Wireless from a USB port
A laptop's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built in, and when they fail or fall behind, a USB adapter takes over. It plugs into a spare USB port, and the computer uses it in place of the built-in one. It is the usual answer when the built-in Wi-Fi has stopped working, when an older laptop cannot reach the faster bands of a new router, or when a desktop PC has no wireless at all.
The two ranges
- USB Wi-Fi adapters: dual-band Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 adapters, a tri-band Wi-Fi 6E adapter that reaches the 6 GHz band, small ones that sit almost flush in the port and larger ones with aerials for a better signal.
- Bluetooth adapters: small USB Bluetooth adapters, listed from Bluetooth 5.0 to 6.0, for headphones, speakers, keyboards, mice and controllers.
Some adapters do both jobs, Wi-Fi with Bluetooth built in, and appear in both ranges.
What to check first
Your system. Most adapters here are listed for Windows 10 and 11, many without a driver. Macs are harder: many USB Wi-Fi adapters do not work with recent versions of macOS, so check that the listing names yours.
Your router. The Wi-Fi Alliance names each generation: Wi-Fi 5 is 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is 802.11ax, and Wi-Fi 6E adds the 6 GHz band, which Ofcom allows for Wi-Fi in the UK. You only get a generation's benefits if the adapter and the router both support it.
Your ports. USB 3 ports can give off radio noise in the 2.4 GHz band that Bluetooth and some Wi-Fi use. If the signal is poor, try a USB 2.0 port or a short USB extension cable.
Our guide Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapters: when a laptop needs one goes through each of these.
Questions people ask about Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapters
Do I need to switch off the built-in one?
For Bluetooth, usually yes: two Bluetooth adapters in one Windows PC tend to conflict, so disable the built-in one in Device Manager. Two Wi-Fi adapters can sit side by side; choose the network on the new one.
Which do I need, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth?
Wi-Fi connects the laptop to your router and the internet. Bluetooth connects it to things near you: headphones, speakers, mice, keyboards and controllers. If both have failed, an adapter with both built in uses one port.
Would a wire be better?
Where a cable will reach, an Ethernet adapter gives the steadiest connection of all.
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