{http://www.pcisig.com/specifications/conventional/events/annualmeeting/annual_meeting_logo.jpg http://www.pcisig.com/specifications/conventional PCI SIG}

PCI ('''P'''eripheral '''C'''omponent '''I'''nterconnect) is the standard expansion slots in your desktop PC.



There are several ways to install a wireless NIC into a desktop machine with a PCI slow - one is to purchase one of the PCI network cards and plug it straight in, another is to purchase a [PCMCIA] cradle that goes in a PCI slot and then buy a [PCMCIA] NIC, and finally you could forget about [PCMCIA] entirely and buy a [USB] NIC (which has the advantage that you can run a (cheaper) long USB cable and a much shorter antenna cable).



One thing to be aware of is that some NICs require a PCI 2.2 complaint motherboard.  Most PCI motherboards are, but some very early ones are not.  Check your manual before buying!



The [MiniPCI Mini PCI] specification exists for compact devices such as notebooks.