Rule #1: buy the generation that matches your router and your bottleneck. Anything higher is wasted cash; anything lower leaves speed on the floor.

1. Still on Wi-Fi 5 (AC) & 100-150 Mb broadband?  

   Goal: replace a broken laptop card or add 5 GHz to an old desktop without spending more than your monthly internet bill.  

   Pick: COMFAST CF-811AC – nano USB, dual-band 866 Mb, $12.  

   Use case: Zoom, 1080 p Netflix, WeChat—done.

2. Upgraded to Wi-Fi 6 (AX) in the last 18 months?  

   Goal: cut latency when four phones, a smart-TV, and a gaming laptop fight for airtime.  

   Pick: COMFAST CF-957AX – AX1800 USB, OFDMA + MU-MIMO, 1.2 Gbps on 5 GHz, driver-free Windows 11.  

   Bonus: 2×2 antenna fold-outs give +3 dBi gain over internal cards—instant better dorm signal.

3. Future-proofing with Wi-Fi 7 (BE) & >500 Mb fiber?  

   Goal: 4 K/8 K edits, Steam downloads, or 6 GHz clean spectrum before the neighbors catch up.  

   Pick one:  

• CF-983BE – nano dongle, BE3600, pocket-secure for laptops.  
• CF-987BE – same chipset on 1.2 m extension base; stick the antennas above the desktop clutter for full 320 MHz glory.  

   Both hit 5.1 Gbps PHY, sub-3 ms latency, and ship plug-and-play on Win11 / macOS 14 / Linux 6.7.

Decision tree in 10 seconds  

Router spec → Broadband speed → USB port you actually have → press “add to cart.”  

Shop the trio now on COMFAST Tmall & JD flagship stores—free same-day tech support if you still can’t decide.