A WLAN adapter is the piece of hardware which will add the connectivity to your computer. It will either be in the form of a PCI card, a PCMCIA card for the laptop or it could also be a USB network adapter. Whatever forms the adapter does come in, it will immediately make your system wireless ready. That means, as long as you have permission to jump on the networks which the wireless adapter will be able to detect, then you are ready to go. This ease of connectivity is one of the large plusses when it comes to operating a wireless network. It beats having to run cables across the room, and being limited to static access points which a computer would need to be hooked up to. A WLAN adapter is the small piece of hardware which can open up worlds of opportunities and connectivity to you. It simply installs into your existing hardware and after the driver installation you will be network ready. If this is the work environment, then the network administrator will be able to provide you with any network security passwords needed, and will automatically configure everything just how it should be. To go wireless in the office means that many people can share one connection, and not have to worry about location or having to install new cabling when a new station is added to the network somewhere. The price between a WLAN adapter and a static one will be around the same. There are arguments over the speed and reliability of wireless networks as opposed to cabled connections, but as long as the wireless network has been set up well, taking into consideration sources of interference, then it should be able to deliver just as much functionality and performance as hard wired ones. A professional wireless job is something worth investing in, simply for the freedom of mobility which it affords over cabled connections. Planning a wireless network should take some careful consideration. There are issues over security, as even though the network is deemed to be local, they can range much further than the four walls which they were designed. A WLAN adapter will come in different configurations, to encompass different ranges. Within a home, the network detection does not to be as large as one perhaps in an office. Therefore the more expensive ones will offer a wider range of wireless network detection, and could be useful if you want to extend your network to the garden or patio. If your outgoing connection from the router is strong enough, and the WLAN adapter in your laptop is strong enough, then your connectivity can expand beyond the rooms in your home, but be wary, for that could mean a lot of other people could see that network.