How do I connect a USB Wi-Fi adapter to Mac?

Note: This article was written for an older version of macOS, on macOS Monterey and above Apple removed support for external Wi-Fi adapters.

Connecting your Mac to a Wi-Fi internet connection via a USB Wi-Fi adapter is easy. In this article, we are going to walk you through the steps. 

Important note: There are some USB Wi-Fi adapters that require additional software from your USB Wi-Fi adapter manufacturer. We suggest you get in touch with the USB Wi-Fi adapter manufacturer or refer to your user manual, so you can attain the necessary device drivers. In this example, we are using the Edimax USB Wi-Fi Adapter Network Manager to connect. This may vary for your specific USB Wi-Fi adapter. Also, macOS or OS X can be restrictive. Some users will find issues adding connections to their mac. In these cases, get in touch with your network adapter manufacturer for further support.

Step 1: Connect your USB Wi-Fi adapter through a USB port to your Mac. Install the necessary drivers for your USB Wi-Fi network adapter. Some USB Wi-Fi adapters may require you to restart your Mac.

Step 2: Once the USB Wi-Fi network adapter has been installed, turn on the wireless utility of your USB Wi-Fi network adapter.

Step 3: To connect your USB Wi-Fi network adapter to an existing Wi-Fi connection, you must choose the right Wi-Fi name of your connection by clicking Connect.

Step 4: Type in your Wi-Fi password.

Step 5: If your Wi-Fi password is correct, you should now be connected to your Wi-Fi using your USB Wi-Fi adapter. There're a couple of ways to confirm your connection status.

Option 1: By checking your USB Wi-Fi Adapter Manager connection status.

Option 2: By going to Network via System Preferences on your Mac and seeing the Connected status on the left-hand side.

Did you know - you can combine multiple Internet connections at once on your device instead of just switching between them? You get more reliable Internet connectivity - learn how to do that with Speedify.

Have a newer Mac that doesn't support USB Wifi Adapters? Try Pair & Share!

Pair & Share is a unique feature in Speedify that allows you to easily share Cellular connections back and forth between multiple Speedify users (devices) on the same local network, without the need for additional cables or adapters.

The feature works almost like a turbocharged personal hotspot, but instead of just one device sharing its connection with another, once paired, both devices can share and receive each other’s connections simultaneously. The more devices you pair with, the more connections you’ll have access to!

And of course, the traffic between devices is fully encrypted, and you always maintain full control over which devices can do what - and can set permissions, limits, or unpair from other devices at any time.

Pair your iPhone or Android phone to your Mac, and share the phone's Cellular connection so you could enjoy better speeds (your connection over Pair & Share can be up to 10 Mbps) and added stability on your Mac!