SolveYourProblem
eLearning Series
Wireless Networking
Fighting
with MS Windows:
Getting Wireless Set Up
by Jeff Cohen
It
was supposed to be so easy, wasn't it? Well, usually it is
- but sometimes, for some reason, Microsoft Windows just
doesn't want to play ball. Here's a quick guide to what to
do when you've plugged in all your wireless equipment but
it's not connecting yet.
Insert
the CD
It's
not enough to just plug in your wireless card the first time
you use it - you need to put in the CD it came with and install
the drivers. If you've already done that and there's still
nothing, then you might need to update your drivers by paying
a visit to the manufacturer's website.
Note
that the instructions below apply to Windows XP. If you're
determined to use Windows XP, then what you need to do next
will be different depending on your wireless equipment's
manufacturer - you should take a look at your manual.
Use
the Wireless Network Setup Wizard
While
it's easy to use Windows to connect to an existing wireless
network, you still need to create the wireless network to
begin with. Don't worry - once you've created it once, your
whole network will be able to connect to and remember it,
even if the computer you used to create the network is never
switched on again.
The
easiest way to open the Wireless Network Setup Wizard is
through the Start Menu: go to All Programs, Accessories,
then Communications, and you'll find it there. If you can't
find it, you might need to visit Microsoft's Windows Update
at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com to get it.
The
first thing to do when the wizard appears is read the welcome
message, and click Next. Type a name for your network - anything
will do, as long as it's relatively unique to you. You're
allowed up to 32 letters to express yourself, but remember
that your neighbors might get to see this name at some point!
If you bought equipment with WPA (stronger encryption), tick
that box. Click Next again.
Unless
you have a USB flash drive (it's unlikely), choose the option
for manual setup. Don't worry - it's just a matter of printing
out some settings and entering them into your other computers.
If you don't use encryption, you can usually skip this step.
It
Still Doesn't Connect
On
one of your other computers, right-click on the wireless
icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen - it looks
like a small computer with two lines on the right of it.
On the menu that appears, click 'View Available Wireless
Networks'. Now, you should see a list of the wireless networks
your computer is in range of. Look for the name of your own
network. This will be the name you typed in the setup wizard
earlier or, if you use a router, it will probably be the
name of your wireless equipment's manufacturer.
Note
that this is the screen to come to if you ever want to connect
to a wireless network other than your usual one - just double
click the one you want, wait a while, and it should work.
The
most common problem is to find that your computer is trying
to connect to another network near you, usually one belonging
to your neighbors. If their wireless network has an unnecessarily
wide range, it's not at all unusual for you to be able to
receive their signal in your house. I sometimes find as many
as five networks in my area available to connect to. Fun
as it would be, though, to go through all their shared files,
your priority right now is getting their wireless network
out of the way to let you connect to your own.
Getting
on Your Network
To
make sure Windows knows which network is yours, you need
to click 'Change the order of preferred networks' on the
left of the available networks screen. You should click the
'Add' button to add the name of your network to this list,
and use 'Remove' to take away any that aren't yours.
When
you've highlighted your network, click Properties, and then
go to the Connection section. Make sure 'Connect when this
network is in range' is ticked. If all else fails, you might
have to take your printout from the Wireless Network Setup
Wizard and enter that information on each computer.
# # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
> Home > Wireless
Networking Articles: Main Page |
