Receiving wifi on pc. How to connect a computer to Wi-Fi using an adapter. Connecting Wi-Fi to a computer via a network cable

Content

The network adapter for a computer / laptop is responsible for accessing the Internet, which in modern devices is connected via a USB or BNC connector. Since it is built-in, and the ability to explore the World Wide Web is in most cases set up by the wizards, the question of what it is and how to make it work arises if breakdowns occur. It's not easy to figure this out, but it's possible.

What is a network adapter

An additional connecting element between a PC or laptop and other devices that provide access to the Internet is called a network adapter (the terminology of the Intel processor manufacturer). In most modern computers, it is built into the motherboard. There are other names for the device. What is a network card, card, or Ethernet adapter? These are all variants of the names of one device.

What function does

In the OSI system model, the network adapter is responsible for the functioning of the second, link layer. In conjunction with the driver, it also makes the physical hardware work. The task of distributing responsibilities between them, each manufacturer decides for himself. In addition, the OS (operating system) module is responsible for the link layer. Together they perform two main operations: sending and receiving data from the network to the PC and vice versa, and also take part in:

monitoring of incoming/outgoing traffic;
remote configuration change;
improve performance and prioritize the network;
remote activation from a central workstation;
encoding/decoding of sent/received data;
packet formation (transmission/reception mode).

Classification

Although most modern PCs have built-in network cards, they can break and require replacement. To do this, it is not necessary to completely disassemble the computer, since there are two large groups of these devices:

External. Some are connected via the motherboard's PCI connector, others use the ISA bus.
Embedded. They are also called integrated. The output is presented as a connector on the panel next to the USB ports. Nearby there are indicators - LEDs, which are guided by the performance of the device. Plus built-in device: convenience. Minus: unreliability.

3Com approached classification from a different angle. In it, all adapters are divided into generations. Varieties include:

First generation adapters. They were built on discrete logic microcircuits. They had low performance - even if the computer memory was large, the adapter buffer could only hold one frame. They had many types, each of which needed its own driver. In addition, OS modules have not been standardized. As a result, configuring the network card was difficult. Used devices on old computers.
Second generation adapters. ASIC chips are used, the size of the buffer memory allows for multi-frame transmission in parallel mode. The reliability of 2nd generation adapters has been improved, standard specifications for drivers and interfaces have been developed. In addition, the transmission speed has increased.
Third generation. These are the latest devices that 3com lists its EtherLink III cards as. Frame processing is pipelined. The adapter is configured automatically. It connects to the network via a BNC connector (for cable type - twisted pair).
Fourth generation. High speed boards that support Fast Ethernet standards.
Fifth generation. Gigabit Ethernet supporting modern network protocols.
Sixth generation. 400 Gigabit Ethernet, which is currently in development. It will start to be applied no earlier than 2020 for home PCs. Sixth-generation Ethernet adapters for servers have already appeared (they are used by providers).

There are other parameters by which devices are classified. The main ones are listed below:

by data transmission medium (wired, wireless);
by functions performed (implementing the first two OSI levels / the first four);
by topology (similar to local networks: bus, ring, star, tree, combined);
by belonging to the type of PC (client, server);
by bus type (ISA, EISA, PCI, MCA).

Species

Although in order for the selection and configuration of the device to be correct, it is desirable to know some of the subtleties and features of the adapters, it is not necessary to have all the knowledge of a system administrator. The main types of boards you need to know:

wired;
wireless;
virtual.

They differ in case size and external parameters, they can be connected directly to the motherboard or via a USB socket. Otherwise, they look similar, representing a cable with the appropriate key for connecting to a computer port. Provide wired network data transmission, connect PC/laptop and router. Sometimes they are sold bundled with software (drivers) for various operating systems, but most modern operating systems find and install it automatically.

