What Type of Network Adapters Do I Need?

The network adapter allows the device to communicate over the local area network (LAN), connecting to the internet or to other computers.

Wireless network adapters, such as those on laptop computers and tablets, take the computer’s signals and convert them into radio waves that transmit via antenna (visible or hidden). The radio frequency signals are actually electromagnetic waves that vibrate as they travel through the air on the appropriate bands or frequencies. The frequencies usually tend to be 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, with 14 channels available. The radio waves go to routers and then broadband modems or internal networks.

The adapters for desktop computers typically come preinstalled. If a desktop doesn’t offer a preinstalled adapter, a card can connect to the PCMCIA slot or a mini PCI slot. Likewise, old desktop computers may allow a retrofitted Ethernet adapter that plugs into a PCI slot. Some electronic cards even fit into a memory card port. As another option, a USB style Ethernet adapter complies with both desktop and laptop computers, or into an Ethernet port using an Ethernet network cable, as was common at colleges and universities in the recent past.