WiFi USB network cards

USB WiFi nano-sized network cards

In the past, WiFi modules required quite a large electronic circuit and a sizeable external rod antenna. Most often they simply took the form of an internal card connected to the PCI-E interface of a desktop computer, so in terms of size they were similar to sound or graphics cards. Today, however, progressive miniaturization has made the size of WiFi cards smaller than... the USB plug itself. Thanks to that it was possible to create a number of inexpensive, affordable modules, which size does not exceed dimensions of a modern receiver for wireless mice. Such a solution is not only very aesthetic and convenient in use but also much safer than WiFi cards of a size of a large flash drive - especially in case of minicomputers (e.g. Rasberry Pi) or laptops where a long network card protruding from the port could be easily damaged mechanically. Meanwhile, nano-sized WiFi cards protrude only a few mm from the case. Many manufacturers on the market provide customers with such solutions - we can find them in the offer of such brands as TP-Link, Netis or Quer.

WiFi USB cards available in Botland offer

We have found in our offer few models of WiFi cards with USB port, available both in nano size and small pendrive size. The smallest ones include models like TL-WN725N or TP-Link AC-600 Dual Band 150 Mbps Archer T2U. The latter model offers speeds up to 600 Mbps in 802.11ac standard, and its size is only 41 x 19.5 x 8.7 mm. The card has a omni-directional antenna and provides connectivity in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, so it can work with the latest mobile devices and small board computers (SBCs) that support 5GHz band. In our offer you will also find a small WiFi card WF2120 from Netis, equipped - which is a rarity in this segment - with WPS button for quick connection of devices with the network. We have also Quer KOM0639 card, cooperating with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and Linux.

Minicomputers

Many Raspberry Pi users are using older versions of the Raspberry Pi, such as the 2B or 2B+ minicomputers, in which a built-in WiFi module was not yet available - as it only became a standard from the third generation of minicomputers onwards. For this reason, in these modules, as well as in similar competitive models from other manufacturers, it is worth considering extending the capabilities of the device by adding a WiFi card compatible with the operating system used by the minicomputer. Matching the right models of devices used to pose some problems, but today we can easily find cards that are system-compatible with all popular SBCs and have been tested by thousands of users. What is equally important, there are stable and well working drivers available for them.

One of the most popular models of cards included with Raspberry Pi minicomputers is the aforementioned TL-WN725N model. Compatibility with Raspberry Pi is also ensured by Netis WF2120 network card. It is worth noting that the use of external WiFi cards in older minicomputers does not limit the ability of the Raspberry Pi to work both as a computer station, i.e. the target device, and as an access point, e.g. in situations when Raspberry Pi works as an access point for connecting computers, mobile devices or WiFi modules of other devices. It is worth to check if the model of nano-sized card you choose supports both AP and STA (Station) modes. TL-WN725N belongs to this class of devices.