Wireless & Bluetooth Capatibility

I'm considering buying a desktop from Dell with Ubuntu preinstalled.

Problem:

They only offer one desktop, the Inspiron 530N and it doesn't have options for a wireless card or bluetooth.

Now I'm an idiot when it comes to hardware (I'm going into the software side of things) so I need some help.

How do I find a wireless card for it that is compatible with Ubuntu?

I want a g network card, maybe N. I'm pretty sure the desktop has a PCI slot and PCI-e slot. I've heard Intel works good, but that's all I know

As for bluetooth, I have no clue what I need for that. I have no idea what kind of a card it is or anything.

So if you can help me out, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks
Susanna777

 

Bluetooth I am not experienced in. For wireless, why not look around on this site for a PCI wireless card that works with Ubuntu. http://linux.about.com/gi/dynamic/o...HardwareSupportComponentsWirelessNetworkCards

Perhaps some other Geeks have more experience in this and can help you more.

E

 

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.

 

Personally I have only chosen the Linux distribution for the computer, not the computer for the Linux distribution, I personally prefer KDE to Gnome also, so Ubuntu, the most popular Linux distribution I am aware of, isn't for me. For ease of use with wireless connections I like PCLinuxOS, and usually use a windows driver for a particular wireless card. Not a bluetooth user, never had a wireless requirement that needed it. Check out some Linux Live CD's/DVD's on an existing system, I've tried everyone I could find, and am always looking.

 

Thanks, I've tried other distros, but I keep coming back to Ubuntu. I actually like the GNOME interface, and personally I find KDE to be annoying.

I know that bluetooth works in Ubuntu, but I don't really understand what kind of hardware bluetooth is, so I don't know if any bluetooth card or whatever would work properly or if there are only particular kinds that work.

 

Just out of curiosity, (and sorry about the threadjack) can't you put KDE and/or Gnome on any Linux distro? I thought I had done that in the past, but I may well be wrong.

E

 

I think you can. I guess I just like the menu layouts. Fedora looks similar to Ubuntu, but since I've been using Ubuntu all this time, there wasn't really any reason to switch.

When I tried PCLinuxOS, it was KDE and I have no idea how to get the GNOME version. I just downloaded the .iso file for my processor type.

 

http://www.getpclinuxos.com/KDE/

If you install ndiswrapper you can install the windows network drivers.
I have a linksys for my laptop and it was basically plug and play. :major

I took the Dell stats to build my box from scratch. I am undecided if I would have been happier with the Dellubuntu or not. Now that Dell is selling all their manufacturing and outsourcing more tech support to India, I am not disappointed at my choice.

 

I tried downloading ndiswrapper once for a laptop I bought, but it wouldn't install. I'd rather have something that works out of the box, so I gave up and returned the laptop.

I currently use a linksys usb adapter and it works fine except I have trouble staying connected sometimes. But I have that same problem in Windows, so I think it's just a weak adapter that can't pick up the router very well.