WiFi Dongle & Wireless Network Adapter for Laptop/Desktop Computer - Backward Compatible with 802.11 a/b/g/n Products (2.4 GHz 150Mbps, 5GHz 433Mbps)

https://www.amazon.com/OURLINK-600Mbps-Wireless-Network-Computer/dp/B011T5IF06/

I have the same MacBook Pro and recently my wifi started flaking out (it would only work for a few minutes and stop). For the most part it's fine, as I use Ethernet at work and home. But if I bring it somewhere else, it's frustrating. So I just bought a USB Wifi dongle, it's not super elegant, but it's inexpensive and it worked.

This one is cheap and works well.

https://www.amazon.com/OURLiNK-600Mbps-Wireless-Network-Computer/dp/B011T5IF06

You didn't mention specifics so I assume this is a laptop running a version of Windows? I saw comments mentioning routing via the router you're connecting to wirelessly. One way to take care of this issue is simply to be connected to both WiFi networks at once via 2 wireless cards on your laptop and prioritizing the client's default route in one WiFi card over the other.

Depending on your laptop model, it may have an extra miniPCIe or M.2 slot inside that can take an additional WiFi card. Many Dell laptops have an extra one. If that's not the case with your laptop then there are cheap and tiny USB wifi dongles which you can stick one into your laptop as the second WiFi card. Here's an example of one. Plug that in, install drivers as needed, and have your primary WiFi card connect to your main wireless network, and have the USB WiFi connect to your backup wireless network. You can then have these both connected to different wireless networks at the same time.

The next step is setting the routing metric for each device. Windows typically does this automatically - for example if your computer is connected to WiFi as well as connected via wired LAN, it will automatically use the wired LAN connection as the default network route since it's typically faster when you try to access something on the internet, or anything outside of the local network. With 2 WiFi cards I recommend manually setting this up. Here's the link from microsoft.com explaining how it works. Down on the bottom ( where it says "To configure the Automatic Metric feature:") it explains how to go into network settings for the network device and uncheck the "Automatic metric" checkbox and set a number for the device. The lower the number is, the higher the priority. If you decide to do this, I would recommend also setting this for your wired LAN card to make sure it is at the top of the priority regardless if it's in use or not. Since you're manually controlling these settings instead of letting Windows decide, you should cover every device.

Example: set Wired Ethernet's metric to 5, set primary WiFi card's metric to 10, set secondary WiFi card's metric to 15

Now, when you're running Windows, both wireless cards will be connected to different wireless networks at the same time, which (from what I understand as you explained it) are two separate internet connections. It will use your primary WiFi card's internet connection by default instead of your secondary WiFi card's internet connection when you try to access the internet. When that disconnects, Windows will then use your secondary WiFi (usb, if that's what you end up using) as the internet connection instead. When your primary WiFi reconnects it should switch back to that for its internet access as it was doing before the disconnect.

In addition to my previous comment, I would first try some troubleshooting with your existing router. Look into the following:

• Does your router receive firmware updates?
  
  
• Did you update to the latest firmware?
  
  
• Is your router overheating? Does it feel very warm to the touch?
  
  
• Is it sitting near devices that can cause interference? Microwaves, cordless phones, anything related to USB 3.0
  
  Also it is just as important to have good Wi-Fi receivers on the other end. Especially if you want ideal range and speed. If you use cheap receivers, you will get cheap results.

That thing in the middle, with the 1 black and 1 white connection to it is your WiFi card. If you remove it, you can connect this ~7$ adapter in its place. I've used that same one for a GTX670 and a GTX750Ti on a NUC, and it ran stable at PCIe Gen2 speeds. Buy the 6-pin PCIe version. Then the only thing you are missing is a power supply. A relatively cheap desktop power supply will do just fine here. A modular one will be tidier since you won't have extra cables you don't need, but it is not a must. Get one that has a pair (or more) of 6-pin PCIe cables (or use adapters). One goes to the adapter, the other connects to the power input on your card. 400-450W is far more than enough and should have the connectors you need. You will need to learn how to start a computer power-supply without an actual motherboard.

The other option is to get a GDC Beast mPCIe to PCIe adapter. The adapter is more expensive at about 40$, but you can run it with a Dell DA-2 220W power brick (costs 10-15$ on ebay). That makes for a neater setup, and the wiring is easier to figure out (especially since you don't need to do the "paperclip trick" to start the power supply in the case of the Dell DA-2), but it may end up as more expensive, since you can get a reasonable ATX power supply for around 20-30$. The GDC Beast can also be used with an ATX power supply should you already have one. The Beast also comes with the advantage of having delay switches that help you bypass potential mPCIe whitelists which can cause the system to fail to boot while the eGPU is connected.

Since you already have the card, if you can borrow a power supply to try this, then you only need the 7$ adapter to make the attempt (or 40-ish $ if you get the Beast). If it works, then you can get your own power supply and set it up. If it doesn't, you've only lost 7$ (or, again, 40$). Be careful with the connections as to not short something out.

Since you will lose your WiFi capability in the process by removing the internal WiFi adapter, you might want to buy a Nano WiFi adapter and just leave it plugged into one of your USB connectors. While you can use the Wired LAN when at the dock (assuming you can run a cable to your desk) that will remove the need to reinstall the internal WiFi altogether.

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/311874-guidenvme-workingdual-bootinginstalling-os-x-10114-1012-beta-on-surface-book/

and this is the wifi dongle I got https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B011T5IF06/

Very low profile usb to micro adapter and usb wifi card that can pick up 5ghz.

Adapter and wifi usb

With these two this tablet is now a streaming machine that I use in bed and around the house. I have it planted on my kitchen wall now and use it to watch sling or youtube vidoes while I cook.

With this 13$ USB adapter I get 130.2 Mbps Download and 4.2 Mbps upload with 12ms latency. Hope this helps!

https://www.amazon.com/OURLiNK-600Mbps-Wireless-Network-Computer/dp/B011T5IF06/ref=sr_1_23?keywords=wifi+adapter&qid=1551228847&s=electronics&sr=1-23

I've never used one of those but I can't imagine that its better than an external option since the case probably blocks some of the signal.

Not sure if the prices are different where you are:
PCIe AC1200 version for $25

USB wifi adapters tend to work fine too IMO as long as its a reputable brand.

I use this one for one of my devices. $13 for AC600

But its a bit slower than others on the market like this AC1200 for $22

In the end do what you would like. Many people are still using the N protocol just fine, some are using even older than that. It all depends on your use case.

What do you think of this one?

If you want the absolute best reception possible, a PCIe card is the best choice. Not too expensive.

If you want something that'll save you money and still offer solid reception, there's USB adapters.

Alternatively, depending on how old your house is (I'm not sure of how the logistics go; you'd have to search around on that), powerline adapters are the next best thing to a wired connection.

Wired > Powerline > PCIe > USB

USB isn't bad, but PCIe is a good sweet spot if a powerline adapter wouldn't work.

So roughly $10-40 for WiFi. It's well worth it over purchasing a motherboard with it built-in.

---

With your budget? Yessir. Hardware before luxuries.

---

It's not hard at all. There are plenty of instructional videos and articles on how to do it.

tl;dr Make a bootable flash drive (at least 4GB on the drive; might as well have a bigger one, though), put the Windows ISO on there (make sure your Windows is tied to your Windows account; not as a local account either), install it to the SSD, boot up, sign in with the same Windows email as before, and activate it. Easy as that.

Make sure you wipe your hard drive, too.