Wifi stick for laptop

Kosmos_

Kosmos_

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Hi folks,
We have a laptop which has no internet connectivity.

We have a wifi router close by, and am considering buying a wifi stick to connect to the wifi router,

Will this be of help ? Or are there better solutions ?

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Thanks for any help.
 
Invert0 said:
Hi folks,
We have a laptop which has no internet connectivity.

We have a wifi router close by, and am considering buying a wifi stick to connect to the wifi router,

Will this be of help ? Or are there better solutions ?

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
www.takealot.com www.takealot.com

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
Do not buy that piece of trash get something from a recognised brand like at the link below:

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
www.takealot.com www.takealot.com

Are you sure the laptop doesn't already have a Wi-Fi module inside, it probably just needs the drivers installed?
 
Apologies for only responding now.

It's a Zed Air 2 laptop, running Windows 10. However, it's WIFI device does not connect to our internet router. It is apparently incompatible with our internet setup. We even had a technician from our ISP here. That was his conclusion. The laptop WIFI works fine elsewhere, just not at home.

Really strange.

Thanks for the comments, and suggestions.
 
Last edited:
It may just be as simple as the laptop & your router utilising different (and non-compatible) 802.11 standards. In that case, a USB wi-fi dongle that conforms to the same 802.11 standard as your router may resolve your connectivity issues.

AI Overview

802.11 standards are the IEEE specifications for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), commonly known as Wi-Fi, defining protocols for wireless connectivity with continuous improvements in speed, frequency, and efficiency, evolving from the original 1997 standard (2 Mbps) to modern versions like 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6/6E) for faster speeds and 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) for next-gen performance, using bands like 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz.

Key Evolution of 802.11 Standards (Wi-Fi Generations)
  • 802.11 (1997): The original, 2.4 GHz, 2 Mbps.
  • 802.11a (1999): 5 GHz, up to 54 Mbps.
  • 802.11b (1999): 2.4 GHz, up to 11 Mbps (Wi-Fi 1)
  • 802.11g (2003): 2.4 GHz, up to 54 Mbps, backward compatible with 'b' (Wi-Fi 3)
  • 802.11n (2009): Dual-band (2.4/5 GHz), up to 600 Mbps, introduced MIMO (Wi-Fi 4)
  • 802.11ac (2013): 5 GHz, >1 Gbps, Wi-Fi 5
  • 802.11ax (2019): Dual-band (2.4/5 GHz, 6 GHz with 6E), up to 9.6 Gbps, improved efficiency (Wi-Fi 6/6E)
  • 802.11be (2024): Tri-band (2.4/5/6 GHz), ultra-high speeds (Wi-Fi 7).
Key Technologies & Bands
  • Frequencies: 2.4 GHz (longer range, lower speed), 5 GHz (shorter range, higher speed), 6 GHz (for newer Wi-Fi 6E/7).
  • MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output): Allows multiple data streams for faster speeds (802.11n and later).
  • OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing): More efficient data encoding (802.11a, g, n, ac, ax).
  • Wi-Fi Alliance Naming: Simplified names (Wi-Fi 4, 5, 6, 7) for easier identification.
How They Work

These standards define the physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers, allowing devices like laptops, phones, and printers to connect to networks via access points (APs) and the internet.

en.wikipedia.org

IEEE 802.11 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
According to the laptop spec, which wasn't easy to find so hopefully - it supports ‎2.4 GHz Radio Frequency, 802.11ab. It is also sold primarily in the Gulf states, and possibly India. Perhaps the router is only allowing 802.11n and above..
 
neoprema said:
According to the laptop spec, which wasn't easy to find so hopefully - it supports ‎2.4 GHz Radio Frequency, 802.11ab. It is also sold primarily in the Gulf states, and possibly India. Perhaps the router is only allowing 802.11n and above..
Click to expand...
How old is the laptop, WiFi-N has been the base standard for a good 15yrs probably?
 
Invert0 said:
Apologies for only responding now.

It's a Zed Air 2 laptop, running Windows 10. However, it's WIFI device does not connect to our internet router. It is apparently incompatible with our internet setup. We even had a technician form our ISP here. That was his conclusion. The laptop WIFI works fine elsewhere, just not at home.

Really strange.

Thanks for the comments, and suggestions.
Click to expand...

Turn off auto channels and make sure not the use 12 and 13.

Or simply change the region on the router if there’s such an option to South Africa instead of China.

The technician is an idiot.
 
I can't remember the exact details, but I had an old device in the house, and it could only connect to my wifi if I downgraded the wifi protocols to 2.4 GHz only 802.11bg. If it was 802.11bgn then it wouldn't connect.
Downside of course is the maximum possible speed on the wifi is then 54 Mbit/sec. But maybe a temporary measure to just get connectivity on the laptop.
 
ajax said:
I can't remember the exact details, but I had an old device in the house, and it could only connect to my wifi if I downgraded the wifi protocols to 2.4 GHz only 802.11bg. If it was 802.11bgn then it wouldn't connect.
Downside of course is the maximum possible speed on the wifi is then 54 Mbit/sec. But maybe a temporary measure to just get connectivity on the laptop.
Click to expand...

Considering they say it works everywhere else this is unlikely to be a network protocol type issue.

Will put money on the fact the network is running on channel 12 or 13 which is illegal in SA.

The network card is better at adhering to regulations and therefore won’t see it or connect to it.

@Invert0 what are the exact symptoms of it not working?
 
It connects to the router connection, but no internet. "Connected, no internet" the exact message.
 
Invert0 said:
It connects to the router connection, but no internet. "Connected, no internet" the exact message.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the configuration isn’t set to DHCP.

What does the connection details look like once connected?
 
SauRoNZA said:
Sounds like the configuration isn’t set to DHCP.

What does the connection details look like once connected?
Click to expand...

Thanks for your concern, however for a few reasons, I think I will go with a wifi stick, if push comes to shove.
Thanks anyway.
 
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