Please be sure to check out the Home Network page as well. In effort to help everyone create a more stable work connection, we've broken out the specific information we have collected regarding the different types of Home Network setups and the best way you can setup your Home Network to ensure a stable connection to our systems.
USB Adapter installation instructions are located at the bottom of this page.
What is a USB Ethernet Adapter? Most PC's have what is referred to as a Network Interface Card (NIC) that is used to connect to the internet using an ethernet cable. A USB Ethernet Adapter provides the exact same functionality, except that one end of the adapter plugs into a USB port and the other end connects to your ethernet cable.
Why do I need one? Workbooth is basically a customized version of Linux and because of this, will not always work with the same hardware that works in Windows. The companies that make NIC's provide drivers right away for Windows, but they don't do the same for Linux. Oftentimes, the manufacturer doesn't release the driver public ally or they wait a very long time to do it. Because of this, the NIC in your PC may work just fine in Windows, but Workbooth may have a problem getting it to work correctly. When this happens, the workaround is to use a USB Ethernet Adapter to connect to the internet instead of your internal NIC on your PC.
Which USB Ethernet Adapter should I buy? Unfortunately, there isn't one (or more than one) USB Adapter that we can guarantee 100% will work with your system. There are just too many different types of PC's on the market for anyone to be able to guarantee that any one USB Adapter will work with all of the PC's around. What we have done though is purchase about 25 different USB Adapters that are available and test them on as many systems that we can. We've created the below list to help you decide which USB Adapter to purchase.
Important Note: The list below provides information based on our test results. While we strive to provide the most accurate information possible, we can in no way guarantee that the adapter you purchase will work with your system. It is possible, albeit uncommon, that the adapter you purchase doesn't work well with your PC and needs to be returned and a different adapter purchased.
Available USB Ethernet Adapters
Tip: To find additional resellers, Google the model number
| Brand | Model # | Average Price | Where to Buy? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CP Tech | CP-USB-RJ45m | $17-$20 |
Amazon Buy.com Sears |
This adapter worked well with Workbooth 3.0, but had mixed results with 2.1. If you are buying an adapter for 2.1 it is probably best to not get this one. |
| Belkin | F5D5050 | $20-$35 |
Amazon Staples Buy.com |
The Belkin adapter used to be the tried-and-true USB Adapter for Workbooth, but lately, the results have been mixed. It seems to have about an 80% success rate with 2.1 and 50% success rate with 3.0. It seems that the people that have issues with the Belkin have brand new PC's (less than 1 yr old). People with a PC older than a year report better results. |
| Linksys | USB300m USB200m |
$25-$45 | Amazon NewEgg Walmart |
All of our testers were able to log into both 2.1 and 3.0 using this adapter. However, these tests were done on newer computers. We've had a few agents purchase this adapter and it not work, but as best we could tell, these agents were using older PC's (> 2yrs old). The 300m seems to be the replacement model for the 200m. |
| Rocketfish | RF-GWII008 | $20 | BestBuy | With Workbooth 3.0, all of our testers got this adapter to work. With 2.1, none of us could get it to work. |
| SMC | 2209USB/ETH | $25-$30 |
Amazon Office Depot Buy.com |
USB2209 seems to be the newer version of the USB2208. Overall, our testers and agents have had mostly good results with this adapter. |
| StarTech | USB2106S | $15-$20 |
Walmart Amazon NewEgg Buy.com TigerDirect |
The Startech USB adapter is probably the most widely sold and easiest to find USB Adapter (via online resellers) on this list. The price is right, but our only complaint is that it doesn't seem to last too long and we've had reports here and there of the adapter not working right out of the box. |
| Planex | UE-200TX-2G | $14 | Amazon | The Model #'s are tricky on this one. The one we tested was labeled "UE-200tx-G2" on the box, but at Amazon, they list it as the UE-200TX-2G (for reference, the one we tested was black, not white). So far, we can only find Amazon carrying this one, but for $14.00, we wanted to be sure to have it added to our list. None of our testers had any issue with this adapter, with either 2.1 or 3.0 (your results could be different, of course). |
| TrendNet | TU-ET100C | $15-$25 | Radio Shack | We were hesitant to add this adapter to this list because it worked for some testers and not others. However, of the adapters in this list, the TrendNet adapter is the one you would most likely be able to find in a store (usually Radio Shack). You're welcome to try this adapter, but keep in mind it ran a 50/50 success rate. If you are shopping online, we recommend that you do not purchase this adapter, go with the others that tend to have more success. |
There are many more adapters available and in total, we tested 25 different ones. The above list only covers the adapters we had the most success with. If an adapter didn't work at all, we did not include it in the list.
Installation Instructions
Note: If the USB Adapter you purchased doesn't work in Windows, that is OK. Not all of these adapters have drivers for the newer versions of Windows. If this is the case for you, just use the adapter for Workbooth only and not for Windows.
Installation is actually very easy; one end (male) is a USB plug and the other end (female) is an ethernet port.
- Disconnect the ethernet cable from the back of your PC
- Connect the USB (male) connector to any open USB port on your PC
- Connect the ethernet cable to the ethernet port (female) on the adapter
Example: