What Is a Wi-Fi Adapter?
Ryan Dube is a freelance contributor to Lifewire and former Managing Editor of MakeUseOf, senior IT Analyst, and an automation engineer.
Michael Heine is a CompTIA-certified writer, editor, and Network Engineer with 25+ years’ experience working in the television, defense, ISP, telecommunications, and education industries.
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A Wi-Fi adapter lets you convert a desktop computer or a laptop into a wireless-capable device. Once installed, it enables you to use the internet without the need for a network cable.
There are several kinds of Wi-Fi adapters, both internal and external. The one you choose depends on the type of computer you have, available ports, and how much you’re willing to spend.
What Does a Wi-Fi Adapter Do?
A Wi-Fi adapter allows you to connect your desktop or laptop computer to your wireless router so that you can access your home network and the internet.
Without a Wi-Fi adapter, you would need to run an ethernet cable from the router to your computer and plug it into your computer’s ethernet port.
These days, most newer computers come with Wi-Fi capability built-in (as an internal Wi-Fi adapter card). However, if you still have an older computer that only has an ethernet port and no Wi-Fi capability, you’ll need to use a Wi-Fi adapter to connect to your router wirelessly.
Does a Wi-Fi Adapter Give You Wi-Fi?
There are two things you’ll need for a Wi-Fi adapter to work correctly. Just installing a Wi-Fi adapter on your computer won’t give you a Wi-Fi network. You’ll also need:
- A working internet connection to your home (typically from an Internet Service Provider or ISP)
- Modem (usually provided by the ISP) to connect to the live internet cable or DSL wire
- A router that handles wireless communication between your devices, the network, and the internet
Many ISPs provide one device that serves as both the modem and router. But in either case, you’ll need a router capable of providing a Wi-Fi network. You’ll connect the Wi-Fi adapter to the network provided by the router.
Types of Wi-Fi Adapters
There is a wide variety of Wi-Fi adapters available, depending on your needs. Choose the adapter that’s best suited for your computer setup and how you want to use your wireless network.
A PCI adapter is a card you’ll need to slide into one of the PCI slots inside your desktop computer. Before you buy one of these, open your computer case and ensure that an empty PCI slot is available. These are long, narrow slots near one side of the case where you can remove a metal covering to open up an external hole where the external antenna usually screws into the card.
A PCMCIA adapter fits into the PCMCIA slot on the side of laptops that support it. It may also include an antenna. The adapter looks like a thick credit card. It’s convenient because you can easily remove it and use it on any other laptop that supports PCMCIA adapters.
A MiniPCI or MiniPCI express adapter inserts into a PCI slot inside your notebook. You’ll need to open your notebook case and ensure you have an available PCI slot to install the adapter. The adapter is all internal and will enable wireless functionality for your notebook without having to use one of your PCMCIA slots.
A USB Wireless adapter is one of the most convenient Wi-Fi adapters because it works with both desktop and laptop computers, so long as you have an available USB slot. It’s the best option if you don’t want to open up your computer case and want a plug-and-play solution. However, you may need to install driver software that comes with the USB adapter when you buy it.
An ethernet port adapter either plugs directly into your computer’s ethernet port or comes as a box with an ethernet port and antenna. If you buy the box version, you’ll also need an ethernet cable to connect your computer’s ethernet port to the box. This solution is best for older computers that have an ethernet port but no wireless functionality.
If you choose a Wi-Fi adapter that requires internal installation, remember to follow proper grounding practices, such as wearing a grounding strap, which will protect from damaging any internal components due to static charge.
Do I Need a Wi-Fi Adapter?
If your computer is close enough to your router that a network cable will reach it, use the cable as this is usually the best option. Using a wired connection like this eliminates Wi-Fi range and interference issues and, as a bonus, allows faster transmission of data.
However, if you’re too far from the router, a Wi-Fi adapter is the best option. It lets you use your computer or laptop at any location, as long as you’re within range of the wireless router.
As mentioned earlier, most computers sold today have Wi-Fi capabilities built-in, so make sure to turn on your Wi-Fi before you decide to buy a Wi-Fi adapter.
USB Wi-Fi Adapter 101
Just as no man is an island, a computer needs to be connected to its network, and in turn the Internet, to be truly useful. While a wired Ethernet cable is preferable for many applications, the reality for many is that Wi-Fi is more convenient.
The wireless network starts with a broadband modem able to communicate with an Internet Service Provider (ISP), which facilitates your access to the Internet. Unless that modem has wireless functionality built-in, it’ll probably be attached to a wireless router through an Ethernet cable. Most Wi-Fi-enabled routers also give you a handful (in the neighborhood of four) Ethernet ports for wired devices close by. It’s what broadcasts your wireless signal.
In turn, the client devices connecting to the network (say, your workstation, tablet and smartphone) need to have wireless radios integrated and enabled in order to transmit and receive data over the network. If your PC doesn’t already have a wireless adapter, you have several options for adding one. Given the ubiquity of USB, many folks find that interface to be the easiest. The attached Wi-Fi adapter allows the computer to communicate wirelessly with the router, and in turn the modem.
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Jonas P. DeMuro is a freelance reviewer covering wireless networking hardware.
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I got this far, then tuned out. okay, I see you don’t get what the intended audience in this article is. i’ll re-word that for you: «a multimedia family / office work computer needs to be connected to its network. «
USB extension cables are often causing problems. I’d never extend a cable by more than one meter and make sure it is a very high quality cable or the voltage will lower dramatically causing the device not to work properly anymore. Or you have to get yourself an active USB expander which is usually quite a bit more expensiv.
On the other hand, antenna cables are even worse to extend.
You think you need USB3 to drive a 802.11ac network adapter at full speed? Please. You couldn’t have been more confused. Let’s say we’re talking about a two stream AC device, so theoretically it’s capable of 867mbps throughput in 5GHz band. However, much of that number pertains to the «physical layer» information transfer, the chatter that ensures that your data is transferred accurately, under optimal condition (e.g. 6 ft from the router). At TCP/IP level, the throughput will be much lower, even if the distance is short, somewhere in the neighborhood of 100-300mbps, depending on your luck. In other words, a lot less than USB2 can handle.
You see, the wireless data transfer rates are basically a big marketing scam because half of more of that data transfer rate will disappear due to weakening signal with distance or on the physical layer chatter. Wireless is not like wired Ethernet, where saying 100Mbps really means that you will actually see TCP/IP data transferred nearly at that rate. In the wi-fi world, the marketing can say they sell you a «gigabit ac1750 router (or adapter)», and in real life you may well end up with just 100Mbps or slower data throughput. If you get 200mbps or more, you should be jumping from joy.
I’m using a dual band PCI Express wi-fi module. For some reason, it’s much better than my ethernet connection. Could be because my killer port is only single band rather than dual. I’ve not lagged one bit with this accessory and I’ve been using it for at least 8 — 9 months now.
Id like to point out that having an external usb wifi can get really hot and malfunction. Its not inside of an air circulated case, so mine tends to get blazingly hot. i have the n600 which i can game on and have no problems. Moslty