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Wi-Fi settings on a laptop. Setting up a Wi-Fi connection on a Windows laptop. How to turn on Wi-Fi on a laptop How to set up Wi-Fi on a laptop

Wireless wi-fi networks are widespread not only in offices and Internet clubs, but also in ordinary city apartments. Using such a connection, you can access the Internet through personal computers, tablets and smartphones, and, in general, using any device equipped with a wi-fi module. Despite the abundance of such devices, the largest number of such wireless connections comes from laptops. How to connect a laptop to wi-fi and what problems may arise will be the topic of our publication.

Creating an access point

The process of creating a wireless Internet access point consists of several steps:

    Connecting a router

    First of all, connect the RJ 45 connector of the cable you have, through which the provider connects the equipment to the network, to the wan connector of the router. As a rule, such a connector is located separately from the others and is painted in a different color. Use the router instructions that come with the device. Now you need to connect the device adapter to a 220V socket and a laptop, after which you need to turn on the router itself.

    Setting up the router.

    It makes no sense to describe the setup process; each manufacturer’s setup menu and operating principle are different. It is best if professionals deal with these issues.

  1. Setting up Wi-Fi and then connecting the laptop to the intended access point. And here we will go into more detail.

Connecting a laptop to a wireless network

In this section, you will learn how to set up wifi on a laptop on which you decide to install Windows 7, as well as how to connect it to a home network that has an appropriate Internet connection.

After turning on the laptop and waiting for the OS and all necessary services to fully load, you should pay attention to the taskbar. If the laptop has a Wi-Fi connection, a special icon is displayed in the corner of the screen. By the way the icon looks, you can see whether the laptop is connected to the network or not.

If you need to check whether there are available connections, you need to left-click on the icon and then select the network you need.

You may be required to authenticate, i.e. entering the security key. After entering the password correctly, your device will be connected to the Internet.

In some cases, when you turn on the laptop, the wi-fi connection icon does not appear. This indicates that the wi-fi module on the laptop is not working or is turned off. On some laptop models, you can turn it on by simply pressing the corresponding button on the device case, and in some cases, turning on the module must be done programmatically.

To programmatically enable the wi-fi module, you need to go to the Control Panel, where you need to find Network and Internet and Network connections. Next we see the wireless network connection icon, which we right-click on and select “enable”.

After these manipulations, the wi-fi connection icon should appear in the taskbar. If this does not happen, then you need to check the installation of drivers for the wi-fi module. This can be done by installing drivers from the disk that comes with the laptop or by downloading drivers from the Internet by visiting the developer’s website.

After installing or updating the drivers, the module should turn on, as evidenced by the appearance of its icon in the tray.

Now you should select the Network and Sharing Center category, for which you use the control panel and configure automatic acquisition of an IP address.

Then you need to find and select the following item in the menu: Change adapter parameter.

Select the required network, then move the cursor to Properties and confirm the selection by clicking the mouse. In the newly opened window, select Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.

After this procedure, the next category opens, where you select the option to automatically obtain an IP address and automatically obtain a DNS server address. As before, we confirm our actions using “Ok”, which is located at the bottom of the window.

Now all that remains is to connect to the wireless network, as described earlier, and check the Internet connection.

Setting up wifi on a laptop running Windows XP

The Windows 7 operating system is quite well optimized for maximum ease of setting up communications. In Windows XP, the setup process and other tasks are performed almost the same.

  1. Turn on the wi-fi module in your laptop.
  2. When an icon appears in the tray, double-click on it with the left mouse button. A window will appear in which you should click Search for wireless networks.
  3. As a rule, then a list of available points appears that you could connect to.
  4. If you are unable to connect in this way, you should enable the wireless network connection via Start - Control Panel - Network Connections.
  5. The next step is to view the available wireless networks.
  6. How in seven you should select the line Change the order of network preference.
  7. In the newly appeared window, select Network by access point and check the box next to “Automatic connection to the network.”
  8. The next thing to do is go back to Wireless Networks and click Update List.
  9. Then indicate the required network, click Connect and enter the access key.

