Wireless Network Adapters

There are three basic types of wireless network adaptors.  All have advantages, disadvantages, and specialized uses where one type will fulfill a need better than the others.
A PCI Wireless Adaptor Card is most commonly used as desktop wireless network adapter with desktop computers.  PCI, or Peripheral Component Interconnect, is an industry connection standard for interfacing peripheral devices to a computer’s CPU.  It establishes a bus that all connected devices share for communicating with the computer.  A PCI wireless card has an antenna on one end and circuit contacts for the computer’s motherboard on the other.  It fits directly into a slot on the motherboard, inside the computer, and the antenna sticks out of the back of the computer case.  Its biggest drawback is that it must be manually installed inside the computer case, and opening that case up instantly voids many manufacturer warranties.
Wireless PC Adaptor Cards are most commonly used with notebook or laptop computers.  They used to be called PCMCI cards.  PCMCI is an acronym for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, which is an organization of about 500 private companies that worked to develop a communications standard for small, credit card-sized devices that were originally designed for adding memory to portable computers.  The cards are now called PC cards, and are mostly used as a wireless network adaptor to connect laptop and notebook computers to networks.  They are typically inserted into a slot on the side of the portable computer, and stick out just a bit to allow interference-free transmission to/from Wi-Fi antennas.  The main disadvantage to PC cards is that they become hot during normal use.
The wireless USB network adaptor is rapidly becoming the most common network wireless adaptor on the market.  The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is the instant connection behind “plug and play” technology.  It also allows users to unplug and replace peripherals without having to shut down and restart the computer.  Users can also purchase USB hubs which work like a multiple outlet electric plug, allowing users to connect many different devices through a single USB port at the same time.  USB adaptors are by far the most common type of wireless connection in use with a home network setup.
USB adaptors come in two flavors: wireless G and wireless N.  G adaptors are based on well-established standards and come in three different data speed (10 MBS, 54 MBS and 108 MBS).  Their useful range rises correspondingly with the data speed.  N routers are faster and carry more data farther.  However, they are more expensive.  In most residential homes, the difference isn’t enough to be noticed by the average users.  The only real problem with USB adaptors is that they are so small and portable that they are easily lost or stolen.

There are three basic types of wireless network adaptors.  All have advantages, disadvantages, and specialized uses where one type will fulfill a need better than the others.

A PCI Wireless Adaptor Card is most commonly used as desktop wireless network adapter with desktop computers.  PCI, or Peripheral Component Interconnect, is an industry connection standard for interfacing peripheral devices to a computer’s CPU.  It establishes a bus that all connected devices share for communicating with the computer.  A PCI wireless card has an antenna on one end and circuit contacts for the computer’s motherboard on the other.  It fits directly into a slot on the motherboard, inside the computer, and the antenna sticks out of the back of the computer case.  Its biggest drawback is that it must be manually installed inside the computer case, and opening that case up instantly voids many manufacturer warranties.

Wireless PC Adaptor Cards are most commonly used with notebook or laptop computers.  They used to be called PCMCI cards.  PCMCI is an acronym for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, which is an organization of about 500 private companies that worked to develop a communications standard for small, credit card-sized devices that were originally designed for adding memory to portable computers.  The cards are now called PC cards, and are mostly used as a wireless network adaptor to connect laptop and notebook computers to networks.  They are typically inserted into a slot on the side of the portable computer, and stick out just a bit to allow interference-free transmission to/from Wi-Fi antennas.  The main disadvantage to PC cards is that they become hot during normal use.

The wireless USB network adaptor is rapidly becoming the most common network wireless adaptor on the market.  The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is the instant connection behind “plug and play” technology.  It also allows users to unplug and replace peripherals without having to shut down and restart the computer.  Users can also purchase USB hubs which work like a multiple outlet electric plug, allowing users to connect many different devices through a single USB port at the same time.  USB adaptors are by far the most common type of wireless connection in use with a home network setup.

USB adaptors come in two flavors: wireless G and wireless N.  G adaptors are based on well-established standards and come in three different data speed (10 MBS, 54 MBS and 108 MBS).  Their useful range rises correspondingly with the data speed.  N routers are faster and carry more data farther.  However, they are more expensive.  In most residential homes, the difference isn’t enough to be noticed by the average users.  The only real problem with USB adaptors is that they are so small and portable that they are easily lost or stolen.

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