Need a recommendation for a wireless network card for my PC...
 

I'm looking for something stable, reliable, relatively easy to set up, and without compatibility problems.

Also, are there any wireless network cards that also have an ethernet port so they can have both a wired and wireless connection?

Thanks.

Bump.

What kind of router are you going to be connecting to, or is this going to be used primarily at a university/public Wifi access point?

This is going to be used at a house. I'm not sure what kind of router I'll be connecting to. I might be able to find out. What is the significance of this? I'm also hoping to possibly use other people's wireless connections (the ones that aren't locked) when my internet is down or not working too well.

It's best if you stick with the same brand of receiver as your router, but they should all work.

I'd recommend the Linksys Wireless G lineup (which comes in USB, PCI and PCMCIA flavours), unless you need intense range. In the latter case, you might be looking at a Wireless N version.

Linksys > Dlink, so don't let the difference in price deter you.

As far as I know, there isn't any wireless network cards that come together with a Ethernet port as well. However, although I don't agree that you need the same brand of reciever as your router, Free.User's right in saying that Linksys is rather decent, and a hell lot better than D-Link, as far as personal experience has taught me...

First of all, make sure you get a PCI wireless card for your desktop. They usually have an antenna, and offer better range than the average USB wireless stick. Basically, only go for the USB version if you feel uncomfortable with opening your computer case and installing a PCI card, or if you want your USB stick to be interchangable between computers (not likely the case here).

If you don't know what router you'll be connecting to, then I would just stick with a 54Mbps 802.11g wireless card (for all you know, the router could be reasonably old and not even support 802.11n). It saves you some money, when compared to a 802.11n card. 802.11n isn't really that interesting for the average internet user at this point of time. The 'g' standard offers enough speed for internet purposes, and is cheap because it has been out for a while now. The 'n' standard hasn't fully matured yet (still an early generation of products -- you know how it is with electronics, the early generation still isn't perfect yet), and it is more expensive at the moment.

Make sure the card supports the most recent common encryption protocols: WPA, WPA2. Only WEP doesn't suffice.

As for brand, they used to say that getting the same brand is a safer (and faster) bet. I think that's especially true for first generation-ish products, but as the products mature it becomes less and less of a factor. Stick with any decent network brand (Linksys, Belkin, Buffalo, Netgear, D-Link, US Robotics, Zyxel, and so on...), and you should be fine. Brand only becomes a real issue when the router uses a brand-specific protocol to improve network performance, and if that performance can only be attained by using related products from the same brand.

Hope this helps.