Built in wireless functionalities are becoming more or less standard tools on most laptops and home computer systems these days for a couple of reasons. One of the primary reasons is expense. Adding wireless capability is so easy on the pocket that it would be ridiculous for the makers not to add it. The perceived value of any piece of equipment with wireless capability far exceeds the price to add it. Wireless is the wave of our future, so if the manufacturers wish to stay at the forefront of the technology competition they have to add it to all but there most elementary models.

However, if you happen to be like most people you most likely can't even check how much memory your computer has, let-alone whether or not your computer is wireless enabled. Chuck in the fact that you may not know what wireless networking is, and it's effortless to disregard even trying to work out whether or not your computer has that capability. As a result, ever taking the time to set it up is obviously out of the question.

Since you bought your computer you have most likely heard more and more about "going wireless" since it's becoming the hip thing to do. If that's the case with you or I have simply sparked your imagination then read a little more because I've outlined a couple of changes you can do to check whether or not your computer has wireless capabilities.

Laptops - Intel Centrino Mobile Technology

Computer manufacturers do lower than a perfect job at explaining what this means, but if your laptop came with this built in then that is good news for you personally! In a nutshell, it means that your laptop has wireless networking built right in and you don't need to do a thing. Intel Centrino Mobile Technology is really a marketing name for the combination of the Intel Pentium M processor and Intel's' Pro Wireless card.

For those who have Intel Centrino Mobile Technology it follows that your computer must contain a "Centrino" sticker on it somewhere. If you can't locate a sticker but you suspect you had one at some time then simply do the following.

Right click on the "My Computer" icon. It is probably on your desktop itself, but if it isn't then go to the 'Start Menu', find 'My Computer', right-click and select Properties. When the menu opens check out what it states after, or under the word 'Computer'.

On a side note, Intel Centrino Mobile Technology also increases the battery life and enables companies to build computers smaller. If you can't find anything referring to Intel Centrino Mobile Technology under the word Computer -- don't fret because if your laptop has a free card slot, installing wireless is a simple task.

Any computer without a wireless network card or USB adapter will need one installing. This is not that difficult and they are reasonably cheap to buy. The key thing is to make sure they are compatible with the wireless ADSL modem router. For compatibility with the Netgear DG834G, the Netgear RangeMax USB Adapter WPN111 is recommended for desktops, and the Netgear RangeMax WN511B is recommended for laptops.