USB Wireless Receiver -- Help? (in Off-topic)

I'm moving into my new apartment on Saturday with a wireless internet connection. My desktop, however, does not have a wireless adapter/card in it. Therefore, I need to get an adapter to receive a wireless signal.

Does anyone have any knowledge on USB wireless signal receivers? Do they exist? Is this all I need? Do you have any recommendations on specific brands/models? Linking to a model would be highly appreciated as well.

Any information would be very appreciated. Thanks for your time.

Well, I have a USB wireless signal receiver.. The base plugs into the USB on the computer, and then the receiver plugs into the base. It's D-Link brand, and it came with my wireless router, so I don't know if you could use it with other computers, but I usually pick up other signals as well as mine...

Here's a link of D-Link products -- Also, the receiver you get depends on the type of router as well, I believe.

http://www.dlink.com/products/category.asp?cid=1&sec=0

if the router has any range booster capabilities, then you need to buy the same brand and type to take advantage of any range or speed boosts. they are all compatible though and will just step down to base level 802.11 b or g standards.

The router does not belong to me, it belongs to the company that will host the wireless internet.

Are you sure you want to use a USB adapter rather than a PCI adapter? You might experience a bit of a performance hit with the USB adapter.

Yeah, I've actually been lookin' at PCI cards as well. Got any suggestions for models?

Maximum theoretical transfer rate
The maximum possible rate of data transfer under optimal conditions. These numbers are used as reference points, but are not the actual transfer rates that will be experienced during typical use. (i.e. the maximum theoretical transfer rate for 802.11g certified devices is 54 Mb per second, though they typically operate at about half that speed). ~ http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/learningcenter/home/wireless_glossary.html

Universal Serial Bus 2.0 has a max data transfer of 480 Mb per second. ~ http://www.usb.org/about/usb_nomenclature

There is no performance hit, in fact the corded universal serial bus wireless antennas give more flexibility in placement. In effect, you can move it around more easily than the whole tower unit.

I'd start off with trying to buy an adapter from the same company that made the access point you'll be using. While interoperability is supposedly assured, it's probably best not to take chances. As for the standard, am I correct in assuming the access point is running 802.11g?

"Instaconnect only works with 802.11b."

But since .11g is the successor of .11b, I would assume a .11g card works with it?

There are plenty of a/b/g combination cards out there, but not all cards will be able to handle more than one standard. Best to check beforehand.

The service specifically says .11a won't work. If I get a b/g card, I should be okay, I suppose. Do you have any preference to models that you've had good experiences with?

Any B or G card will work. I'd go with an USB version, as that will give you a bit more flexibility when it comes to antenna placement.

I've used this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122119

But you might want to go real simple and use this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156212


Keep in mind that USB networking components tie up the CPU for all I/O processing. That may be an issue if you routinely engage in heavy network traffic.

Also, if you have an ASUS motherboard, most these days have a wireless riser card that's built in to the board itself. I use that in my A7N8X-E Deluxe (an older nforce2 400 Ultra board).

Follow-up --

Your operating system matters. Of the 4 or 5 PCI Wireless cards I've used, none have had linux drivers.

this is the most expensive line of wireless products, but they are good. Click

For a fairly cheap option which works well enough I went for an ASUS WL-167G. It cost me £19.99 which is pretty cheap for over here lol.