Adapting old computer to wireless

Question

I called Radio shack about getting a USB Wireless Adaptor, and they told me I needed to know if the old computer used N or G wireless, and that information would be in the manual.  The old computer is a Dell Dimension 2300, and I don't have a manual.  How can I find out if I should buy an N or G adaptor?  By the way, the main computer in my home is hooked to a wireless router which was installed by Verizon.  Thanks for your help.

Mary G · Answer

They were wrong. The old computer did not have wireless. You can add a wireless adapter that matches your wireless router. Stay with a G wireless card and router since the computer is old.

jackshack · Answer

If you wish to use a USB wireless adapter, the important things to know is a)what is the spec for your wireless router, and b) does the USB driver that will be installed on your computer support your operating system.  I would assume that you are using Windows XP, and if you are using a wireless router supplied by Verizon, it is almost certainly 802.11g.  If these things are true, your USB adapter needs to support Windows XP and 802.11g.  By the way, all the 802.11n adapters I've seen will also fall back to 802.11g if that is the router you have.  The only way you can't go is if you get an 802.11g USB adapter to use with an 802.11n router, the router will have to fall back to 'g' for your system to connect.

Adapting old computer to wireless

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