Selecting a WIFI Adapter

[coltraz]

I mean to buy a USB wifi adapater for my friend. I don't know the first thing about them. He told me he needs a USB 2 adapter. This one seems well rated on Best Buy. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/NETGEAR+-+N150+Wireless-N+USB+Adapter/9826311.p?id=1218179421494&skuId=9826311 ... but it doesn't say anything about USB 2 on it. So will that not work? :| Can someone provide me any insight on what I need to find out for making a selection? Do I need more info? What's a good one to get?

Thank you!

[mustluvcatz]

What does he do on the computer? Does he download a lot of stuff or play games online? This one: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/NETGEAR+-+N300+Wireless-N+USB+Adapter/9928575.p?id=1218196479078&skuId=9928575&st=NETGEAR%20-%20N300&cp=1&lp=2 is faster and only 5 dollars more.

But yeah- it'll work with USB 2.0 ports.

[coltraz]

I guess I just liked the look of the other one because the ratings were better. It's a shame there are tons of people saying it's a great adapter and then some saying it's unreliable. It's hard to figure out if I should buy it or not. I know a lot more people claim it works well, but still...

He doesn't play games online. He will do some light downloading/uploading.

Thanks for the clarification about 2.0 ports too.

[mustluvcatz]

There will always be people saying "This is great" while others say the opposite. NetGear is pretty reliable- if you're really uncertain, make sure it can be returned or exchanged. (Just in case.) I had an Asus adapter- I'm not sure which one it was but I paid $30.something for it. It never gave me any problems with connectivity at all. Download speeds were good- even for large files. Playing online games I'm not too sure about because I really don't play them. (Unless some of the Facebook games like Bingo and Bejeweled count. Those played just fine.)

If you need a link to the one I had, I'll try to find it...just have to remember which one it was. :)