Expert: Scottgem - 10/14/2008

Question
Hello I just bought a computer and I need to get a wireless card so i can find my parents modem. I dont know what type of card to buy so any help you have is much appreciated. I bought a gateway with a amd processor. Thank you

Answer
First, you cannot connect to your parent's modem directly. Your parents need to have their modem connected to a wireless router for you to connect wirelessly. If they don't have a wireless router you will need to get one of those as well.

Second, Once the wireless router is in place, any wireless network adapter will do the job. I would guess, that you would prefer not adding a card internally in the tower (I'm assuming you bought a desktop PC). So you would probably prefer a USB wireless adapter. Depending on the 802.11 protocol of the router, you probably don't want to get one higher than the router. So if the router is 802.11G, you might not want to spend extra for an 802.11N adapter. (NOTE: 802.11 is the official designation for what's commonly known as WiFi. There are currently 3 main protocols; b, g, & n).

You can find plenty of USB wireless network adapters in stored. Linksys, D-Link, Netgear and Belkin are top brands.

Hope this helps
Scott<>