Home Network: Wireless network card review

Wireless network card review

The things to look out for in a wireless network card review are access speed, connectivity type and compatibility as well as price and reliability. The access speed is an indication of the maximum access speed achievable under perfect conditions; normally this is much lower. Most people have cards with a speed of 54 mbits per second, which is adequate for Internet connection sharing and small file transfers. Newer speeds of 108 mbits per second and beyond are starting to become more popular on the market.

The connectivity type includes the type of connection the device has to connect to the host computer. This may in PCMCIA form laptop users, PCI form for desktop users or USB form for both types of user. Compatibility indicates what type of wireless networks the card can communicate with; most cards should be compatible the 802.11b and 802.11g network standards. Some may also be compatible with the newer 108 mbit per second networks.

It is probably a better idea to mix and match access cards from the same manufacturer as that of the router for best performance. Whatever the decision you make, it is a good idea to do plenty of research and read other peoples reviews before making a purchase.