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.
Type C USB 3.0 Flash Drive Thumb Drive Memory Stick for PC Laptop 1TB 2TB lot
$73.29
1TB/2TB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Thumb U Disk Memory Stick Pen PC Laptop Storage lot
$80.39
Kingston KC600 1 TB Solid State Drive - 2.5" Internal - SATA (SATA/600)
$60.00
Samsung 1TB 850 EVO 2.5" SATA Solid State Drive MZ7LE1T0 ** READ **
$48.99
1TB/2TB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Thumb U Disk Memory Stick Pen PC Laptop Storage lot
$7.99
CISCO A03-D1TBSATA 1TB 7.2K 6G 2.5INCH SATA HDD
$9.00
1TB HDD/SSD 2.5" SATA Hard Drive for Laptop with Win 10/Win 11 Pro Pre-installed
$19.99
Samsung - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished 870 EVO 1TB SATA Solid State Drive
$67.99
Samsung - 990 980 970 PRO & EVO 4TB 2TB 1 TB Internal PCle Gen 4x4 NVMe M.2SSD
$200.00
Internal HDD SATA 3.5" 250GB-2TB Hard Drive with Legacy Windows 11 Pro Installed
$29.15