I hope so. I did wonder when you said you had an old laptop whether you were stuck with USB 1.1.
USB 1.1 through put is about the same as 802.11 b (12 Mbps). If this forces your adapter into that mode, it will slow your WLAN down for anyone else using it. With a USB 2.0 hub you should get 802.11 g (54 Mbps) so yes it will be faster. Fast enough to watch streamed video (if your laptop can keep up).
I would hope it is more stable. Although your adapter claims to be USB 1.1 compatible, that won't have been tested as much. I've had wireless disconnects while transferring large files to another machine. I guess something couldn't take the load. Overload might be why you loose the connection while you're busy. That should get better with a USB 2 hub. You don't want the wireless going down and taking your VPN connection with it.
Interference is another possibility. Does the Network Manager report other wireless networks in your neighbourhood ? Are they on the same channel ? If so, try using a different one. It is said that things like cordless mice and cheap electrical equipment can cause interference too.
Anyway, best of luck. Let us know how you get on.
Fanxiang SSD 4TB 2TB 1TB PS5 SSD M.2 NVME SSD 7300MBS PCIe 4.0 Solid State Drive
$259.99
Fanxiang 4TB 2TB 1TB SSD 550MB/s 2.5'' SATA III Internal Solid State Drive lot
$188.99
Netac 1TB 2TB 512GB Internal SSD 2.5'' SATA III 6Gb/s Solid State Drive lot
$119.99
4tb Ssd 870evo Internal Solid State Drive Hard Disk 2.5 Inch Sata SSD For Laptop
$47.79
Patriot P210 128GB 256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB 2.5" SATA 3 6GB/s Internal SSD PC/MAC Lot
$15.50
Patriot P300 128G 256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3x4 NVMe Internal SSD Lot
$16.99
1080PRO 4TB SSD Solid State Hard Drive Ngff M.2 SSD Gaming Internal Hard Disk
$28.99
SSD 512GB 1/2/4TB 870 EVO SATA III SSD 2.5'' Solid State Drive Upgrade PC Laptop
$39.99
Fanxiang M.2 SATA SSD 2TB 1TB 512GB 256GB SSD Internal M2 Solid State Drive Lot
$109.99
Fanxiang SSD 1TB 2TB 4TB Sata SSD Lot 2.5 512GB 256GB 6Gb/s Solid State Drive
$189.04