Wireless

Often, a network adapter refers to the wireless type of device. It is small, mobile and versatile, it is also called a modem (although they are designed for 3G), but within this variety, the concepts are interchangeable. To work with wireless networks - that's what the network card is for in this case. It looks like a flash drive, connects to a USB port, configures itself and searches for available Wi-Fi points. A handy thing if the integrated peripheral is broken.

Virtual

Designed to create private and secure networks (VPNs). They work with the help of special programs, are built on the basis of physical adapters. The installation depends on the type of virtual card and the selected software. For example, in the Windows operating system there is a special section "Control Panel" for configuring the adapter. Another feature of this type of board is the possibility of remote configuration.

The two most important points regarding connectivity are what type of connector the network adapter uses and what drivers are required to make it work. There can be several answers to the first question: USB slot, PCI port, or ISA bus. The last two options involve connecting directly to the motherboard. Drivers in most cases are detected automatically or come with the adapter. If not, you need to search for them on the Internet by device model. Full instructions for connecting a wired network card:

Buy a device in one of the stores in Moscow, St. Petersburg or any other city in the Russian Federation.
Unpack, read the instructions, use it to determine the type of connector.
Connect the plug to the desired port on the router and computer.
(option a) See automatic installation, wait for it to finish.
(option b) If there is a disk with drivers, insert and run the program.
(option c) Find the required software on the Internet (use proven services!), download and run.
Go to Control Panel - Device Manager - Network adapters. The list should display the name of the board. If there is no exclamation mark next to it, everything is installed correctly.

Connecting a wireless device is carried out in a similar way, but in this case only a PC and a USB connector are used. Drivers are installed automatically. After this operation, the computer immediately starts searching for available Wi-Fi networks. There may be conflicts with the OS, so that they do not arise, you need to select a device with the correct parameters (will be discussed below).

If there is no network adapter in the device manager, it means that something went wrong during the connection. But what exactly? The main reasons and ways to solve them:

Board failure. Unlikely cause unless there was physical damage. If there were, you need to carry it in for repair or replace the adapter yourself.
Errors in the operating system. Solution: roll back to a previous restore point. If not, reinstall the system.
Problems with drivers. They are solved either similarly to the previous paragraph, or updated manually. You need to download the software from the official website, since dubious services are the main reason why the network card for the computer does not support the driver.
The intervention of the built-in anti-virus protection of Microsoft Windows or otherwise. Start the system in safe mode, disable your antivirus and check the operation of the hardware.

What to do if the adapter does not work

Make sure that the computer sees the device, if not, use the instructions above. Check the system for viruses with built-in OS protection. If the problem persists, check out the following solutions:

Diagnose the card through the Device Manager. To do this, call the context menu and find the corresponding item.
Remove all adapters from the Device Manager list. Restart your computer/laptop.
As Administrator, open a command prompt. Scan the system: type sfc /scannow and Enter.
Update or roll back your drivers.
Check the board's operation indicators. If they do not light up or do not blink, it is time to contact the service center.

Network adapter price

The higher the generation and capabilities, the higher the cost of the device. But there is no reason to chase the highest price, since the question is not what technology the adapter supports, but what the computer's processor can work with. Characteristics can be viewed on the packaging, check with the seller, or read on the screen by going to the official website of the manufacturer. The difference in prices for Moscow and the region is in the table below:

How to choose

If you know exactly which model you need, you can order it in the online store. If not, it is better to contact the seller for advice. When choosing, pay attention to such factors:

View. Wired - for a regular network, wireless - for WiFi. External boards, in addition, can be used to create your own Wi-Fi points.
Connection method. You need to first check if you have a suitable free connector on your computer.
network standard. Although, for example, 802.11ac provides speeds higher than 802.11n (up to 10 Gb / s), it makes no sense to overpay if the provider provides only 100 Mb / s.
Power. Optimal - 20 dBM, receives signals even from weak sources.

Video

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For a long time I did not write articles about the Windows 7 operating system, most of all I write about the top ten, but I will try to correct this situation, since there are still a lot of users who have Windows 7.

