A wireless internet adapter is great for old laptops and computers. One can easily access the internet in devices like notebook, an Apple ipod or laptop through a wireless router at office or home and in a number of hotspots like coffee shops, big malls, airports and hotels etc.
The portable devices of today have in built WiFi adapter and they do not require an external internet adapter. But many of the older laptops and desktops do not have any wireless connectivity so using a wireless internet adapter can be great if you want to establish wireless internet connectivity on the go.
Wireless protocols have several standards and among those the most common one is 802.11 protocol. The latest wireless protocol that was released in September 2009 is 802.11n. Older versions are also there in the market like 802.g, 802. 802b and the 802.a versions.
What is the range of wireless internet adapters?
Wireless internet adapters can easily catch signals up to 820 feet in outdoors and up to 230 feet in indoor locations.
Actual range of the course varies and it depends on various aspects like obstacles between the device and the wireless router and various other minute details.
What are the types of wireless internet adapters?
PCI wireless adapters, USB wireless adapters, PC Cards and various others are the types of wireless internet adapters. Among all of these, PCI cards are the best as they fit into the motherboard of every PC.
The size of the PC Card is same as that of the credit card; it is perfect if you want to connect laptops computers to a network, and it comes with Wi-Fi antennas.
Earlier PC cards were called as PCMCIA and they were quite popular. But later on with the passage of time, the popularity of USB and PCI wireless adapters increased a lot and now PC cards are not that popular.
Apart from the wireless adapters that are mentioned above, there also other options like Mini PCI wireless network card which is usually integrated in the new notebook computers and Wireless CompactFlash for PDAs. Wireless CompactFlash which is also known as WCF in short form is a kind of replacement to the PC card for personal digital assistants.
So the above article gives you a brief description about wireless internet adapters, their benefits and details.
Here is a video showing how to install a Wireless Internet Adapter
