It may also have a small antenna to improve the performance of the card and receive a stronger signal from a wireless router or hub. This type of adapter may look like a card and will also usually connect to a USB port on the computer. Wireless networks can also connect to an external network adapter, and these devices will often be slightly larger than wired adapters. This allows the computer to connect directly to the network and usually only takes a few moments to set up.

For a wired network, the network adapter will often simply have a female port for a connection such as an Ethernet cable that is run between the adapter and the router or hub for the network. The size usually depends on what type of adapter is used and whether the adapter is intended for a wired or wireless network. For computers that do not have this type of adapter, however, an external network adapter is often a perfect solution for a computer user’s networking needs.Īn external network adapter will usually connect to a computer through a USB port on the computer and is typically fairly small. Many computers have an internal adapter built onto the motherboard of the computer or as a separate card installed inside the computer and connected directly to the motherboard. This adapter allows the computer to either connect through a wire, often a data transmission cord such as an Ethernet cable, or wirelessly. Most computers connect to the Internet or a network through some type of network adapter. An external network adapter can be more quickly connected to a computer and is typically quite portable. This is in contrast to an internal network adapter that connects directly to the motherboard of the computer and typically needs to be installed inside the computer by opening the computer case. These devices typically connect to a computer using a universal serial bus (USB) port and can either allow a wired or wireless connection. An external network adapter is a device used to connect a computer to a network, usually a local area network (LAN) or Internet connection.

External bluetooth adapter for laptop