Need recommendation for wireless adapter

[kyrathaba]

I need a recommendation for a wireless adapter USB dongle for an HP Pavilion Slimline computer running Win7 Home Premium.

[kyrathaba]

I figure most anything I buy of www.tigerdirect.com ought to work, but just in case anyone has any experience with HP desktops, I thought I'd ask.

[Ath]

I'd buy at least one of a known brand, not just the first white-brand (Chinese) adapter at the flee-market, because with the next big update (or switch) of OS's, you are not going to find any new/fitting drivers for the thing...

[4wd]

I have 2 or 3 NetGear WG111 v1 and v2, (b/g), and they've never given any problems but this is on XP machines.  Not using them now since I've moved to Powerline adapters.

The N150, N300 and N600 USB adapters are their Wireless-n versions.

Overall, Netgear is one of the most reliable brands I've used but I've never used whatever software came with them other than the basic driver.

Newegg currently have a Recertified N300 available for $25, ($40-55 less than new).

[kyrathaba]

I still haven't bought a wireless USB network adapter for this particular computer.  A lot of the reviews I'm reading on various brands show people complaining that the product didn't work out of the box on Windows 7.  Does anyone here have experience with such an adapter that did work well with a Windows 7 machine?

[wraith808]

I have 2 or 3 NetGear WG111 v1 and v2, (b/g), and they've never given any problems but this is on XP machines.  Not using them now since I've moved to Powerline adapters.

The N150, N300 and N600 USB adapters are their Wireless-n versions.

Overall, Netgear is one of the most reliable brands I've used but I've never used whatever software came with them other than the basic driver.

Newegg currently have a Recertified N300 available for $25, ($40-55 less than new).

-4wd (January 04, 2011, 05:25 PM)

I could have written that myself.  I've tried other brands, but have found that sticking to one brand for adapters and aps works the best, so I decided on netgear.

[40hz]

I'll +2 with Wraith and 4WD.

I've had the best overall experience and luck with Netgear for consumer grade Wifi hardware. I also only use the basic drivers and ignore the rest of the software they ship. Most of it causes problems sooner or later. And you don't really need it.  

Also don't bother flashing any firmware unless it will (supposedly) fix a specific problem you're actually experiencing. Firmware upgrades are mostly more trouble than they're worth for this class of device. These updates often don't fix what they claim. Half the time they seem to introduce new headaches as well. And there's also always that small risk of "bricking" your device if the flash update process doesn't complete or terminate properly.

The only time I'll ever flash home/SoHo routers is if I'm installing something like Tomato or DD-WRT on them.

Your mileage may vary.  

[Stoic Joker]

^^^Me Too^^^

Also get a short USB cable so you don't get stuck with a metal box (the computer) between the adapter and the router. I've seen that type of thing (metal desk/appliances/old wall with lead paint) sink a deployment once or twice.

[wraith808]

^^^Me Too^^^

Also get a short USB cable so you don't get stuck with a metal box (the computer) between the adapter and the router. I've seen that type of thing (metal desk/appliances/old wall with lead paint) sink a deployment once or twice.

-Stoic Joker (May 16, 2011, 11:47 AM)

^ This x100.  It's annoying that I got rid of all of the short USB cables that came with my adapters... and now I have to get USB hubs b/c the adapter blocks out 3 other ports