Computer Solutions MG Guides - How to Connect to a Wireless Network Using Windows XP SP2

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Connecting to a Wireless Network with Windows XP SP2

1. Right-click on the wireless icon in the lower right corner of your screen. If you are not currently connected to a wireless network, the icon will have a little red X over its bottom right corner.

2. Left-click on “View Available Wireless Networks”

3. The “Wireless Network Connection” box will open up. Although there may already be a network(s) listed, click the “Refresh Network List” link (in the upper left corner of the “Wireless Network Connection” box – where the white hand is pointing in the picture below.) once with the left mouse button, this will ensure that you are working with the most up-to-date list of wireless networks that are near you.

4. A list of one or more near-by wireless networks should appear in the box below the heading “Choose a Wireless Network.” In the example picture above, one wireless network named “Misfit” was found. [NOTE: If no wireless networks appear in the list, and you know that there is in fact a wireless network nearby, please skip ahead to the section called “How to Manually Connect to a Wireless Network” on page 3. I tested your Linksys Wireless Card on 2 different wireless networks, and both times, I initially had to connect using the “manual” method described on the next page.] If more than one network is found in your area, highlight the one you want to connect to by clicking it once with the left mouse button. Then click the CONNECT button in the lower right corner.

5a. If the network you’re trying to connect to is NOT protected by security, you will be asked (via a pop-up box) if you’re sure you want to connect to this wireless network, even though it is not secure. Just click whatever is necessary to tell the computer that yes, you’re sure you want to connect. Within 20 – 30 seconds, you should be connected and able to get on the internet.

5b. If the network you’re trying to connect to IS protected by security, you will be asked (possibly after a delay of 20 to 30 seconds) to type in the “Network Key”. The Network Key will be either 10 or 26 characters long. It can consist only of the numbers 0 through 9 and/or the letters A through F. No spaces, no punctuation marks. You must type in the Network Key two times (the second time is to confirm that you haven’t made a typo.) After typing in the Network Key twice, click the CONNECT button.

6. You may experience another delay of 30 seconds or even a little longer. But as long as you typed in the correct Network Key, you should be connected to the wireless network within a minute, and therefore able to successfully go online.

How to Manually Connect to a Wireless Network

Occasionally, for unknown reasons, you might find yourself in a situation where you know for a fact that a wireless network is close by, yet your computer is not able to automatically “find” the alleged wireless network. If you have clicked the “Refresh Network List” in Step #3 above a few times, but no Wireless Networks are appearing in the list, this is how you know you’re in this situation.

You need 2 pieces of information in order to successfully “resolve” this problem:

The “Network Name” (also known as the “SSID”) of the Wireless Network that you know is nearby, but which you’re unable to see or connect to. This name is cAsE sEnSiTiVe, in other words “Wireless” is different than “WIRELESS” so pay careful attention to this detail.
Whether the Wireless Network is “protected” or “unprotected”. If the Wireless Network is protected, then you also need to know the “Network Key”, also known as the “WEP Key”. As previously described, this “Network Key” will always have a length of either 10 or 26 characters and can only consist of some combination of the numbers 0 through 9 and/or the letters A through F. If the Wireless Network is unprotected, then there is no Network Key so this will not apply.

In order to obtain these 2 pieces of information, you will need to speak to someone with some knowledge of the computer / network setup at your current location. For example if you were at a hotel and were not able to connect to their Wireless Network, you should be able to ask someone at the front desk to tell you the “SSID” (or the “Network Name”) of their Wireless Network, and you should also ask them whether their Wireless Network is protected. If they tell you that their Wireless Network is protected, then you should ask them to give you the “Network Key”. Similarly, if you were at a friend’s house and wanted to use their Wireless Network, then your friend (or whoever set up their Wireless Network) will be able to provide you with these pieces of information. Don’t forget that the Network Name (also known as the “SSID”) is case sensitive.

Once you are armed with these 2 pieces of information, configuring a wireless connection the manual way is actually quite easy. Just follow these steps:

1. If the “Wireless Network Connection” box isn’t already open, then open it by right-clicking on the wireless icon in the lower right corner of your screen, and then left-clicking on “View Available Wireless Networks.”

2. This time, when the “Wireless Network Connection” box appears, click the link on the left side, under “Related Tasks”, that says “Change Advanced Settings”.

3. This will open up the “Wireless Network Connection Properties” box. Click the middle button labeled “Wireless Networks” (which the white mouse pointer is pointing at in the picture below.)

4. Type in the “Network Name (SSID)” in the appropriate space. Note that the picture below is just an example and that the Network Name WIRELESS is simply being used as an example. The right Network Name in your scenario is whatever you were told by the hotel staff, or your friend, or Starbucks, or whoever is in charge of the Wireless Network that you’re attempting to connect to. The right network name is probably not WIRELESS.

5. Next, if you were told that the Wireless Network you’re trying to connect to is NOT protected, you have to change the entry beside “Data Encryption” from “WEP” to “Disabled” (by using the drop-down arrow as in the picture below.)

6. Click OK and then click OK again. Give your computer 30 seconds to a minute to absorb the new settings. After that you should be able to get online.

5b. If you were told that the Wireless Network you’re trying to connect to IS a protected network, then you should leave the “Data Encryption” field set to WEP. However, you will need to UN-check the box that the white mouse arrow is pointing at in the picture below. (i.e. un-check the box immediately to the left of “This key is provided for me automatically.)

6b. Now you need to type in the “Network Key”. The Network Key will be either 10 or 26 characters long. It can consist only of the numbers 0 through 9 and/or the letters A through F. No spaces, no punctuation marks. You must type in the Network Key two times (the second time is to confirm that you haven’t made a typo.) After typing in the Network Key twice, click the OK button at the bottom of the box.

7. Your computer will save the settings you just entered. If you typed everything correctly, you should soon be automatically connected to the internet.

FYI: After you have successfully connected to a wireless network once, your computer will remember the settings for that particular network. This means you don’t have to go through all this rigmarole every single time you want to go online wirelessly. Rather, it is only necessary on the very first occasion that you connect to a particular Wireless Network.

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