How to Connect to a Wireless Network

Level of difficulty: Intermediate

Wireless networks are available everywhere. Some restaurants and malls provide free Wi-Fi access to customers. All you need to access the Internet is a laptop. Wireless networks are also set up at home to allow multiple computers to access the Internet from anywhere inside the house. This makes accessing the computer easier as you do not need to be connected to an Internet cable.

Materials Needed:
- Wireless network
- Internet connection
Step 1
Make sure that your computer can connect to wireless networks. To check, right click on the 'My Computer' icon on your desktop. A menu will appear. Choose 'Properties'. A 'Systems Properties' window will appear. Click on the 'Hardware' tab and select 'Device Manager'.
Step 2
Click on the plus (+) sign next to the 'Network Adapters' icon. Make sure that there is a wireless adapter on your computer. If there is no wireless adapter, a question mark (?) or an 'X' appears. Otherwise, close all windows.
Step 3
Click on the 'Start' button on the lower left part of your desktop and choose 'Control Panel' from the menu. A 'Control Panel' window should appear. Choose 'Wireless Network Setup Wizard' from the icons.
Step 4
Follow the prompts on the screen until you get to the window that asks 'How do you want to set up your network?'. Choose the option 'Set up network manually' and click on the 'Next' button. Click 'Finish'.
Step 5
Go back to the 'Control Panel' window. Click on the 'Network Connections' icon and right click on the 'Wireless Network Connection'. From the drop-down menu, select 'Properties'. A 'Wireless Connection Properties' window should appear.
Step 6
On the window, choose the 'Wireless Networks' tab. If the name of the wireless network is not there, select the 'View Wireless Networks' button. You can also choose to add the wireless network if you know the name. To do this, click on 'Add' and enter the name of the wireless network. Make sure that the boxes are not checked. Provide a password if the network that you are connecting to is secured.
Step 7
Close all windows. To connect to a wireless network, click on the 'Wireless Network Connection' found on the bottom right corner of the desktop. A new window should appear. On the new window, you will see a list of all the wireless networks that are in range.
Step 8
Choose the network that you want to connect to. Secure networks displayed with a locked padlock. Unsecured networks are displayed with an open padlock. Click on a wireless network and select 'Connect'. If you chose a secure network, a window will appear asking you to provide a password. Enter the password and you should be connected to the wireless network.


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