How to Connect a
Computer to a Wireless Network
There are many advantages to having your computer connect to the
internet wirelessly, the most obvious being that with wireless connectivity you
are no longer confined by those pesky cables. Another being that when building
a wireless home network you can easily connect multiple PC's to that network.
The First step to creating a wireless home network is purchasing a router,
a few points to consider when making this purchase is your price range, the
reliability of the device, speed, and compatibility. Once you have exhausted
yourself looking for the perfect model go ahead and familiarize yourself with
your new router, carefully reading its accompanying documentation. I would also
suggest locating your router in a central part of your home so that the
distance from your PC's to your router is relatively short this will give you
the best possible rate of speed.
Now, plug the router into a power source and follow the
documentation to prepare it for internet hookup. Once this is completed we can
turn our attention to preparing the computer or computers. Depending on the age
and model of your computer you may be required to purchase a PCI or PCMCIA card
(Notebooks usually use PCMCIA) in order to connect wirelesly follow the
documentation of the card to install it correctly. Also it is possible to
connect through a USB adapter for a much lower price.
From this point, we can begin physically connecting our network
the steps for the physical install will vary depending on what type of ISP you
are using. For instance if using a cable or DSL modem you can simply take the
Ethernet cable that came with your router and connect one end to the back of
the cable/DSL modem and the other to the wireless access point (router). Power
the accesspoint on and your modem off wait at least 10 seconds and then repower
the modem.
If a CD or DVD came with your wireless router now would be a good
time to run the software.
Make sure to follow the directions exactly. This
software will probably ask you to connect the computer and router together
during configuration, but once the software has run its course it should be
safe to disconnect the two devices. Turning your attention back to the router
for a moment it is imperative that you read the documentation carefully and
configure the router accordingly paying careful attention to the security
configuration.Finally connect to the internet to make sure you have connectivity
and enjoy your new wireless lifestyle.
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