Micro USB WiFi adapters

In your experience, are micro USB WiFi adapters any good? I've bought a couple of TP-LINK TL-WN725N adapters. They were OK at first, but they both appear to have given up the ghost. I really want something for my laptop that will give me 802.11n connectivity, and that I can leave plugged in without it protruding too much. Maybe I'd be better off with an adapter with an aerial, and hang the inconvenience?

Edit: Range is not an issue. The WiFi router is only a few feet away.

Edited by micksharpe (Sat 10-Dec-16 15:15:24)

In view of your bad experience with the TP-LINK, I suggest trying a similar but different product, particularly if you are not looking for very good long distance performance.

My Belkin Blue tooth adapter has lasted for sometime, unlike the similar previous products that I bought.
I see Belkin do a N300 Wifi USB adapter, but they cost more than the TP-Link. I have not used one.

Can you not upgrade the internal wifi card to one whitelisted by the manufacturer?

It's a possibility, but it's a very old laptop and not really worth the hassle. It has 802.11g, which is adequate, really.

I have a couple of Edimax nano USB wifi dongles which seem to work very well on Raspberry Pi setups. One got dropped and the cover smashed but it still works.