Having the adapter driver installed is an important component for a wireless network to work. You ask some people if they have a wireless network on a computer or laptop, and in response we get that there is nothing like that. Also, you won't be able to without the driver installed. Moreover, users have problems in different directions, but simply installing the driver, or reinstalling it, helps get rid of most problems.

In modern laptops, in any case, you will find a Wi-Fi module. If you don’t have it on your desktop computer, you can purchase a simple network card with Wi-Fi support. If your laptop is running Windows 7, most likely most of the drivers are not installed and you will have to do it manually. On Windows 8 and above, they are usually installed automatically.

Useful: and

If you have not installed drivers for the Wi-Fi adapter, and the wired Internet cable is not connected, then you will see the following icon on the taskbar:

Go to Control Panel-Network and Internet-Network connections. If there is no item "Wireless Connection" then the driver is definitely not installed. The name should be Wireless or WLAN.

You can verify this by going to Device Manager. To do this, open "My Computer" and go to the top item "Properties of the system", on the left you will see the item "Device Manager".

How to install driver on Wi-Fi?

When buying a laptop or a regular computer, you should have a disk on hand that already has all the necessary drivers, but if this is not there, you will have to look on the Internet. If you bought an adapter separately, then a disk is definitely attached to it. On the disk you need to find the driver with the word "Wireless", we focus on it. Another word could be WLAN.

We figured out the disks, now let's move on to the next part.

How to download a driver for Wi-Fi from the Internet?

The problem is that you may not have wired internet, in which case you can use another device that has internet, such as a smartphone, tablet, or a friend's computer.

I will show on the example of my HP laptop, unfortunately, I will not be able to write for all models. I just want to remind you that if you purchased the adapter separately, then you will have to look for the driver on the website of the adapter manufacturer.

What to do? Since I have a laptop, the adapter is already built in. I go to the laptop manufacturer's website by typing in the name of the laptop. I have this HP Pavilion 15 -n071sr.

It is advisable to find the drivers on the official website, but I found them elsewhere, namely on the NOTIC website. There I found all the necessary diver for a laptop. If something needs to be updated, then you can use third-party utilities such as DriverPack Solution.

Healthy:

For my laptop, I downloaded the drivers called Network_Realtek.

If suddenly you opened the site, and there are different manufacturers, then in order to determine the manufacturer of the adapter of your laptop, you will need a program HWVendorDetection. Download it and run it, you will immediately see the name of the company that produced your Wi-Fi module. Look at the line "Wireless LAN".

Driver installation

Installing a driver is even easier than finding it. I think you won't have any problems with this. Just open the archive and unpack its contents into some folder, or immediately run the installation file setup.

The installation wizard will open, and then you can do it yourself, basically there you need to press only one button - “Next”.

So, we figured out how to install the driver on a laptop or desktop PC, it was I who did it on an HP laptop, it may be slightly different with other models. It's more about the difficulty in finding a driver.

Healthy:

Write in the comments or email me if you can't find a driver for a wireless network, I will try to help.

In our today's article, we will discuss with you such a thing as drivers for Wi-Fi adapters. As many of you may already know, these devices are mostly in the form of a built-in module for laptops, but there are also cases when desktop users also install Wi-Fi adapters in their systems. Who wants to mess around with wires, right?

All devices in the PC will not function correctly and perform the work assigned to them by developers without certain software, i.e. drivers. Wi-Fi adapters also need drivers to work properly. But what drivers need to be installed on the system and how to do it? Let's look at these questions and more.

Installing the Wi-Fi adapter driver

So which drivers do you need to install? Well, the Wi-Fi adapter installed in your laptop or, possibly, PC requires the installation of the same driver that was provided by its developer. You can find these drivers on the official website of the device developer. Among other things, your system may try to automatically find the correct driver for the Wi-Fi adapter on the network and install it, but this does not always work correctly.

