Wifi adapter how it works. Why do you need a network adapter

A Wifi USB adapter is a device for connecting a personal computer or other device to a wireless network.

What are Wi-Fi devices for?

When building a radio network in an office or at home, you have to use devices that do not have wireless functions. For example, computer system units, televisions, game consoles and more. Even if the device is equipped with a wireless client, it is often necessary to purchase and install a more modern Wifi USB adapter that supports faster communication formats. After all information Technology are constantly developing, very often it turns out that a device released 2-3 years ago is now irrevocably outdated. Every day, devices are produced more and more miniature, and functions and parameters are increasing. If a couple of years ago, in order to supply the Internet to two personal computers at once, it was required to install switches, stretch twisted-pair cables around the apartment, today everything is much simpler. Just install a USB adapter on your PC Wifii, which is compatible with all versions of operating systems, and that's it - the network is ready. To such an improvised access point, you can simultaneously connect several wireless devices... For example, communicators, laptops and other computers. To support such networks, a specialized software Virtual Wi-Fi. This software is at the core of the Windows 7 operating system. This wireless network supports high-level WPA2 PSK encryption.

Communication standards for wireless networks

When choosing a Wifi USB adapter, you must first of all pay attention to the standard that this device supports. This parameter must match your router. Since, having bought a device that is incompatible with the main equipment, you will not be able to coordinate and configure wireless network... In this case, an important parameter is the frequency of the radio signal transmission. Two (2.4 MHz and 5 MHz) are widely used today. In addition, when choosing an adapter, you must pay attention to the number of transmitting and receiving devices that the device can support.

Interfaces supported by Wi-Fi receivers

A few years ago, one could meet with various types of connectors: PCMCI, PCI, and others. However, today the USB standard has replaced all other types of interfaces. This is very convenient because, having purchased the said device, the user can use it with any personal computer. And even when replacing your PC with a new one or upgrading an old one, you can always use this adapter.

Specifications

The wireless USB Wifi adapter transmits data at 300Mbps, and some models are capable of transmitting data at 450Mbps. There are Wi-Fi devices with three antennas, which significantly increases performance wireless connection and signal stability. On russian market the sales leaders are adapters manufactured by Asus, D-Link and TP-Link.

Turning a Wi-Fi USB Adapter into an Access Point

Thanks to wi-Fi technologies Virtual, any adapter that supports this technology in the drivers can be used as a Wi-Fi signal distributor for client devices. To debug the system, installing drivers is optional, just use personal Computer with Windows 7 operating system. This software contains built-in installation utilities. And when installing the equipment, it will offer to download latest version software. The list of adapter models that are compatible with the Virtual system can be found on the official website of the software developers. In fact, it is graphical shellwhich works with the netsh snap-in via the console. This program makes the process visual and user-friendly, moreover, it is completely free and has all the necessary functionality. It is able, in addition to the main purpose, to put the adapter into Ad-hoc mode, which allows you to create peer-to-peer networks. Almost all laptops and personal computers are capable of supporting this standard.

How to connect and set up Wifi USB adapter with Virtual Router system?

The first step is to install the necessary software on the PC (for example, Connectify), it converts the Wi-Fi receiver into an access point. After that, we connect the adapter to the USB port of the personal computer. Operating windows system 7 independently installs drivers, for this, the PC must be connected to the Internet. After that, we launch the program. The first step is to set the name of the wireless network, which is indicated in the HotspotName field. Next, in the Password section, you need to set a password to access the created system. For reliable protection it is recommended to specify a password of eight characters or more, which uses upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special symbols... In the future, it must be entered on each wireless client during the first connection. In the "Internet" field, you must select the connected with which the personal computer gains access to The world wide web... For example, it could be network Card... Then you should select "Connect by local network».

Next, in the Advanced field, specify the Wi-Fi adapter. If only one device is connected to the computer, then we select by default, and if there are several, then it is necessary to specify exactly the device that will be used as an access point. This completes the setup, it remains only to turn on the device. Basically, we created a Wi-Fi router from a regular adapter and a PC. After clicking the Start Hotspot button, another NAT server appears on the network. After that, you can connect the first clients: laptop, tablet or smartphone. To do this, we search for wireless networks and "connect" to ours using the specified password. The device is then ready for use.

How much does a USB Wifi adapter cost?

The price of such a device will depend primarily on the manufacturer and on the parameters of the device. In any case, the cost of a USB Wi-Fi adapter will be affordable for almost everyone, it is 10-20 US dollars, depending on the model chosen.

