- Mar 19, 2012
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I recently got my mother a new computer (truly nothing special, just a factory installed Dell desktop) but I don't believe it has built-in wireless capabilities. The computer that this new one is replacing did have a wireless PCI card, however. Upon trying to install the card (SpeedStream Wireless PCI Adapter Model: SS1024) I realized that the PCI slot where it might fit was not compatible (the "teeth" or whatever just didn't line up - in fact, it seemed like the old card's teeth were backwards, because it looked like it would have fit if only the gap was on the right instead of the left). I'm not sure what the old PCI slot was, but the computer was probably bought in the early 2000s (we had to purchase an aftermarket wireless card, after all).
Anyway, what's a cheap but reliable PCI card that would allow my mother to access the wireless signal in her home? I would rather do this than move the router near her computer or run a wire through the floorboards.
After a little Googling, it seems that one of the two PCI slots is a 3.3V and the other is a 5V (not sure which is which in my case). But the old wireless adapter PCI card looks a little like this:
PCI Bracket_____________Long Teeth_____________Short Teeth
XX...........................||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||.......||||||||||||||
Whereas the newer PCI slot I am trying to install this into looks like:
PCI Bracket______Short Teeth___________Long Teeth
XX...........................||||||||||||||.......||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Again, just asking what I need to give my mother wireless access from her office room with an inexpensive PCI card. Specific recommendations are certainly welcome.
/edit/ seems after a bit of research the old PCI card I was trying to reuse was a conventional 32-bit PCI card with 5V power (hence the orientation of the teeth) while the new PCI slot was still conventional 32-bit PCI, but was 3.3V powered and therefore did not fit the old card. So yeah, I need suggestions that will fit a 3.3V conventional 32-bit PCI slot
Come to think of it, the Dell's motherboard also had a few PCI-e 1x slots available. I could also go the route of a USB wireless adapter. Just waiting to hear some specific recommendations, because nearly all the recommendations I get from this site turn out to be very good ones
Anyway, what's a cheap but reliable PCI card that would allow my mother to access the wireless signal in her home? I would rather do this than move the router near her computer or run a wire through the floorboards.
After a little Googling, it seems that one of the two PCI slots is a 3.3V and the other is a 5V (not sure which is which in my case). But the old wireless adapter PCI card looks a little like this:
PCI Bracket_____________Long Teeth_____________Short Teeth
XX...........................||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||.......||||||||||||||
Whereas the newer PCI slot I am trying to install this into looks like:
PCI Bracket______Short Teeth___________Long Teeth
XX...........................||||||||||||||.......||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Again, just asking what I need to give my mother wireless access from her office room with an inexpensive PCI card. Specific recommendations are certainly welcome.
/edit/ seems after a bit of research the old PCI card I was trying to reuse was a conventional 32-bit PCI card with 5V power (hence the orientation of the teeth) while the new PCI slot was still conventional 32-bit PCI, but was 3.3V powered and therefore did not fit the old card. So yeah, I need suggestions that will fit a 3.3V conventional 32-bit PCI slot
Come to think of it, the Dell's motherboard also had a few PCI-e 1x slots available. I could also go the route of a USB wireless adapter. Just waiting to hear some specific recommendations, because nearly all the recommendations I get from this site turn out to be very good ones
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