Can someone recomend a good wireless USB adapter + network card?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Fred G

Posts: 86   +0
I'm getting wireless internet service for my new machine but i know very little about this stuff, i dont know which brands are good and so on. I called the phone company and asked them what do i need to put in my machine to be able to go wireless and i was told i need aq network 100 based T card and a USB 802.11g wireless adapter, I think they also said a PCMCIA one would work also, but i dont even know what that is and where it goes. At least with a USB i dont have that problem so i'll stick with them. Anyway, does anyone know of any good manufacturers of network cards and usb adapters? Or perhaps can recomend a specific card that would be worth getting?
 
Hi

If its a laptop, Linksys or Belkin are good makes of card, you would need a PCMCIA type or if your laptop has a slot you can get a MINIPCI Wireless card.

If its a desktop PC then the same makes apply, but you would need a PCI type card.

I dont see why the phone company are telling you to get a wired and a wireless NIC you only need a wireless NIC to go wireless.

As for USB let me tell you a story, up until a while back NTL my cable provider were issueing USB dongles for users new to broadband, however there use as a network adaptor was next to useless with constant dropouts and driver issues, to the point where they pulled the USB idea and insist on a wired NIC, the same goes for AOL, one of the biggest ADSL providers, they to used a ADSL modem with a USB connection until a while back, now there modem connects to the ethernet socket on the PC and doesnt have a USB socket anymore.

Short and long Linksys Belkin and avoid any USB dongles, thats my opinion anyway.

Regards
 
Do you have a laptop or a desktop computer. PCMCIA is for a laptop. Most laptops come with a wireless adapter built in. Lets assume that you are talking about a desktop computer, and by calling a phone company, you have a DSL internet connection.

Linksys makes a good product. You will need a wireless Access Point and a wireless PCI NIC (network interface connector). The Access Point connects to your DSL Modem. The Access Point wirelessly connects your computer to the DSL Modem. Just by chance, if you have a laptop, you might need a PCMCIA network adapter. The wireless Access Point will be the same as above
 
Hello guys,

Thanks for the replies! I should have been given you more info, i'm sorry. It is for a desktop custom built computer that i'm getting so i have to tell them what to put in. It will have an intel d975xbx2 board with 3 PCI-E, 2 conventional PCI slots and 8 USB 2.0 ports. 1 PCI slot will be taken up by SB extreme gamer sound card so i will have only 1 left. Right now i do have an internet connection through time warner cable, i think it is a dsl connection, but i want to get a wireless connection so i'll be swithching to a phone company also because they offer better rates for cable and cell phone. I will not be having a dsl modem so i dont think i need a wireless acess point. The phone company said that i only need a network card and a usb wireless card. The first gentleman said that usb is no good so that means i need pci, but i wont be able to fit the network card and wireless adapter i only have 1 pci slot left. Is there another type a card i can get?
 
USB wireless adapters are unreliable. You will only need a single PCI wireless adapter installed in the PC. It doesn't matter if you go Cable or DSL. The modems are the only thing that will determine Cable or DSL. You can buy wireless modem/access points. Why can't you use a wired Internet connection? PC too far from the cable/phone connections?
 
I'm really confused now, why did verizon tell me that i'll need 2 things then? Was i talking to a *****? The guy said that computers these days already come with a network 100 based T cards, but after i told him mine is custom built he said to make sure i put it in there. I dont know what i wired internet connection is, but my pc is right next to a phone jack and there is also other wiring there, this computer is behind a router and another computer serves as my access to the net. But that will change when i switch companies my new machine will have its own connection.The phone company rep said that they will provide all the rest of equipment i need but i have to have those 2 cards according to them.By the way,I'm not getting either cable or DSL, thats what i have right now, i'm getting a wireless connection, which a different type of connection from what i understand, or am i wrong?
 
Ok fred,
Verizon was talking about the wired network connection all better motherboards have on them. It looks like a big phone plug in the back of your system. It is not a separate card!

It sounds like your new Internet Service Provider (Verizon) will provide you with the wireless modem. All you need is a wireless PCI network card. This card will fit in your one remaining PCI slot... You can get this card a any Wal-Mart or Best-Buy. You shouldn't pay over $40

Your wireless modem will be hard wired to either a DSL or Cable connection. It has to be! Satellight is the same. Your ISP has to be hard wired to a wireless transmitting/receiving device in your home or office
 
Thanks Tmagic, i think this is beginning to make sense to me. I do have a wired network connection in my computer right now, i plug in the phone line into it which goes to a phone jack. From what you are telling me my new intel board will have one of those which is a good thing.

Now as for the wireless PCI network card, i guess it would be good if i could have the pc builder put it in for me. Just to make sure i understood you correctly i will need something like this, right?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833314010

It is a wireless G card, verizon insisted it has be 802.11g for some reason, though this one is listed as 802.11b/g, not sure why. Anyway, it doesnt mean i'll get this exact card, it has poor newegg reviews, but a card of this type will work for me, correct?

Verizon said it should be USB card, but i will call them and make sure if PCI is ok.
 
Yes Fred,
that card in the Newegg link is what you need. If you have a phone line going directly from the wall to your computer, you are using a internal PCI phone modem for dialup Internet. You can have this internal modem removed and the Belkin wireless PCI card can go in it's place. Verizon will most liikely provide you with a wireless cable/DSL modem. This modem will sit on the floor or on a table or desk...
 
Ok, sounds good, i will look for that type of card then, that one just has too many problems according to reviews. May be i'll find something by Linksys, even if its a bit more money, i dont mind paying for quality, you know the saying: you get what you paid for. Also, just to give me some more options in my search, are there any other brands that are considered good? D-link for example, some of their products are rated highly.Or should i just stick with Linksys and Belkin?

Another thing, like i mentioned earlier i know nothing about this stuff and i have a question so it may sound stupid. You are saying that i'm using an internal PCI phone modem for dial up internet, however my connection is not dial up, i dont know the proper name for it (dsl, cable, broadband?) but i know my curerent connection is through cable and provided by the cable company. I didnt mention this before but when we were setting up our 2 computers for this kind of connection all kinds of wiring was put in to connect both computers (1 is onthe 1
st floor, the other on the 2nd) we had to drill holes in the floor for those wires. Like i said above, the main pc lets mine go on the net through a router. So it is some kind of a complicated network. And my question is this what connection do i have? Is it still dial up or something else?
 
Ok Fred,
I like Linksys and they are more common in stores like Best-Buy. D-Link is common too... It may be that your former ISP set up a network cable that comes out of your wall and not a phone connection. I have a coaxial cable coming out of a wall connector that goes to my cable modem, then another wire goes from the modem to the computer
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back