Greetings to the readers of our blog!
We have had a variety of different wireless adapters on reviews and tests, and once again looking through these articles, I suddenly discovered that we do not have detailed universal instructionshow to connect a computer to the Internet via wifi using a USB adapter. I hasten to correct this misunderstanding in this post on setting up a Wi-Fi adapter!

Method of connecting a computer to the Internet via WiFi

When buying a "big" desktop PC, few users think in advance that in the future there will be a need to use Wi-Fi on it. However, if such a moment has come, then the only correct solution would be to install an additional PCI or USB adapter, with which you can connect a regular stationary computer to the Internet via a wireless network. By the way, we have dedicated a separate great instruction - it will be useful to read before buying.

How to connect a USB adapter to a computer?

The procedure is as follows:

1. Plug the adapter into uSB port
2. Start using WiFi internet

Yes, everything is as simple as you thought? If you have Windows 7, 8, 10 installed on your computer or laptop, then nothing else is required.

An important nuance - in the event that your WiFi adapter supports operation via a USB 3.0 port, then it is better to connect to it.

No, it will work at 2.0, but for your convenience, the maximum speed can be achieved only at the very latest standard.

As for the disk with drivers and software, which most often comes with the kit, it makes sense to get it only if you have outdated Windows XP. Most often, it is for her that you need to separately install drivers. The installation program, in fact, replaces the standard one built into Windows, so whether to install it or not is also a master's business. You can install out of curiosity. Sometimes, by the way, it happens that through it you can switch the USB adapter to WiFi access point mode and distribute the Internet from your computer to other gadgets.

How to set up a WiFi adapter?

Well, let's get to practice. We connect the WiFi adapter to the computer to the USB port

and wait until new USB device will be recognized and installed successfully

If this miracle did not happen, then in the old-fashioned way we take the CD

and install the driver from the disk.

After that, a WiFi icon will appear in the list in the lower right corner of the panel - clicking on it will open a list of wireless networks available for connection

We select the one we need - that is, from your router, to which you have access - and click on the "Connect" button

enter the password

and enjoy the internet via wifi.

If there is a WPS button on the adapter body, then you are extremely lucky, since connecting to a router and setting up to work with it wifi network can be done in automatic mode.

To do this, we activate the WPS mode on our router.

and briefly press a similar WPS button on its body.

After that, we also once press this button on the adapter. In a few moments, your computer or laptop will be online.

It's so easy and effortless to connect a wifi adapter to a computer and configure via USB - I'm sure you can do it too! If you have any questions - ask in the comments.

IN modern world high tech, everyone should know what a WiFi adapter is for. The fact is that we all constantly use wireless networks to solve various problems, but none of us thought about how such technologies work. Why know this?

Knowledge helps to decide everything possible problems with connections. In addition, such knowledge helps to better understand the operation of certain devices. But before moving on to the answer to the question, what is it for? wireless WiFi adapter, you should understand what it is and how it works.

What is a WiFi adapter

This is a special device that is capable of receiving and sending data packets over broadband radio communications. In other words, there is a specific frequency range that WiFi technology operates on. And in order to transmit a signal over the air, the data must be converted into a radio wave. Conversely, to receive a data packet over the air, this radio wave must be read and digitized.

This is exactly what the WiFi adapter does. In order to catch and send radio signals, it is equipped with a special antenna. And for data conversion and digitization, the module has a microcircuit and software. Therefore, it is very important to install the appropriate driver, since it is he who controls the operation of the module. In fact, this is the answer to the question of why and why you need a wireless WiFi adapter. But, this is an incomplete answer. So, here we are getting to the main question.

What is a WiFi wireless adapter for?

As you already know, this device combines two functions:

• Data receiver.
• Information transmitter.

It is thanks to this module that it becomes possible to exchange data packets without a cable connection. It is worth noting that the antenna of the Wi-Fi adapter is capable of covering a fairly large area. However, it can be called large relatively. After all, the range of one access point is about 100 meters.

We all know what a Wi-Fi router is. In addition, we know that smartphones, tablets, laptops and other mobile and portable subscriber devices have a WiFi module. It is he who allows you to use your home network. In fact, this is a regular network card that supports wireless technology. In other words, it can operate at a specific radio frequency.

Absolutely all equipment using this technology is equipped with a wireless module. If we talk about laptops, then, as a rule, in the overwhelming majority of cases, two brands of Wi-Fi adapters are used:

• Atheros.
• Broadcom.

Of course, besides them, there are many more companies that manufacture such devices, but these two are the most common. And their modules are the most widely used.

