Wireless Network Adapters: An Overview

The market of network adapters has grown substantially with the passage of time. Wireless network adapters are more preferred over the wired network adapters. With the wireless network adapter, you can communicate with a wireless LAN connection through your computer system. Wireless network adapters come with a built-in radio communicator and the receiver.

There are some Wi-Fi standards which every wireless network adapter supports like 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. For the installation of the wireless network adapters, it is recommended to follow the manufacturer's instructions, if given. In case, these are not available, you must comply with the standard procedure.

Wireless network adapters are of two different types. These are the conventional PCI wireless network adapters and the USB wireless network adapters. The PCI adapters or cards are an in-built solution for your computer. These are installed inside your PC and on the vacant PCI slot. Here, PCI stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect. As the name suggests, the USB wireless network adapters are connected to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) slot of the computer.

You can manually install a wireless network adapter or hire a professional to do this job. The installation of a USB adapter is very simple. Just connect the adapter to the vacant USB slot and Windows will automatically detect it.

The required drivers are automatically installed or you are prompted to provide the path where the drivers are located. If you are prompted, just insert the CD provided with the adapter, in your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM and give its path. After the successful installation of the drivers, you will be notified that the hardware is ready to be used.

One of the things which distinguish the USB and PCI wireless network adapters is that there is no need to shut down the computer in the USB adapter installation. Whereas to install the PCI adapter, you will have to turn off your PC.

The installation procedures of the PCI adapter are mentioned here. First, install the needful drivers from the CD provided by the adapter's manufacturer. Then turn off the system and insert the adapter in the empty PCI slot. Then switch on your PC and Windows will automatically detect the adapter. After the finalization of the installation, you will be notified that the new hardware, PCI adapter, is ready to be used.

Whichever wireless network adapter you use, after the successful installation, you must scan for the available wireless networks and configure its properties.

The strength of a wireless connection depends on the amount of physical blockage between the networks and on the quality of wireless network adapters installed. A better quality of wireless network adapter will result in stronger connection. So, investigate exhaustively and select a best wireless network adapter.