Question about USB Wifi Dongles (Adapters?)
Sorry if I sound dumb here (it's probably the lead in the water at Snap) but I have a tech question. Basically I’m in the process of moving apartments and I had to return my modem and router to my ISP but am still living in this place for another few weeks and would like to have internet so I can work and watch live TV. I'd do a hotspot on my phone but I don't have unlimited data so I think that would get expensive, and buying a whole mobile hotspot is like at least $300 right? I did some research and found USB wifi adapters like this that are like $40-$60 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/netgear-dual-band-wireless-ac-usb-network-adapter-black/6328665.p?skuId=6328665 My question is do I just plug this into the side of my computer and then I have wifi? Would I be able to watch live sports with a connection like this? Again sorry if this is dumb but appreciate any help
I feel this works like an Wi-Fi extender…like let’s say you have a dumb laptop w/USB port that doesn’t have a Wi-Fi module but you do have a Wi-Fi router (with internet on it). You can use this “dongle” to have wireless internet on your laptop. It won’t magically give you internet if you don’t have an active Wi-Fi internet connection already in your home. Hope this makes sense
got it thank you! is there a device I could buy for my home that would give me internet without having to sign up with an ISP?
Nope. I haven’t seen a provider that works this way tbh, at least not in the US. You can check with AT&T or Verizon if there’s something but I doubt
The dongle is for computers that don’t have onboard wifi adapters. It will not do what you want it to do.
I got a mobile hotspot with Verizon when I moved because of a similar reason and it ended up costing me around $150 because you also have to buy the hotspot device from them as well as pay for the data. This was also the least amount of data I could buy. Idk what AT&T does for these one off situations but maybe you could see if you could get unlimited data for a month or buy more data? I also know that if you buy an esim with just data on it it’s extremely cheap (like the type you buy to travel with) so maybe if you have a random smartphone that has esim capabilities you could go to like airalo and get 20 gigs for $42 for the month. It’s like a mobile hotspot but you still have to get a device lol
Thanks for the info this make sense....but maybe more effort than it's worth lol I think I'm just gonna use my hotspot for as long as I can then use public wifi if I get close my limit
Yeah it’s kind of a hassle lol. Or if you’re friendly with your neighbors and their wifi extends you could always ask
You have unlimited data on your phone?
I don't as far as I know....I get texts from AT&T that I'm close to my limit sometimes