If you intend to network your computers or share an internet connection, wired and wireless adapters are essential. Netgear wireless adapters, one of many popular brands on the market, allow a computer to be connected without the need of a hardwire connection. This may be useful and even necessary if there are physical barriers that prevent running an ethernet cable from the router to the computer. Most new laptops have wireless adaptors built in and are capable of connecting to a network without any additional components.

Older laptops and most desktops, however, may require a network adaptor to connect to a network router. Netgear is one of many manufactures that makes a variety of wireless routers and wireless adapters. There are 3 wireless standards (actually 4, but no one uses A anymore) to know about, B, G, and N. Each standard has different speed capabilities. The slowest and oldest of these standards is B, followed by G, and finally N, the newest and fastest.

One consideration when choosing a standard, is that the lowest standard on your network will be the limiting factor in your networks overall speed capabilities. In otherwords, if you have a wireless-N router, but have a wireless-G adapter, your network will work no faster than what the G standard is capable of.