i have a thomson speed touch 576 router and i was looking at the adaptors now do i have to get the one that aol says or can i get any that match the router specs

First of all I would strongly recommend NOT using AOL as a service provider.
Check and see if DSL Extreme is available in your area. They offer broadband service for less money than AOL's dial-up. And if you want to you can still keep your AOL email account.

To answer your question, any wireless adapter would work.
I highly recommend the Linksys brand for wireless products.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList....x=6&Go.y=25

If this is for a desktop, you'll need the PCI version; if it's a laptop you'll need the PCMCIA version. The USB one will work with either, however it's not quite as reliable if I remember correctly.