Wireless USB network adapters: Any good?

[McGraw]

I'm setting my friend's Laptop AOL ADSL connection to be wireless this weekend.

The only decent bundle prices include a USB wireless network adapter instead of a PCMCIA card.

Are there any problems inherent in these things or are they ok on the whole?

Thanks a lot.

[Jon M]

I've set one of those up.. it was fairly easy, but required an updated driver from the manufacturer website. That was for Windows 2000 mind you, so XP may well just plug and go.

[Druchii]

They are fab, work easily, no problems whatsoever.
I have a C&W one in my sisters PC, never drops the connection, works like a charm and locks onto the network with no problems. I'd reccomend them to anyone.

I just plugged mine in, installed the driver from disc and used it

[MrBen]

They can be slightly inconvenient on a laptop particularly because they tend to stick out further than a PCMCIA card. They are also easier to knock out - especially if you are using the laptop on your lap or in bed But it depends on the location of the USB ports on the laptop as to whether this will be a problem.

Other things to bear in mind is USB version 1 has a theoretical maximum throughput of 12 Mbps (with a real world throughput more likely to be in the region of 5-6 Mbps). This is fine if you are using wireless 'B' (theoretical max of 11Mbps) but can limit you if you are planning on using wireless 'G' (theoretical max of 54Mbps). If the adaptor is USB version 2 then it shouldn't be a problem because that has a theoretical max of 480 Mbps.

Both the wireless adaptor and computer/laptop it is being connected to need to be USB2 compatible to be able to use USB2 speeds.

Ben

[jrhnewark]

Ben makes some great points.

All in all, it depends on the location of the USB ports on the lappy. At the end of the day, Wi-Fi is only going to be in range or not - if you're not planning to be too far from the router, you can save the hassle of using a PCI card with an antenna on the back.