wireless adapter for my Mom's Dell Dimension 2400

[sonoferu]

Mom has a Dell Dimension 2400, rather old by now. XP Home.

We chipped in and bought it for her when we wanted to keep her in the loop for family emails. Now she lives in a retirement home but we still have it there in her apartment. So just now the management has implemented free wireless for all the tenants, so we can drop her internet billing, and go with the wireless but of course she needs a wireless card.

My wife has a laptop and I have a wireless router for her at home but that is about the extent of my knowledge of the hardware. I can stick a card in, thats no problem, but what should I get? Do I have to have what Dell sells, or go to Newegg and get just any old [probably PCI?] card? I saw one google posting indicating I could get a usb adapter, which would be easiest of course.

Just need a starting point, thanks for any tips

 

[JackMDS]

Find out what type of card goes in, and if there is internal antenna connection.

Look at the support page of the Laptop, most of them provide technical info about the issue.

Internal Wireless cards for laptops are OEM cards and can be found on ebay go for $10 and are very easy to install.

Otherwise get a USB Dongle.

P.S. Make more sense to post the model of the laptop , rather than the Not going to used desktop.

 

[sonoferu]

Sorry, guess I confused things.

I only mentioned my wife's laptop to say that I basically know what a wireless card is, that's all.

I am looking for wireless connectivity for my mom's desktop, the Dell Dimension 2400.

By now I have seen enough google information to be pretty clear that I should either have a PCI wireless card or a USB card for it, I just was wanting to know if a generic after-market card from some place like newegg would be expected to work, or if I needed to get something from Dell

thanks

 

[JackMDS]

This is the best cost effective solution.

Edimax - PCI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833315041

Driver/Utility for Windows 98SE/Me/2K/XP/XP 64/Vista/Vista 64/Win7/Win7 64

http://www.edimax.us/html/english/frames/b-download.htm

 

[Vincent]

My sister also has a Dell Dimension 2400 in which I installed a PCI wireless adapter.

You don't need to get a Dell branded wireless adapter.

It would be better to install a PCI card like the one JackMDS linked above.

A USB adapter would also work, but probably not as well as a PCI card because you will have less flexibility with antenna placement.

Make sure the adapter you buy has drivers for Windows XP.