USB WiFi adapter

Support & Help Requests Hardware
,
#1

I want to add WiFi functionality to a desktop PC with a USB Wifi convertor. Wich brand and/or type is the most likely to be recognised and used by Ubuntu Mate 22.04?
Or - provided I can find it in tthe documentation - wich chipset do I have to look for?

Regards,

#2

I have a Trendnet TEW-644UB USB WiFi dongle that has worked very well with Mate 22.04. I used it to to the initial rounds of updates after I installed 22.04 to a new machine where my workspace for assembly was not convenient for wired Ethernet. I don't know if this model is still available or not.

#3

Hello Bartman

The u-tube chanal "Learnlinux TV" has a video called How to get WiFi working on Linux which gives a lot of useful information.
This link will take you directly to the part where he ( Jay LaCroix) talks about USB-WiFi dongles:

Does that help? :slightly_smiling_face:

#4

He calls the thinkpenguin USB adaptor(s) "relatively inexpensive". The cheapest one is 54USD. That's not cheap. If I buy 4 different ones, different brands, locally for say 12€, I'm still have 4 chances that ony one of them works, and still be cheaper off, while I can use the ones that do not work for other projects.

Interesting link though. It's in my bookmarks.

Thanks.

#5

Someone said, in order to know the chipset used in your USB Wifi adapter, you had to issue the command:
sudo lshw -C network
Could you do that and post the result here ? It should give the chipset id.

Thanks,

#6

Here is the output with my Trendnet adapter on 16.04:

 *-network
       description: Wireless interface
       physical id: 2
       bus info: usb@1:12
       logical name: wlx0014d169fe71
       serial: 00:14:d1:69:fe:71
       capabilities: ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes driver=rt2800usb driverversion=4.4.0-210-generic firmware=0.29 link=no multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11bgn

Not sure how to really interpret this, other than its a chipset that uses the rt2800 chipset driver.

This model is still available, ~$25 on Ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/154093780647

Its not the newest, being only Wireless N, but it has been reliable for me on many different Linux systems.

#7

You need to use ethernet adapter. Ethernet adapters provide a reliable and fast way to connect your computer to a wired network, making them a good option for users who require fast and stable connections.
There are many benefits of using this.
Here are some of the benefits of using an Ethernet adapter:

Faster Speeds: Ethernet adapters can support faster speeds than wireless connections, which can be important for tasks that require high bandwidth such as online gaming, video streaming, or large file transfers.

More Reliable: Wired connections are generally more reliable than wireless connections as they are less susceptible to interference or signal degradation. This is especially important in areas with many wireless networks or in environments with a lot of physical obstructions.

Lower Latency: Ethernet adapters generally have lower latency than wireless connections, which can be important for tasks such as online gaming or real-time applications where delays can be noticeable.

Better Security: Wired connections can be more secure than wireless connections as they are less susceptible to interception or unauthorized access.

Improved Compatibility: Some older computers or operating systems may not have built-in support for modern wireless standards, making Ethernet adapters a useful alternative for connecting to a network.