Welcome to Dell Wireless Tutorial for Windows 7. Today we're going to learn how to connect to a wireless connection using the Windows 7 Connection Manager. Wireless or Wi-Fi is a technology that allows computers to access the Internet via a wireless connection through a router which is then connected to the Internet.
Routers use radio signals in order to communicate between wireless devices thus eliminating the need for messy cables. Router manufacturers tend to provide different methods of configuration for their products. Please visit this link to explore some of the more common configuration methods that are used today.
Depending on your Internet service provider, you may also need to contact them for additional assistance configuring your router to connect to the Internet.
Before connecting to the Internet, you will need to establish a connection to the wireless router. Windows 7 has featured a simple and intuitive way to connect to the router via Connection Manager. There are four states of the icon for the Connection Manager, and they are no network available.
Network available but not connected. Connected to network with Internet and connected to network without Internet. To find the Connection Manager, look at the bottom left of your screen. Left click and you will see the list of detected routers. Select the router that you want to connect to. Click connect.
If you do not want to connect to this router automatically in the future, be sure to leave the option unchecked. Most network routers would be set up to request for a security key in order to validate the connection. Windows will automatically prompt you to enter this key if that router requires it.
Check the hide character option if you don't want to display the password as you're typing it. A activity screen will pop up as your computer is establishing a connection to the router. If successful, it will display connected next to the router name. That concludes this tutorial.
Have a nice day.