Nowadays, almost everyone uses a wireless network. It is on every device: Wi-Fi on a laptop, for example, is present on all the latest models. It’s so convenient. You can access the Internet anywhere: at a party, in a cafe, office, library, etc.
Many are accustomed to the fact that this process happens by itself, automatically and does not require any effort on the part of the user. As much as possible, enter a password to access the wireless network on the device. As a rule, the input occurs 1 time, and then the login is carried out automatically.
Sometimes there may be difficulties with the connection. The article describes what to do if the wireless network is disabled, How To Connect Laptop To Internet Wireless (Windows 7 and more modern versions of this OS), as well as how to enable Wi-Fi from the keyboard, connect an external adapter, and install the software.
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Connect Laptop To Internet Wireless using keyboard Keys
In most cases, wi-fi can be activated with a simple keyboard shortcut, usually two at the same time. The combinations may vary depending on the device manufacturer. There is a primary Fn button on every keyboard. The second is in the F1-F12 series.
Below are the most common keyboard shortcuts:
- Asus: Fn + F2;
- Lenovo: Fn + F5;
- HP: Fn + F12;
- Aser: Fn + F3;
- Samsung: Fn + F9;
- Toshiba: Fn + F12;
- Samsung: Fn + F12 or F9 (different models vary).
Older devices have a slider on the side of the case that turns on the wireless network. When everything is normal, a step mark appears on the screen. To open it and see the settings, just click on the icon. A window will open showing the current connection.
It may be such a situation that you cannot turn on the wi-fi either by a keyboard shortcut or by the power button on the case. How do I enable the wireless network on my laptop in this case? The first step is to check for a failure in the settings: select “Network and Internet” on the control panel, go through the “Network connections” tab, diagnose networks. The operating system will eliminate errors on its own.
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How to connect a Wi-Fi adapter to a laptop
Let’s say you’re tired of tangled wires. This problem can be easily solved by purchasing an external wireless adapter. This is the easiest and most affordable option.
For the best signal, you should give preference to devices with an antenna. There are adapters with two ranges. They are only relevant if home computers support the 802.11ac standard. Of course, you need to purchase a router that operates at 2.4 and 5 GHz.
The wireless adapter must be plugged into a USB port on your PC. Better to use the 3.0 connector for the fastest speed. 2.0 will do too.
As for the drivers, they are already there, usually in a laptop. Manual installation is required on Windows XP. However, there are not many users of this operating system at the moment. If you need to install drivers, the adapter will come with a CD.
The device is configured as follows: go to the device parameters (properties of the Wi-Fi adapter). A software update is available here. Then they connect to Wi-Fi. At the bottom of the screen on the right, they click the network connections icon, select the one you need from the list and click “Connect”. Enter a password if necessary. Check for internet connection.
How to install the software for wifi adapter
A driver is a program through which the OS receives information about the type of connected equipment and its purpose. It ensures that your laptop, computer and other operating system devices function properly.
Quite often, failures in the wireless network appear after cleaning the system from viruses, after reinstalling the hardware or the operating system itself. Deletion of settings may occur during this time. When a problem is detected, the presence of a driver on the laptop is determined.
To do this, proceed as follows:
- Enter the “Start” and then into the “Computer”;
- Go to the appropriate section “System properties”;
- Open the “Device Manager” tab. In this section there is an inscription in English “Wireless Network Adapter”. Click on it and go to the “Driver”. When there is no content, the driver is installed on the laptop.
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How to install driver for a wi-fi adapter
There are several ways how to install the driver on a laptop. This applies to other devices as well. The first and easiest option is automatic installation when Windows does all the work. She independently searches for the necessary, modern, relevant drivers suitable for a specific system. The main disadvantage of this method is that often the OS cannot find the required driver. And then you have to deal with the installation manually.
In some cases, automatic searches succeed and the driver installation is correct. More often than not, at least this should happen, the OS itself will try to install the driver. If this does not happen, start the automatic installation of the driver to enable the Wi-Fi adapter on the laptop.
This is done as follows:
- Press Windows + R at the same time;
- Enter the devmgmt.msc command in the empty field that opens;
- Confirm by pressing Enter;
- Find the “Other Devices” section.
For what reason, the Wi-Fi adapter ended up in the category of other devices, because there is a special section for it. Very simple. The driver was not installed by the system for a specific device, or the first installation failed.
In this situation, I do this:
- Find a Wi-Fi adapter in “Other devices”;
- Mouse click (button on the right);
- Select from the presented Properties menu;
- Go to “Driver” and update;
- Select “Search automatically for updated drivers”.
After selecting the last item, the OS will automatically search for suitable drivers and install them for the Wi-Fi adapter. Here it is already a matter of the operating system: it may or may not install the driver. If the installation hasn’t happened, don’t worry. You can install it manually. How to do this is detailed below. There is nothing difficult. It is enough to follow the instructions exactly.
Installing the Wi-Fi adapter driver manually
First, they go to the official Internet portal of the device manufacturer. In our case, the adapter. Find the “Downloads” section, go into it and simply download the required driver to the PC. Installation takes place thanks to the installation package.
When the installation takes place on a laptop, go to the website of the laptop manufacturer. If there is a problem with installing the driver through the downloaded installer, use the semi-automatic installation method through the Device Manager. And indicate the address of the directory where the driver is located on the PC.
To do this, you need to take several steps:
- Go to the download section of the official creator – the manufacturer of the purchased wireless adapter or netbook.
- They download a package with drivers to their own computer.
- Press the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut.
- In the line that appears, enter devmgmt.msc.
- Confirm with the Enter key.
- Find a section called “Other devices”.
- In this category, select a wireless network adapter.
- Make a mouse click on the icon.
- Select “Properties” from the presented menu.
- Go to the “Driver” tab.
- Click to update.
- Click on “Search for drivers on this PC”.
- Click “Browse”.
- Indicate the directory where the already downloaded driver programs are located.
- Click on “Next”.
Now it only remains to wait for the driver installation to complete.
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How to turn on wi-fi adapter on laptop
After the drivers are installed in any of the above methods, it remains only to enable the wireless connection on the laptop by turning on the adapter. It’s simple. Press and hold the Fn key while pressing the Wi-Fi button. It is marked with a special icon. Some models have a separate button. In this case, you just need to press it alone.
In principle, after these steps, the wireless network should be turned on. If the connection fails, open the Network and Access Center. Make sure there is or is not a connection.
To do this, at the bottom of the screen on the right, find an icon and click on it. A menu will open in which the category “Change adapter settings” is selected. Next, select “Wireless Network Connection”. If the function is disabled, the icon will be grayed out. To turn it on, just right-click and click on “On”.
After the performed manipulations, a check is made. That the wireless connection is established and active is indicated by a lit icon in the form of a signal level from the steps. It is marked with an asterisk. It is now obvious that the module is enabled. Can be connected to the network. To do this, click on the icon. A list of available networks will open. Choose your router and click on “Connect”.
Now you know how to turn on Wi-Fi on a laptop. Models from different manufacturers have their own characteristics. They are not very different. The principle is the same everywhere. This can be done automatically and manually. To do this, the appropriate drivers must be installed on the laptop. You can connect the device to a wireless network through both an external adapter and an internal one.
