- You can identify the difference between a USB adapter and a PCI adapter by the shape and connection of the adapter. USB adapters connect externally to an available USB port on the computer, while PCI adapters are larger "cards" that fit into an available PCI card slot on the computer's motherboard. A USB adapter may look like a USB flash drive or thumb drive while a PCI card looks like a sound or video card with circuitry components soldered to a long card with gold lines running across one edge.
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A USB wireless adapter has a key advantage over PCI wireless cards in that it can simply be plugged into a USB port for immediate use. A PCI card has to be installed into the computer which requires shutting down and opening up the computer.
A USB adapter can be used with any computer that has a USB port built in whether it is a laptop computer or a desktop computer while a PCI wireless card can generally only be used in desktop computers. However a key advantage of the PCI card is that once installed, it does not have to be removed to make room for another device or when the computer is moved or put in a laptop case or bag. -
Wireless adapters are significant because they allow you to connect to a wireless network whether it is a home, office or public network. Nearly all laptop computers come with a built in wireless card because they are designed to be portable and moved around often.
Desktop computers may not always include built in wireless capabilities because the manufacturer may assume the user will connect to devices and the iInternet via a wired Ethernet connection.
Without a wireless adapter, a computer cannot connect to wireless Internet connections or connect to other wireless devices on a network such as wireless printers. -
USB wireless adapters are excellent for users who own laptops that lack wireless cards built in and also good for users who do not want to have to open their computer and manually install a PCI card.
Those who want a more permanent solution to accessing wireless networks on a computer that did not come with wireless accessibility should consider a PCI card. However with this option be aware that a small antenna protrudes from the back of the computer. - Both USB and PCI wireless adapters allow a computer to connect to a variety of wireless networks including wireless routers connected to broadband Internet connections, printers on a network and other computers within range that are detectable by other computers.
