usb wireless adapter Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Do the tiny nano USB WiFi adapters work as well as larger ones?

Posted on September 10, 2025

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Question from Alexis: Hi, Rick. I need to buy a USB WiFi adapter for my computer and I’d really like to use one of the small “nano” adapters like this one.

I really like those because they don’t stick out from the computer very much. I’m always afraid I’ll catch it on something and break it.

The thing is, I’ve heard that the small size might keep it from working as well as a full size adapter. This is important because I often use my computer in my basement rec room where the WiFi signal isn’t all that strong. Is that something I need to worry about? If so, can you recommend one? [Read more…]

Q&A: Will it cost a lot to fix the WiFi on my laptop?

Posted on September 2, 2023

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Question from Fred: I have a 2 year old Lenovo laptop. It was working fine till yesterday evening but now the Wi-Fi won’t work.

I thought it might be a setting, but the Wi-Fi adapter isn’t even showing up in the Device Manager under Windows 11.

Since it won’t work with Windows, I tried booting into Linux Mint (I have a dual-boot setup). Mint won’t recognize the Wi-Fi adapter either so I’m thinking it must be a hardware problem.

Can this be fixed without costing me an arm and a leg? [Read more…]