Now we will walk you through in detail the steps required to install the Wi-Fi adapter driver on computers running operating systems such as Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10. It is worth noting that these operating systems differ from each other in terms of user interface, especially Windows 10 and Windows 7, however, the driver installation process is absolutely identical on all of them, which is good news.

Automatic installation of the Wi-Fi adapter driver

Perhaps, let's start with the most elementary way to install drivers for any device in the system. So, you can not bother installing the Wi-Fi adapter driver at all - and put this problem on the shoulders of your Windows operating system. Your OS will try to find the correct driver for your Wi-Fi adapter on the Internet and install it. The disadvantage of this installation method is that the system quite often simply cannot find the necessary driver, as a result of which you have to resort to the manual installation method.

However, sometimes the system still manages to find the driver and install it correctly. Typically, when accessing the Internet, the operating system will attempt to install the driver on its own, however, often this may not happen. To start the automatic driver installation for the Wi-Fi adapter, you need to do the following:

press combination Windows+R;
enter the command in the line devmgmt.msc;
press Enter;

The note: your Wi-Fi adapter may be in this section for a very obvious reason - the system did not install drivers for this device or could not do it the first time.

click on device right click;
select the item "Automatically search for updated drivers ...";

After selecting the above item, your operating system will automatically search for and install the same drivers found for the device, which in our case is a Wi-Fi adapter. The OS may or may not install the driver. Here's how it works. However, don't worry if the OS fails to auto-install, as you can do it yourself...

Manual installation of the Wi-Fi adapter driver

Let's now see how to manually install the driver for the Wi-Fi adapter. So, there is nothing easier than installing a driver for any device: we go to the official website of the manufacturer, go to the download section, download the necessary driver on the PC and install it into the system using the most convenient installation package.

If you own a laptop, then you need to go to the official website of the manufacturer of the laptop itself, for example, ASUS, Acer or Lenovo, for the driver. If you encounter any problems installing the driver through the downloaded installer, then you can apply, so to speak, the semi-automatic installation method - through the Device Manager, specifying the driver directory on the PC.

To do this, you will need to do the following:

go to the download section of the official manufacturer of your Wi-Fi adapter (or laptop);
download a pack of drivers to your computer;
press combination Windows+R;
enter the command in the line devmgmt.msc;
press Enter;
find the section "Other devices" in the list;
find the Wi-Fi adapter in the list of other devices;
click on device right click;
select "Properties" from the context menu;
go to the "Driver" tab;
click on the "Update driver ..." button;
click on the item "Search for drivers on this computer";
click on the "Browse" button and specify the directory where the downloaded drivers are located, for example, Desktop";
click on the "Next" button and wait for the driver installation to complete.

Reinstalling the driver for the Wi-Fi adapter

There is a chance that after installing the driver for your Wi-Fi adapter, you will encounter a number of not-so-pleasant problems, for example, the adapter will not work correctly or even function at all, despite the fact that it is displayed in the Device Manager. A complete reinstallation of the installed driver can help in this situation.

You can do it with the following steps:

press combination Windows+R;
enter the command in the line devmgmt.msc;
press Enter;
find the "Network adapters" section in the list;
find the Wi-Fi adapter in the list of other devices;
click on device right click;
select "Delete device";
click on the "Action" button in the menu bar;
select "Update hardware configuration".

The system will try to automatically update the driver for your Wi-Fi adapter when it is found in the computer's hardware list. If she fails, you will have to download the driver to your computer, and then install it through the installer from the manufacturer or through the Device Manager.

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The 21st century is the century of technological progress, the Internet has become an integral part of the life of a huge proportion of the population of the entire planet. Absolutely everyone strives to ensure that access to the Global Network is as convenient and comfortable as possible, hence the topic of our conversation today. After all, in order to use the Internet, you first need to connect to it, so you need to know how to connect WiFi to a computer.