Now, knowing that routers use the same wireless adapters as laptops, smartphones, and so on, we can assume that you don't have to buy a router to create home networks. A laptop or tablet is quite capable of acting as an access point. Moreover, if they are connected to mobile internet, then all network participants will be able to access global network... Moreover, modern technologies 4G is absolutely not inferior in terms of data transmission speed to a conventional cable connection.

It should be noted that the WiFi adapter is capable of simultaneously receiving and sending information. This means that you can receive the Internet via Wi-Fi and simultaneously distribute it using the same technology to other members of the group.

A Wi-Fi adapter is a device that receives a data transmission signal from a router or any access point. Such devices are used everywhere where no possibility stretch the cable to connect to the Internet. Wireless web adapters are a new generation of data transmission from the Internet. In many offices, they are used with a LAN connection so as not to pull wires.

These gadgets come in many different types. The most popular ones will be described below.

Types of adapters

Exists several types these devices.

• Internal PCI, PCI-e, mini PCI-e.
• External with usb interface.
• Expansion cards, such as card-bus.

The very first, internal adapters built inside into the connectors on the motherboard. Connector types - pci, pci-e, Mini pci-e. The performance of such devices is high, since the connection goes directly to the processor, ensuring stable data reception from the router. Used in laptops as embedded board inside the case. And on a computer, such devices can be recognized by the antenna sticking out of the back wall system unit... Of course, the price of such devices will be much higher than that of the following types described.

Internal adapter

USB adapters. From the name itself, it should be concluded that they connected through usb connector on the front or back of the computer. Some types are connected with a cable to the usb connector.

Such gadgets have low speed data transmission. However, this disadvantage is offset by the low cost.

External adapter

Expansion cards or card-bus are designed for computers and laptops that have a special pc-card slot. The antenna is located inside such a device. However, these devices are almost never used and not widespread.

Expansion card

How adapters work

Data receiving and transmitting devices operate over the TCP / IP protocol. Selected frequency range work from the manufacturing plant is 2.4 GHz. There is a second kind of range, which is 5 GHz. In the modern world and in high-rise buildings, the first type of range is too noisy, since almost all residents use routers tuned to this frequency.

When a person enters any site through a browser, a data packet with a request is sent to the router wirelessly, then the site corresponding to the request is found by wire and is again transmitted by wire to the home router, and from the router this signal is caught by your Wi-Fi receiver, the desired page opens on the screen of your laptop or computer.

When receiving and transmitting data play an important role receiver standards and routers, compatibility, frequencies at which they operate. The speed of your PC on the Internet will depend on them. Therefore, it is important to consider all these characteristics when buying a Wi-Fi receiver.

What to look for when choosing

First of all, we look at standards and speed... There are several standards in the world.

• 802 11.a - not applicable in Russia. Its range is small, but throughput good - up to 54 mb / s. Not worth buying as there are no devices working with it.
• 802 11.b - speed (11 mb / s) and security of this standard leaves much to be desired. The radius of action is up to 50 meters.
• 802 11.g - This standard features a high speed of up to 54 mb / s and a range of up to 50 meters.
• 802.11 i is the modern standard. It uses modern data encryption. The speed is 125 mb / s and the radius is 50 meters. Contains WEP, WPA, WPA2 protocols.
• And the last standard for today is 802 11.n. data transmission occurs at a speed of 540 mb / s, and the coverage radius is up to 200 meters. Security is high.

For regular user suitable device with 802 11g standard. These inexpensive gadgets allow you to enjoy surfing the Internet, watching movies, and playing online games.

The second thing we pay attention to is router compatibility... It is better to buy adapters from the same company as the router. This way you can avoid many problems that arise when connecting incompatible devices.

Frequency on which the adapter is running. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, each adapter operates at its own frequency. There are only two of them. 2.4GHZ, 5GHZ. Since 2.4GHz is widely used in today's world, it is best to buy a 5GHz adapter.

After you are satisfied with the listed parameters, pay attention to transmitter power and number of antennas... It is not recommended to buy with a capacity less than 20 dbM. The signal will be weak and the distance covered will also decrease. It is advisable to buy a device with two or more antennas. Even with an external antenna, the device receives and transmits a signal better.

Antennas are divided into types according to direction and polarization ... By focus there are narrowly directed, omnidirectional and sectorial.

• Directional - Antennas propagate the signal in the form of a narrow beam. The width of the chart is from 5 degrees to 15 degrees.
• Sector - spread the signal in a certain sector: vertically 15 degrees, horizontally from sixty to one hundred and twenty. They are used when you need to connect a large number of clients.
• Omnidirectional These are the antennas that propagate the signal 360 degrees.

