USB Adapter and wireless networks-please help!!

[JT2006]

Hi
I'm usually quite IT literacte, but connection things baffle me!
I've just signed up with Tiscali and have been sent my wireless router.
I have a laptop which is wireless enabled, that's fine. I presume my PC (Dell Tower-bought in 2004, not sure of model) isn't enabled as it doesn't ever detect wireless networks while I'm using it, as my laptop does.
So I think I need a card or USB adapter. I would prefer USB, but does it matter which one I get? The one I'm looking at at the moment is under �10 and is up to 54Mbps. Will that be enough to watch youtube, download music (not huge amounts), etc?
I'd be really, really grateful for help. I hate being without the internet!

(On a cautionary note, I've found Tiscali to be absolutely disgraceful in terms of customer service and fault resolution. I have only just switched and have been without a landline for 4 days. I never ever thought I'd miss AOL/BT but I really do)

[rojash]

Unless the router is a long way from your desktop, you don't need any adaptor - just connect it via ethernet cable from the existing network port on your computer to one of the ethernet ports on the router. 54Mbps is considerably faster than any internet connection you are like to achieve.

[JT2006]

Thank you for the answer. The thing is I really want all the wires gone! I'm just trying to work out why there are USB adapters & boosters and why some are �50 and others �10... Is it a case of branding or do you get what you pay for?
Thanks again?

[fo3nix]

The more expensive ones will have father ranges, things like that.

They're all made in the same places, with the same few chipsets.

Wireless sounds great, but due to losses it's not as fast as ethernet. It can also be more intermittent, with interference from cordless DECT phones sometimes causing issues.

The best solution all round is to put the router next to your computer, with an ethernet cable between them (a few pounds), as rojash says.

If you really need to use wireless (can't have the router next to computer for some reason), then the PCI ones are better, if you're ok with taking the lid off your computer. USB will do though, just not quite as good.

Look for ones that give 'g' speeds.. .11g is the technical specification. They'll all do this though.

54Mbps is plenty. Your Tiscali speed is "up to 8Mbps" or something like that -- and 54 is quite a lot faster than 8! So the bottleneck, so to say (where it'll all slow down) is your internet connection to Tiscali, not the wireless.

[JT2006]

Excellent. Thank you so much.