To begin with, let's discuss, why do we actually need this WiFi? Is it worth joining at all? And I'll tell you what it's worth! WiFi currently solves several problems at once. The first is, of course, getting rid of long and always tangled wires that get in the way. Agree, it's nice when there are no heaps of wires under your feet that constantly interfere with you and your children. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without Wi-Fi, now my daughter, at her 9 months old, strives to tear something off.

Secondly, only thanks to WiFi in one apartment, it is now possible to connect to the Internet simultaneously from several devices. So, for example, my wife is reading a book via the Internet on a laptop, when I turned on YouTube on mine and safely watch videos, while another computer downloads the necessary files. I also very often use WiFi to access the Internet through a tablet and cell phones. Agree, convenient!

Everyone is always comfortable, and this, of course, is only a plus! Today I want to touch on a topic that is of interest to many users, because by default, when buying a computer, a Wi-Fi adapter is not included. The question is what to do then? After all, it does not have a built-in WiFi adapter, which all modern mobile devices and laptops can boast of.

In this situation, you will need to buy a Wi-Fi adapter. They are of two types, which are presented below:

ExternalWiFiadapters. In appearance, they look like a regular USB drive (in common people - a flash drive), but, as I said earlier, they can receive a WiFi signal. You can buy such a thing even for 300-400 rubles, if you search well. It connects to the computer via a regular USB connector, or using a USB cable (if you want to place it in a specific place), the end of which is inserted into the above connector, and the other end is intended for inserting flash drives, or in our case, WiFi receivers .

InternalWiFiadapters. To connect such a device to a computer, you will have to disassemble the computer a little, but it connects very easily, I’ll tell you more below.

We will have to open the system unit and place it there. This type of receiver is much larger than the ones we discussed just above.

By the way, many asked that they want to switch to Wi-Fi, but they are afraid that there will be problems with the Internet or the speed will be lower when downloading files. The answer is no. Wi-Fi adapters are labeled with their bandwidth. For example, your Internet speed is 1 MB per second, and Wi-Fi says up to 54 MB per second. From these figures it follows that your Internet will not slow down, because the bandwidth of the adapter is much higher.

Let's first go from easy to more complex, namely, we will figure out how to connect WiFi to a computer using an external receiver as an example. To go directly to the connection procedure itself, first we will decide what we need for this, a signal receiver, as well as a little care and a maximum of 20 minutes of free time.

How Wi-Fi is connected

First of all, we connect our WiFi signal receiver to the computer via USB. Remember that I use an external one, if you have an internal one, then it must be connected directly to the motherboard in the appropriate connector.

As you can see, it is not quite large, as it may seem to some, when buying online. Slightly larger than a regular flash drive, although there are even smaller ones.

Next, install the drivers from the disk that came with the kit. I won't focus on that. Just follow the installation wizard instructions that will appear on the monitor screen. Usually, you need to select your adapter, since the disk may contain drivers not only for your Wi-Fi. During the installation of the driver, a warning may appear in which you select "Install this driver software anyway".

Follow the next steps with the installation wizard. Next, next and so on ;).

To get around various incidents that can occur when connecting to the Internet, go to "Change adapter settings" and disable all active connections.

In the screenshot below, you can see that I am using the WiFi that is built into the laptop.

I right-click on the only active connection "Wireless Network Connection" and select "Disable".

Now I have no Internet, but we will fix it using an external wi-fi adapter. By the way, my wi-fi adapter does not require a disk, I just plug it in and it starts working right away.

So, I plug it into the USB connector.

Now I have to wait a bit, after which I will be notified in the tray that it is installed and ready to go. To make sure the driver is installed, right-click on "Computer" and select "Properties".

Select Device Manager.

In the window that opens, click "Network adapters", after which a list of devices will appear. As you can see here is my Wi-Fi, model D-lick Wirelless G DWA-110 USB. So the installation was successful, now you can use the Internet.

