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View Full Version : I need a "cheap" usb wifi adapter


usurp
2005-11-05, 06:07
I found brand new NetGears WG111 on Amazon.com for like $26 but it seems its not supported by the Mac. I found a D-Link DWL-AG132 for like $64 that works for sure on the Mac but its $64 which is out of my budget. I think I could hit max $35. I need it to be USB since I am going to be using it on my clamshell ibook at home during the evening but during the day m y wife is going to use it at work.

Anyone know what other adapters work with macs that cost less then $35. I don't mind if its second hand.

thanks

Franz Josef
2005-11-05, 13:41
Orangeware (http://www.orangeware.com/) do Mac drivers for PC peripherals - may be able to help.

usurp
2005-11-05, 16:18
i found that site earlier while googling but turns out they only have drivers for pci cards and stuff

pkatzman
2005-11-07, 11:11
Check out the ZYXEL AG-225H. It's out of your price range on Amazon, but is probably available on eBay if you're willing to buy it there.

usurp
2005-11-07, 13:13
wow its a finder also. thats cool. does this work with macs??

usurp
2005-11-07, 13:15
sorry just checked the product page, it has os10 drivers! cool, i might pay a bit more and get this cuz i would love a finder.

http://www.us.zyxel.com/products/model.php?indexcate=1126285373&indexcate1=1121212055&indexFlagvalue=1021876859

ajnbruin
2005-11-14, 17:03
I've been trying to go wireless at home and I've been searching for an alternative to an old airport card and an airport base station. This looks like a viable alternative. My wife's iBook has USB 1.0, though. We have a cable modem will the speed suffer when using a USB adapter? Thanks.

usurp
2005-11-15, 01:01
no, your USB port is like 11 or 12mb while your internet connection is much slower then that so you shouldnt suffer any web slowdown..

ajnbruin
2005-11-15, 11:22
Thanks for the reply. I have one last question though what are you using for your wireless router? Thanks again.

usurp
2005-11-15, 12:51
i have a couple, a dlink with built in dsl modem and wifi g, a linksys wireless adapter, and 2 types of netgear routers, one 802.11b and one 802.11g.

if i were to recommend one i would recommend linksys first, then dlink then netgear. havent had a single issue with the linksys..

ajnbruin
2005-11-16, 17:01
I went over to Amazon and I was going to pull the trigger on a Linksys router and then I noticed that Linksys had "upgraded" their WRT54G Wireless-G Router to a version 5 which apparently is a piece of crap according to customer reviews. Any other trusted places to buy at a reasonable price? Thanks again.

needlnerdz
2005-11-24, 21:20
Hey there.. I dont know if youve already made your purchasing decision.. but ive got some good advice for you. My iBook's antenna died a while back.. so this summer I finally got a USB wireless guy to replace the airport. After talking to compusa applestore techman for a while, he highly suggested the Belkin F5D7050 - I just googled it.. and its about $34 from J&R.. i paid about 39$ from compusa.. i even bought a spindle of CD-R's.. opened it.. and used one of their macs to download the mac drivers (not included with the device)- burned it.. and away i went. Its a wireless G - so if you have USB 2.0 ability.. you can get really fast speeds.. im on usb 1.1 with my iBook- but ive still been able to download at around 200+k/sec. If you decide to go with this.. heres the mac 10.3+ drivers for it (also forgot to mention the device comes with a little docking usb extension cradle.. so you can move it around for best reception):

http://web.belkin.com/support/download/download.asp?download=F5D7050_v2&lang=1&mode=

-Ive had nothing but great luck with this device.. you plug it in.. a little belkin box pops up.. lists all possible networks to connect to.. and bam, youre connected. very easy and reliable.
- Good luck

WBG4
2005-11-24, 23:47
On the main page i saw ' I need a "cheap" ' I thought you were going to say hooker

Maciej
2005-11-25, 01:28
On the main page i saw ' I need a "cheap" ' I thought you were going to say hooker

Why, do you have a connection I might be interested in?

ajnbruin
2005-12-04, 23:51
Hey there.. I dont know if youve already made your purchasing decision.. but ive got some good advice for you. My iBook's antenna died a while back.. so this summer I finally got a USB wireless guy to replace the airport. After talking to compusa applestore techman for a while, he highly suggested the Belkin F5D7050 - I just googled it.. and its about $34 from J&R.. i paid about 39$ from compusa.. i even bought a spindle of CD-R's.. opened it.. and used one of their macs to download the mac drivers (not included with the device)- burned it.. and away i went. Its a wireless G - so if you have USB 2.0 ability.. you can get really fast speeds.. im on usb 1.1 with my iBook- but ive still been able to download at around 200+k/sec. If you decide to go with this.. heres the mac 10.3+ drivers for it (also forgot to mention the device comes with a little docking usb extension cradle.. so you can move it around for best reception):

http://web.belkin.com/support/download/download.asp?download=F5D7050_v2&lang=1&mode=

-Ive had nothing but great luck with this device.. you plug it in.. a little belkin box pops up.. lists all possible networks to connect to.. and bam, youre connected. very easy and reliable.
- Good luck

I wish I had read your post earlier. I haven't been checking for replies. I pulled the trigger on a Linksys wireless G USB network adapter with WiFi finder but I found out that there are no macintosh drivers for them. Alas we're running 10.2.4 not 10.3. Do you know of any other alternatives besides the Belkin?

pkatzman
2005-12-05, 00:29
I wish I had read your post earlier. I haven't been checking for replies. I pulled the trigger on a Linksys wireless G USB network adapter with WiFi finder but I found out that there are no macintosh drivers for them. Alas we're running 10.2.4 not 10.3. Do you know of any other alternatives besides the Belkin?

Read above. I posted a link to Zyxel model that sounds good, and someone else posted a link to OSX drivers. Helps to read the thread... :D