Polarization antennas are divided into two types.

• Unipolarized. They use one connection connector.
• Bipolarized. The connection takes place using two connectors. Such antennas have a strong signal, since the broadcast is carried out in two streams: vertically and horizontally.

In addition, the device must support such encryptionlike WPA / WPA2, WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK. These are modern safety standards.

The longer the transmission and reception range, the better.

The main mistakes when choosing an adapter

The most important and first mistake when choosing it is beautiful appearance and cheap price. Almost no one pays attention to its characteristics. This cannot be done when purchasing this device.

Another mistake is based on the stereotype - all Chinese techniques are bad. The quality depends on the model, not on the firm.

When buying first read specifications, reviews about the device, and then draw conclusions.

How to connect a Wi-Fi adapter to a computer

The simplest adapters when connecting to the system unit are external. They connect to the usb output with or without a cable. The system finds drivers on its own. And the user only needs to connect to his network and start working.

It will be more difficult with internal ones. For this the case is disassembled system unit, there is a pci-e interface on motherboard.

The antenna on the adapter is unscrewed, the device is inserted into a special hole.

The antenna is screwed onto the adapter outside the unit.

You must do everything as shown in the picture above. Then insert disc with the driver and install it on the system. After the drivers are installed, go to the device manager.

If you did everything correctly, you should have this driver in the manager. Then we go to control center networks. Right-click on the point shown in the figure.

In the window that opens, click on the block Change adapter settings.

Then we look at your adapter driver. If everything is correct, and in most cases it is automatically configured, then you will see a green ladder. If not, then go into it by right-clicking on the block and go to properties.

In the properties we find “ Internet Protocol versionIP4 "And click on it twice with the left button. We change the indicated values \u200b\u200bthere to "Obtain an IP address automatically".

The Card-bus adapter setting is identical to the internal adapter or usb. This card is inserted into a special slot on a laptop or computer.

As you know, you can connect to a computer various devicesthat expand its capabilities and functionality. Additional equipment can be connected both to the motherboard itself and using separate structures - adapters.

What is an adapter?

The adapter is a special purpose board with electronic parts. This device has two connectors. The first is for connecting to the equipment itself, the second is for connecting to the required bus.

First, the PC used the ISA bus. Adapters for controlling a scanner, printer, disk drives and other devices were specially produced for it. The work of the hard drives was controlled by the HDC / FDC-card adapter, and the LPT and COM ports were released as a separate I / O-card.

But these various options have been replaced by a single universal adapter, which is a hard drive management system. Serial and parallel communication is now provided by a single card called a multi-card.

Adapter classes

Now that you know what an adapter is, let's take a look at its classes and distribution principles.

This contact device is associated not only with the connected elements, but also with the combinations of individual control elements. Any device communicates with a computer through a unique adapter class. In this case, the corresponding instances on both sides logically contact each other.

For each type of device, the following classes are defined:

• base adapter class, from which all other boards inherit properties;
• the converter associated with the page and its properties;
• an adapter of controls that correspond to the components of the operating system;
• a form converter that wraps around each page.

If there is a functional need to provide access to the context of the control element, then it must be placed in the base class of the adapter.

Wi-Fi adapter

Having found out what an adapter is in general understanding, let's move on to more special cases.

A wireless adapter is a device that allows you to connect a PC or other mobile device to the Wi-Fi network.

Very often, when trying to set up a home wireless network, a technique is used that cannot be connected to an environment without cables. These can be stationary computers, game consoles, televisions and other devices.

But even if the device has a built-in adapter, this still does not guarantee that there will be no difficulties in connection. It is often necessary to buy a more modern converter that supports the required communication format in the network. This problem is perhaps the key one now.

Popular adapter connection interfaces

In addition to the question of what an adapter is, I would like to separately touch upon the topic of their interfaces. If earlier you could find cables with micro-PCI, PCMCI and PCI connectors on the shelves of computer stores, now all this variety has disappeared. There remains one most popular and flexible format - USB.

Indeed, if you buy a USB adapter, you can connect it to any computer. And even a platform change cannot affect the functionality of this device.

A USB adapter is a converter that enhances the functionality of various devices.

Typically, such cards represent coordinated mapping schemes for the interfaces of adjacent devices. A USB hub can also be classified as such a device.

Let's sum up

Exists great amount various adapters. Some of them are designed to connect devices to a computer, others are used to convert the power supply to the electrical network, expand the functionality of diagnostic devices in a car service.

But all the adapters have one thing in common - they serve to increase the functionality of the device to which they are connected.