W-LAN USB sticks for western notebooks

In order to access wireless network I need to have a wireless LAN USB stick that is compatible with western notebooks. I have been to a big store in Akiba and they had only W-LAN USB sticks compatible with Japanese systems. May be someone has a similar problem or a second hand W-LAN USB stick for sale, or any tip .... would be grateful for any help. Thanks.

That's odd. The hardware should be language agnostic, although perhaps the software interface might require your system to be able to display Japanese characters. I mean, they do comply with USB and 802.11 radio standards, don't they? (Actually, even a weird radio should work if they follow the USB standards and give you drivers...)

Are you sure it really won't work, or does it just say 'designed for (whatever)' or something like that?

Well, I can only be sure what I was told in that store and what I read on that W LAN packing. It was something like: "...OSB ...nihon sei (noto) dake..." (for made in japan notebooks only).

Hmm. I suppose it's possible there's some sort of lock out, otherwise as long as its a HID-compliant USB device it should work on pretty much any computer. Is there any way you could ask a knowledgeable clerk or try one before you buy it?

Sorry, one more thing. By knowledgeable clerk I mean someone that actually knows the hardware concepts and implementation and has maybe even tried it, not someone that'll just parrot the disclaimer on the box to cover themself ;)

It is highly unlikely that the WLAN hardware itself does not work with a western notebook.
However, it's likely that the bundled utility software runs properly only on Japanese OS.