SolveYourProblem
eLearning Series
Wireless Networking
Computer
Ports and Cards:
What You Need For Wireless Networking
by Jeff Cohen
There are all
sorts of different devices you can buy that will give your
computer wireless networking capabilities. If you've taken
a look around, though, you might have been confused by all
the kinds of equipment being offered -- how things that look
so dissimilar do the same task?
Essentially, the
main difference between wireless devices is in how they connect
to your computer. There are three main connection methods:
PCI, PCMCIA and USB.
Desktops:
PCI Cards
PCI stands for
Peripheral Component Interconnect. It is an old and established
way of installing new equipment in a desktop computer. If
you find a wireless card that looks like a green rectangle
with something sticking out of the end, then what you've
got is a PCI card.
To install a PCI
card, you need to -- horror of horrors -- actually unscrew
your computer, take the cover of, and plug the card in inside
it. Scary as that might sound, it is designed to be very
easy, and once it's done your computer will have internal
wireless networking capabilities for the rest of its life.
You should go
for this option, then, if you own a desktop computer, and
you're not afraid to get your hands dirty (perhaps literally
- I've seen years worth of dust in those things) by installing
it yourself. Or, of course, if you're willing to pay someone
to do the installation for you.
Laptops:
PCMCIA Cards
PCMCIA stands
for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association.
A PCMCIA slot is a small slot in your laptop that allows
you to insert these cards and so add functions to your laptop
quickly and easily. They were originally for memory expansion,
but are now more often used for networking.
Almost all laptops
have PCMCIA slots. If you're not sure whether yours does,
take a look at the side of the machine -- you should see
a slot there, probably near the CD drive. Even if you do
have a slot, you need to make sure it's free, by pressing
the button to eject anything that might be in there. If it's
an Ethernet card then, well, not to worry, as you can just
replace that, but if it's anything else then you might want
to consider using USB instead.
For 99% of laptop
owners, at least, it's best to use PCMCIA -- the only reason
some go with USB is because they didn't know they had an
alternative.
The Third
Way: USB
Whether you're
using a desktop computer or a laptop, you can use USB (Universal
Serial Bus). USB ports look like very small slots, and could
be almost anywhere on your computer -- but it will help you
to locate them if you remember that they very rarely appear
in groups of less than two. Computers have come with these
USB ports for years now, and newer computers often come with
four or even more. If you need more space, you can buy a
splitter (a USB hub) that allows you to use more devices
than you have ports for.
So where's the
problem? Well, you wanted a wireless network, right? With
USB, your network won't be entirely wireless, as there will
still be a small wire between your computer and the USB device.
It might not sound like much, but it makes USB wireless on
laptops a bit of a joke.
Another factor
is that small USB devices are very easy to break. When I
used to use USB wireless, I went through three new receivers
inside a year. This is offset, of course, by the fact that
USB wireless cards are usually the cheapest ones, and are
far simpler to install than PCI.
Essentially, if
you're a laptop user without a free PCMCIA slot, or you're
a desktop user who doesn't relish the prospect of opening
up your PC, then USB is a good 'third way' for you.
If you do go the
USB route, however, and you have a reasonably new computer,
you should check whether the device you're buying supports
USB2. Most newer computers have USB2 ports, and using specially-designed
USB2 devices with them can give you a significant speed boost.
# # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
> Home > Wireless
Networking Articles: Main Page |
