USB Wireless Adapters

There are three basic types of wireless network adaptors on the market today:  the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) adaptor, the PC card, and USB wireless adaptors.
PCI adaptors are the most common wireless adaptors used today, although USB adaptors are rapidly gaining in popularity.  The Peripheral Component Interconnect is an industry standard for the way in which certain hardware communicates with computers through a channel that is called a bus.  PCI adaptors are commonly used in desktop PCs and are installed into a slot on the motherboard.
While PCI adaptors are mostly used on desktop PCs, the PC card is usually found with notebook or laptop computers.  Most portable computers have a slot on the side where a PC card can be inserted to wirelessly connect them to a network.  PC cards usually have an internal Wi-Fi antenna to enable the transmission and reception of wireless signals.
The “USB” in a USB adaptor stands for Universal Serial Bus, and refers to a standardized communication channel on a computer.  USB ports are an available connection on almost every personal computer, desktop or portable, now manufactured.  They are external, and very easy to connect to.  The biggest benefit of a USB wireless adaptor is that it is a plug and play device.  Plug it into any USB port and in seconds it is recognized by your computer and ready to go.  The next most important benefit is that USB wireless network adaptors are easily portable.  Unlike a PC card, which has to be inserted on the motherboard on the inside of the computer, wireless USB adaptors can easily be moved from computer to computer, desktop or laptop.
It should be noted that not all USB adaptors are the same.  Although it’s a “standard,” it keeps being improved and there are three there are really versions of USB.  It is the standard for connecting any external computer peripheral device because of its built-in power supply and relatively fast speeds.  USB 1 has top transfer speeds of 12Mbps, which is great for mice and keyboards but kind of slow for other applications, so the “standard” was upgraded to USB 2.0, which operates at 480Mbps.  You will want to ensure that your USB adaptor is a USB 2.0 model.
Another thing to pay attention to is the protocol of the wireless router you are using.  N protocol wireless routers have a range of nearly 700 feet, while G protocol routers have an unobstructed range of about 100 feet.   The USB adaptor should specify which protocol it supports.  N routers have backwards compatibility with G protocols, but you should still make sure the adaptor you are going to purchase will work with your router before buying it.

There are three basic types of wireless network adaptors on the market today:  the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) adaptor, the PC card, and USB wireless adaptors.

PCI adaptors are the most common wireless adaptors used today, although USB adaptors are rapidly gaining in popularity.  The Peripheral Component Interconnect is an industry standard for the way in which certain hardware communicates with computers through a channel that is called a bus.  PCI adaptors are commonly used in desktop PCs and are installed into a slot on the motherboard.

While PCI adaptors are mostly used on desktop PCs, the PC card is usually found with notebook or laptop computers.  Most portable computers have a slot on the side where a PC card can be inserted to wirelessly connect them to a network.  PC cards usually have an internal Wi-Fi antenna to enable the transmission and reception of wireless signals.

The “USB” in a USB adaptor stands for Universal Serial Bus, and refers to a standardized communication channel on a computer.  USB ports are an available connection on almost every personal computer, desktop or portable, now manufactured.  They are external, and very easy to connect to.  The biggest benefit of a USB wireless adaptor is that it is a plug and play device.  Plug it into any USB port and in seconds it is recognized by your computer and ready to go.  The next most important benefit is that USB wireless network adaptors are easily portable.  Unlike a PC card, which has to be inserted on the motherboard on the inside of the computer, wireless USB adaptors can easily be moved from computer to computer, desktop or laptop.

It should be noted that not all USB adaptors are the same.  Although it’s a “standard,” it keeps being improved and there are three there are really versions of USB.  It is the standard for connecting any external computer peripheral device because of its built-in power supply and relatively fast speeds.  USB 1 has top transfer speeds of 12Mbps, which is great for mice and keyboards but kind of slow for other applications, so the “standard” was upgraded to USB 2.0, which operates at 480Mbps.  You will want to ensure that your USB adaptor is a USB 2.0 model.

Another thing to pay attention to is the protocol of the wireless router you are using.  N protocol wireless routers have a range of nearly 700 feet, while G protocol routers have an unobstructed range of about 100 feet.   The USB adaptor should specify which protocol it supports.  N routers have backwards compatibility with G protocols, but you should still make sure the adaptor you are going to purchase will work with your router before buying it.

Tagged as: , , , , ,

Comments on this entry are closed.