Basic connection problems

In truth, we have already covered the main problems with connecting a laptop. So why doesn’t the laptop see wifi, despite all the operations performed. There are quite a few reasons for this, and the first one, which few people pay attention to, is a weak transmitting signal. That is why in the first part of the article the location of the router was mentioned.

Often a problem with wireless access occurs due to a failed wi-fi module. Here any “dancing with a tambourine” is useless. Only a service center or using an external wi-fi module can help.

One of the most common problems that are possible when connecting a laptop to a wireless network is incorrect router configuration.

Setting up an access point yourself and connecting your equipment to it requires certain knowledge. The best solution would be to call a specialist from your provider’s support service at home or contact.

In this article I will tell you how to set up wi-fi from scratch. First you need to set up a wireless network on your router, and then on your laptop. With the help of simple step-by-step instructions, even a beginner can set up the Internet on TP-Link and D-Link routers, which are most common in the CIS.

Setting up a wi-fi router

Step 1. We connect the router to the network using a power supply. Turn on the power with the ON button, if the router has such a button.

Step 2. We connect the router to a laptop or computer using an ethernet cable (patch cord), which comes with the router. You need to connect the cable to the port of the computer’s network card and to the LAN1 port of the router. (In no case to the WAN port - you won’t be able to configure it through it)

Step 3. We check that on the computer in the properties of the network card we have selected automatic acquisition of an IP address. To do this, go here: “Start” -> “ Control Panel» -> « Network and Sharing Center» -> «» -> « LAN connection»

Attention! In chapter " Changing adapter settings» You may have multiple connections displayed. For example, Local Area Connection, Local Area Connection 2, Wireless Network Connection, Bluetooth Network Connection 2 etc. How to find the right one among these connections?

Firstly, By default, a wired connection in Windows 7 and 8 is called "Local Area Connection". If no one managed to rename it manually, then it will be called that way. Unless there may be a number at the end - most often “2”. This is the case if the computer has several network cards installed (relevant for desktop computers, because in 99% of cases a laptop comes from the factory with only one wired network adapter)

Secondly, the connection we need should be active, since you connected the computer and the switched-on router using a cable: the connection icon should glow bright (usually blue if your Windows uses a standard icon pack), i.e. the icon should not be grayed out. See picture:

Here, we have found the required active wired network connection.
Step 3.1. Right-click on the active wired connection we need and select “Properties”:

Step 3.2. In the window that opens, click the “Properties” button:

Step 3.3. Select with the left mouse button “ Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) « and click the next “Properties” button at the bottom:

Step 3.4. We set both switches to the upper positions so that it is “ … … … automatically»:

Step 3.5. Click the “OK” button to save the settings.

Step 4. Open the connection window again:

Step 4.1. Click the “Details” button:

Step 4.2. In the window that opens, we find out the IP address of the default gateway:

In most cases it is 192.168.1.1

Step 5. Open the browser to go to the router’s web interface.

Step 5.1. In the address bar, enter the gateway address and press Enter:

Step 5.2. Enter your login and password:

Attention! You can find out the login details in the instructions for your device. The router may include instructions on paper or in PDF document format on the supplied disk.

If the instructions are lost, you can try to download it from the manufacturer’s website. For example, http://dlink.ru, http://asus.com, http://tplink.com.

Often in a new device the default login = admin and password = admin. It also happens that login = admin and the password is empty.

Step 5.3. After you have logged into the router’s web interface, open the wireless network (wi-fi) settings:

(illustrated using the example of TP-Link TL-WR841ND and D-Link DIR-300 NRU)

Step 6 The actual setup of the wireless connection.

Step 6.1. We disable WI-FI protected setup, because This feature is a serious security hole and could allow an attacker to hack your Wi-Fi network and gain access to your information.

Step 6.2. We check that the Wi-Fi network is enabled: the “Enable wireless” checkbox is checked if it is D-Link.

Step 6.3. Let's set a name for our wireless network.

If the default is dlink or home, then it is recommended to specify some original name to avoid confusion with neighboring networks of the same name.

Step 6.4. Set security parameters. We strongly recommend using the following options:

  • security mode WPA2 ;
  • encryption type AES;
  • key type PSK(aka Personal Key).

