A wireless network at home lets you get online from more places in your house. This article describes the basic steps for setting up a wireless network and starting to use it.
Broadband Internet connection and modem. A broadband Internet connection is a high-speed Internet connection. You can get a broadband connection by contacting an Internet service provider ISP. ISPs frequently offer broadband modems. You can also find these at computer or electronics stores, and online. Wireless router. A router sends info between your network and the Internet.
With a wireless router, you can connect PCs to your network using radio signals instead of wires. Wireless network adapter. A wireless network adapter is a device that connects your PC to a wireless network. To connect your portable or desktop PC to your wireless network, the PC must have a wireless network adapter.
Most laptops and tablets—and some desktop PCs—come with a wireless network adapter already installed. Select Start , type device manager in the search box, and then select Device Manager. After you have all the equipment, you'll need to set up your modem and Internet connection.
If your modem wasn't set up for you by your Internet service provider ISP , follow the instructions that came with your modem to connect it to your PC and the Internet.
If you're using cable, connect your modem to a cable jack. Put your wireless router somewhere where it will receive the strongest signal with the least amount of interference.
For better results, follow these tips:. Place your wireless router in a central location. Place the router as close to the center of your home as possible to increase the strength of the wireless signal throughout your home. Position the wireless router off the floor and away from walls and metal objects , such as metal file cabinets. The fewer physical obstructions between your PC and the router's signal, the more likely that you'll be using the router's full signal strength.
Reduce interference. Some networking equipment uses a 2. This is the same frequency as most microwaves and many cordless phones. If you turn on the microwave or get a call on a cordless phone, your wireless signal might be temporarily interrupted.
You can avoid most of these issues by using a cordless phone with a higher frequency, such as 5. Security is always important; with a wireless network, it's even more important because your network's signal could be broadcast outside your home. If you don't help secure your network, people with PCs nearby could access info stored on your network PCs and use your Internet connection.
Change the default user name and password. This helps protect your router. Most router manufacturers have a default user name and password on the router and a default network name also known as the SSID. Someone could use this info to access your router without you knowing it.
To help avoid that, change the default user name and password for your router. See the documentation for your device for instructions. Set up a security key password for your network. Wireless networks have a network security key to help protect them from unauthorized access.
Wendy Mai. Most laptops can connect to WiFi, but some desktop computers may not be able to use the wireless network. In order to connect to WiFi, make sure your computer has a wireless adapter. To check for it, you can:. To connect WiFi on your laptop, you should turn on the WiFi switch. Unplug the network cable , which is for the wired network, and if the WiFi switch is toggled on, the WiFi icon on the bottom right of your screen should appear like this:.
There are two ways to update your wireless adapter driver: manually and automatically. Driver Easy handles it all. As a veteran computer user and an obliging technical writer, Wendy is perfectly positioned to understand your computer problems, and more than capable of helping you solve them.
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