WiFi dongle for MacBook Pro M2

Apple discontinued allowing USB Wifi adapters. All the ones I know of require an operating system driver, which Apple no longer allows.

What's guaranteed to work is the following combination:

1. A Wifi range extender that has an Ethernet port (almost all do), preferably one that simply plugs into a wall socket.
2. An Ethernet adapter with USB-C that works on your Mac.
3. An Ethernet cable to connect the two.

Instead of using #1 as a range extender, you put it into AP mode (might be called bridging mode). This simply does the setup to convert the wireless connection into an Ethernet connection.

The key point is that a USB adapter requires an OS driver, whereas the range extender has the smarts to do that within itself.

Examples of #1 are TP-Link models RE215, RE220, RE300, RE500X, RE505X, WA850RE, with different prices depending on Wifi speed and Ethernet port speed.

Examples of #2 are from Belkin, Anker, and others. Again, different models have different Ethernet port speeds. Apple sells the Belkin, guaranteed to work. You could also use a USB-C hub that includes an Ethernet port.

This will work with all M1, M2, and M3 Macs that have a USB-C port.

did you find any adapter that works with m2?

There have been very few to no pervasive problems that were solved by using third-party Wi-Fi card rather than the very good built-in Wi-fi that came with your Mac. Most of these problems are caused by mis-configuration or issues in your network neighborhood that cause your poor performance.

Hold down the Option key while you click on the Wi-Fi icon on the menubar, and you get a snapshot of current operating parameters. Screenshot, photograph, or transcribe the values you see and post in a reply, and readers can help analyze why performance is not better, and maybe provide a solution. here is an older example:

...

Any adapter will be only as good as the gear you have. If you have low quality router and modem, they are the limiting factors. The adapter simply passes a usable signal. And that signal's characteristics are determined by the router and modem.

All an adapter does is allow for the use of the signal, it does not increase strength or quality of the signal.

Obviously you have to have a fully compatible adapter.

Adapters do just that .. they adapt two different ports in the case of a Mac and its peripherals. Adapters do not generate or change a signal, those are far more complicated devices. For instance you use an adapter to connect a USB-A cable to a USB-C port.

Hubs and docks are adapters of a sort, but they contain chips and circuitry that do more than simply remap the wiring.

What you are showing has a signal icon on it, antennas and a means to either generate or strengthen the signal and to rebroadcast that signal or to accept the signal and use it. That is not an adapter, that's a device capable of changing the signal's basic characteristics in one way or another. True adapters do not do that.

Don't let advertising jargon define what a device is. What it does defines what it is, and more than likely the person writing the ad campaign is not an electronics expert. And very likely is translating one language into another. The term "Lost in translations" applies many times more than we realize.

In the world of EMR signals, that little device is a "transceiver". That's a term created from the joining of two terms: transmitter and receiver. It both receives a signal, but it must also transmit "handshake" information to keep the connection alive.

You would be better served (and preserve your portability) by moving your Router closer, adding an additional access point to boost your received signal at home, or running an Ethernet cable (with adapter for that model MacBook Pro.)

I live "in the woods" but my home is solid masonry construction, and has wire lath behind the plaster. it is a wi-fi 'dead zone'. I am up to 5 access points, which I chose to implement as separate routers in 'bridge mode' (DHCP turned off to make them access point only.) I have the luxury of using the whole wi-fi spectrum, because I have no competition from neighbors. You may not have that luxury, or perhaps there will be no competition in your 'fallout shelter' room.

For typical cable-TV setup. the cable-Modem/Router combo unit can connect to ANY cable tap in your home, you might just need different cable splitters.

if you have separate cable-modem and Router, you can run Ethernet cable between the two devices, up to a football field long. If Ethernet cabling is onerous, you could use Ethernet-over-Powerline devices, but setup can be sometimes take extra work in the US with typical 120 volt 2 phase wiring.

Research and check the specs. You may have to contact the developers for a definitive answer.

Your main focus should be on correcting this: "We've get a pretty low spec router/modem setup". With advancing technology, low spec will shortly become very low spec and so on with time.

To "keep up with the times" I've found it necessary to upgrade both router and modem about every 3-4 years if not sooner. If I don't, I can still use the ISP signal, but sooner or later your ISP is likely to tell you to upgrade to use their equipment. I've had that happen with Comcast. Nothing happened when I didn't upgrade right away, but the curve of ever expanding capabilities is quite steep and frankly I wanted to "future proof" our LAN as far as possible.

It's not a "signal booster."

https://www.alfa.com.tw/products/awus036acm?variant=39477234597960

The manufacturer describes it as an "802.11ac AC1200 High-Speed USB Adapter". It is a network interface card (NIC) that presents itself to a computer as a USB peripheral.

It's unusual that an external WiFi NIC would have such huge antennas (even they are detachable, and their use is presumably optional). Most people wouldn't want to add large antennas to their desktop setup, let alone attempt to juggle a notebook and an external WiFi NIC which had large antennas.

But all WiFi NICs have to generate and receive radio signals. The huge antennas might help this one to get a good connection in environments where the signal from the access point is weak, and clients with unobtrusive antennas are having a hard time connecting.

Besides Wifi range extenders, there are also devices called "Travel Routers" or "Pocket Routers" that could be used. Many can be powered over USB-C rather than a wall socket, so the Ethernet cable could be quite short, at the expense of a second USB-C connection. Then again, a USB-C hub with an Ethernet port would do well in such a situation, and sit right next to your Mac. So, Travel Router, USB-C hub with Ethernet port, and short Ethernet cable.

Forget the reference to AP mode. Nowadays that's for accessing a wired network via Wifi. You want the opposite, accessing a Wifi network via wired.

Range extenders often default to having the Ethernet port access the Wifi network.

If not, it might be called Client mode.