After specifying all the parameters, do not forget to click the save settings button!

On a TP-Link router:

in D-Link:

Setting up Wi-Fi on a computer (laptop)

In this section we will show you how to set up Wi-Fi on a laptop with Windows 7.

Step 1. Find it on the taskbar near the clock network connections icon and click on it with the left mouse button once. A list of available wireless networks will open:

Step 2. Find your wireless network in the list (it will have the name you specified in the previous paragraph) and left-click on this network.

Step 3. Leave the “Connect automatically” checkbox checked and click the “Connect" button:

Step 4. Enter the Wi-Fi network security key. This is the character set that you specified in the “Network Key” field. After entering the key, click "OK":

After clicking “OK”, the connection to your wireless network occurs.

After a few seconds, the previous window will disappear, and the network connections icon near the clock will change its appearance.

Now, when you click on the network connections icon, you will see that the computer is connected to your wi-fi network, but at the top you can see the inscription “ Without Internet access", because We have not yet configured the Internet on the router:

Setting up the Internet on the router

We set up a wi-fi network on the router and connected to it from a computer. All we have to do is help the router see the Internet so that the router can distribute the Internet to any devices that connect to it via wi-fi or cable.

Step 1. In order for the Internet to appear on computers, you need to set up a connection with the provider on the router. We show the example of the same D-Link

Step 1.1. Type the IP address of the router in the address bar

Step 1.2. Enter your login and password and click “Log in”:

Step 2. Go to the Internet settings section. Different router manufacturers may call it differently: WAN Setup, Internet settings, etc. In our D-Link this section is called “Internet Setup”:

Step 3. We get to the WAN port settings section.

Step 3.1. Uncheck “Enable Access Point Mode”.

Attention! For other manufacturers, this option may be called “Disable NAT”. The bottom line is that the “Access Point” mode disables NAT and turns the router into an access point. This option will be useful if this router is connected not to the provider, but to another of your routers.

Step 3.2. Select the type of connection with the provider.

To find out what settings you need to select to connect specifically to your provider, you can:

  • in the contract;
  • on the provider's website;
  • by calling your provider's hotline

The most commonly used type these days is Dynamic IP.

Step 3.3. If your provider only allows connections from a registered MAC address, you have 2 ways to resolve the issue.

  1. Go to the provider’s office with your passport and register a new MAC address;
  2. Indicate in the MAC address field the MAC address of the network card of the device from which you successfully accessed the Internet before purchasing the router. Typically, this is the MAC address of the computer's wired network card.

Step 3.4. We specify the DNS server if the instructions from the provider require it.

Step 3.5. Select the MTU value. If the provider does not require you to change this value, we recommend leaving it as it is: 1500.

Step 3.6. Saving the settings

Attention! If you have lost the agreement document with your provider, which contains the details, then, as a last resort, you can always go to the office of your provider with your passport and find out all the comprehensive information: connection type, MAC address, login, password, MTU, etc.

This article will describe step by step how to connect WiFi on a laptop. This wireless method of data transmission is becoming increasingly popular. Setting up such a local network is not difficult. In addition to laptops and computers, a smartphone, tablet or TV can also be connected to it.

Choosing a place for the router

At this stage in the process of how to connect WiFi on a laptop, most users do not pay attention. But this is wrong. A lot depends on the rational location of the router. For example, network signal strength. First you need to decide which device will be connected using twisted pair and which using a wireless interface. The recommendations here are as follows: stationary devices (TV or personal computer) are connected to the network using wires. But portable gadgets (smartphone, tablet or laptop) use a wireless connection. Now we need to choose a place in relative proximity to stationary consumers, but at the same time we don’t forget about access to mobile devices. The second important condition is the presence of a 220V outlet. She should be nearby too. As a last resort, you can use an extension cord, but then you need to lay the wires so that they do not interfere with movement around the apartment.

