What is a WiFi USB Adapter?

[WiFi.com]

USB = Universal Serial Bus

Unlike a standard wifi-card which is often built into a laptop or desktop computer, a WiFi USB adapter is a wifi-enabled device which plugs into your computer using one of the USB ports. Instead of sending or recieving an Internet signal through an internal wifi-card (assuming you have one installed) the computer would connect to the Internet using the USB adapter instead.

These are very handy if you 1) do not have a wifi card installed on the computer, and 2) need a small device which "fits in the pocket."

Some examples of a WiFi USB adapter can be found in our products section. Otherwise you can pick one up from a retailer who specializes in computer equipment or electronics.

The USB adapters look very much like the portable flash hard drives you may be familiar with:



And here is a link to the wikipedia article discussing the various uses of and pictures of USB ports and devices. In case you are not completely sure what to look for on your computer.

The device that I use to plug into my USB port works with my laptop's internal wireless card to extend the range of my wireless signal by 1,000 feet. It works great with me at home and when I am traveling. The signal is fast too.