Switching

At the next stage, we perform switching. First you need to install the antenna. It is screwed to the router. Then we install the round connector from the power supply into the corresponding socket on the back of the router, and connect it to the outlet. We install the input wire from the provider into the yellow RJ-45 socket. All other wired devices are connected to the blue ports there, in random order. The main thing is not to confuse the incoming twisted pair with the wire going to another device. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, but in the future you will have to look for the cause of the malfunction and eliminate it. To prevent this from happening, we re-check the connection.

Setting up the router

Next, you need to programmatically configure the router. To do this, turn on the “Power” button (usually it is located on the back of the router). Then you need to turn on your personal computer or laptop (this device must be connected to the local network using wires), wait until it finishes loading. Then we launch any of the browsers that are on the computer. In the address bar, enter the address of the router and type “Enter.” The most commonly used options are 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.1.0. This information can be found on the sticker located on the router body. At the next stage, a request should appear in which you need to specify your login and password. This information can also be found on a sticker on the router case or in the user manual. Enter them, press "Enter" (do not forget that you need to use only the English keyboard layout). Then go to the tab with wireless connection settings. Here we indicate the name of the future network and password to eliminate the possibility of unauthorized connection. We also choose an encryption method, for example, WPA2 (it is this that provides the maximum degree of security for your wireless network). Next, you need to save the settings and reboot the router.

Connecting a laptop

The next step is to connect the WiFi router to the laptop. The algorithm in this case is as follows:

  • We check the presence of installed drivers for the WiFi wireless communication module. To do this, call the context menu on the “My Computer” shortcut. Select “Properties” and in the window that opens, go to the “Device Manager” tab. In it, open the “Network Devices” section. There should not be any devices marked with triangles with an exclamation point. Otherwise, we take and install the drivers for the wireless adapter. They are on the disk that comes with it.
  • Then go to “Start / Control Panel”. In it we find “Network Center” and select “Create a new connection”.
  • Following the wizard's instructions, we set up a new connection and save it. During the configuration process, it indicates the name of the network that was previously entered into the router, and the password for access. Save the changes made.

We connect a stationary personal computer

When connecting a stationary personal computer, the connection method can be used using a twisted pair cable or using a wireless adapter. In the first case, the connection is usually configured automatically and the user does not need to make any changes. In the second case, the setup procedure is similar to how to connect WiFi via a laptop. Its detailed description is given in the previous paragraph, so we will not repeat it.

Other features

A local network allows you to control one of the network elements by another. For example, a laptop or personal computer can display a movie or photo on a TV through a router. You don't even need to install additional software to do this. Now let's figure out how to connect a laptop to a TV. The WiFi router must be turned on. The TV and laptop or computer should be in a similar condition. The film or photo must be pre-loaded onto the computer storage device. Then we launch the standard Windows Media Player program. In it, open the “Stream” menu item, select “Automatically allow playback of media files.” Next, we place our video in the “Video” section or a photo in “Images”. Call up the context menu on the file icon and select “Play”. In the drop-down list you need to click on the model of our TV. After this, our file will begin to play automatically. You can also connect your smartphone to your laptop. WiFi allows you to do this without any problems. This is most often resorted to in cases where you urgently need to access the Internet, but there is no router nearby, as well as a 3G modem. It is the latter device that can replace a smartphone running such a popular operating system as Android. To create such a wireless network, you need to perform the following manipulations:

  • On the smartphone, we activate the data transfer mode using the top drop-down menu and pressing the corresponding button.
  • We wait for an information message to appear indicating that the connection was successful.
  • Go to the settings of your smartphone and select “Networks”. Then you need to select “Modem Mode”. In it, check the “Modem mode” checkbox and set the network protection parameters in the next sub-item (name of the wireless computer network and password to protect against unauthorized access).
  • Then, with the laptop turned on, we search for available networks. In the list that appears, select the one whose name was specified at the previous stage. In response, enter the password for access.

That's all, a mobile router using a smartphone has been implemented.

Testing the connection

At the final stage, it is necessary to check the functionality of the computer network. To do this, you need a computing device from any manufacturer, for example, an HP laptop. We already figured out how to connect WiFi earlier. Now, after performing this operation, launch any of the installed browsers, enter in its address bar, for example, “qip.ru”, press “Enter”. If everything is done correctly, the start page of this search service will open. Otherwise, we start checking everything and looking for an error.

Summary

This article describes step by step how to connect WiFi on a laptop. Using the recommendations given, you can easily organize a home local information network. Moreover, you can connect to it not only a “standard” laptop or desktop personal computer, but also a smartphone, tablet or modern TV. In general, there is nothing super complicated in this, so let’s take it and do it.

One of the most convenient ways to gain access to Internet resources is to connect to a wireless wifi network. Despite the proliferation of computers, tablets and smartphones, and other devices that use network resources, many users have no idea how to set up wifi on a laptop.

A module that provides functionality and networking capabilities

Before you begin software setup of your laptop, you will need to check the activity of a special Wi-Fi adapter. It is important to understand: any laptop manufacturer can provide the ability to control the adapter both programmatically and physically:

In the first case, in order to install this module in the working position, you will need to turn on the portable device find the fn key, as well as a button with an antenna symbol in broadcast mode - usually this is a small “stick” around which emitted waves are schematically depicted. By pressing a combination of keys at the same time, you can bring the Wi-Fi adapter in your laptop into working condition;

In the second case, if no keys are found, before setting up Wi-Fi on the laptop, you will need to find a special hardware switch on the side or bottom of the case. If the dongle does not contain indicators, then try moving it from position to position until a familiar icon appears on the taskbar, indicating that the device can be connected.

If the attempt to bring the laptop into a state in which it can contact the network was unsuccessful, then you can try the following measures:

  • Reinstall drivers - software for the module through which communication with the network is carried out;
  • Check the system for failures or critical errors;
  • Scan media for viruses.

Important: for computers of different models and years of release, drivers may vary accordingly.

Let's move on to the main question: how to set up Wi-Fi on a laptop.

Nuances and setup steps

After the problem with the adapter is resolved and it is active, you can proceed to the actual configuration. Depending on the operating system installed on your personal computer, the process will vary slightly. As an example, we will look in detail at how to set up Wi-Fi on a laptop with a pre-installed Windows xp operating system (for subsequent versions the procedure is the same, the only difference is in the names of individual menu items and options):

Open the “control panel”, go to the “network connections” section:

Universal way:




Appearance of the "Windows Control Panel"
  • You will see a “wireless connection” icon;

Go to Ethernet properties
  • Having selected the properties of the wireless connection, the “general” tab, in the “components” field we set the value “TCP/IPv4”, then select its properties by clicking the right mouse button;
  • Next, set up automatic receipt of IP and DNS addresses, or enter the required values. These values ​​will depend on the settings specified on the router;
  • Next, go to the “wireless networks” tab;
  • Having selected the field of networks that may be available, set the value to “wireless”;
  • After updating the list of available networks, Wi-Fi on the laptop will become available.

Let's look at the same procedure for a device with a pre-installed Windows 7 operating system:

By going to the Network Control Center, select the option to change the adapter operating parameters;

Going to the properties of the wireless connection, we configure the values ​​​​necessary for operation for the already familiar TCP/IPv4;

After updating the corresponding list of networks open for connection, we can safely connect to any of the available ones and use all the resources of the Internet.

The procedure for setting up wi-fi on laptops with pre-installed operating systems from Windows 8 to 10 is practically no different from the setup procedure for version 7. The only fundamental difference from the operating systems discussed is the presence on the notification panel of a special icon with the Wi-Fi network logo, by clicking on which you can access the required options and functions.

Summing up

Setting up a laptop to work with a wireless network is a simple matter: even the most inexperienced user can make the connection following the steps described in the article. The duration of the procedure is no more than 10 minutes. However, do not forget about the likelihood of difficulties arising during the setup process.

One of the most common difficulties that a user may encounter is hardware malfunction or pre-installed but outdated drivers.

They can be updated either through the software environment or manually, but it is recommended to first remove old versions of the software.

If after this procedure and checking the system for the presence of viruses and malicious files, the problem cannot be solved, it is recommended to contact the appropriate service: most likely, the module responsible for the ability to make a wireless connection is damaged or for some reason does not respond to system signals. requests.