Now again go to Network Connections and check that another connection has indeed appeared. And as you can see in the screenshot below, I am already connected to the Stiker 2 network and at the moment I have Internet access through this connection.

To connect to a network, click on the tray icon and select the network you need.

It is possible that during or after installing the drivers, everything will not be as I said. Then restart your computer and try again.

I could not finish the article on this, because it is worth telling how to connect a non-USB Wi-Fi adapter.

This is how it looks to me:

Open the cover of the system unit, unscrew the antenna from the adapter (if it was screwed) and connect it. Sorry for the brothel that's going on in there, I don't use it very often.

When we connected the board itself, now we fasten the antenna into place.

In the end it will turn out like this:

Turn on the computer and install the drivers.

As you can see, basically, there is nothing very complicated and terrible here. In short, it turns out that the whole sequence of actions consists in buying a WiFi adapter, connecting it to a computer and installing drivers. And only then connect to the desired Wi-Fi network and use it.

That's all for today. I hope that I helped you figure out how to connect WiFi to a computer and you won't have such a question again. Thank you for your attention and see you soon!

Having received a wireless router with wires coming out of it on the shelf, the user is faced with the problem of how to connect a computer to a WiFi router. If there are no particular difficulties with a laptop and a tablet - the network of a working router is determined automatically, then a stationary PC is not always so accommodating.

Cable or wireless signal, what to choose?

The question that users are facing more and more often is whether it is possible to connect to a WiFi network on a computer (PC) without a cable? Such a connection is possible, but it is worth remembering about its disadvantages and limitations:

The wireless signal depends on factors such as router power, distance from the router, and room layout. This is especially true when you need to spend. But this is a topic for a separate article, so we will not stop here in detail.
WiFi Internet speed is affected by household appliances and interference, including from other wireless networks.

Another option: connect the Internet using a cable (twisted pair) stretched from a WiFi router - this way the user will receive a stable Internet signal with less speed loss. However, users often prefer to connect a desktop computer to a WiFi router wirelessly to avoid unnecessary and inconvenient cables.

Please note that if you connect yourself, you may need to! You can learn how to do this from our separate article!

How to get a wireless signal?

If there is a signal, then one device must send it (the router), and the other must receive it. Today, laptops and many tablet PCs have WiFi receivers by default, while stationary computer units are not customary to supply this spare part. But miracles happen - the receiver is occasionally added during assembly as an additional feature. It's easy to check this:

The user will need to log into "Device Manager": You can find this setting in the control panel or through the built-in search - the name does not change for many years from system to system.

Expand the list of network adapters, among which look for the words "Wireless" (wireless) or WiFi (the spelling can be not only continuous, but also separate or hyphenated).

If the list contains names without these words, then there is an option to independently connect to your computer wireless signal receiver which are of two types:

Interior- connects to the motherboard via a PCI or PCI Express connector (you will have to disassemble the case);
External- usb adapter - loose ports will not benefit the signal.

The problem of how to connect a computer to the Internet via a Wi-Fi usb adapter is solved in three stages: connecting to the port, installing drivers and setting up. Similarly, you can connect an internal (PCI) adapter, only the port is located on the motherboard.

If the drivers did not install automatically after connecting the adapter, then you will have to use the driver disk or download it on the Internet (in this case, you can temporarily use the cable from the router to the computer to access the Internet).

As a rule, after installing the drivers, the WiFi network icon appears on the taskbar (in the tray), by clicking on it, the user will see a list of wireless networks. It is enough to select the name of the home network in the list and enter the password - the factory name and password can be found on the router case or in the instructions.

If there is no icon on the taskbar, then you should look for a list of available networks in the control panel or in the system settings, the easiest way is to use the built-in system search:

Enter "Internet" in the search bar "Network and Internet".

Select item "Network Status" or "Network Control Center".

Select your home network and enter the password.

How to connect a WiFi router with a wire?

Do not forget that it is possible to connect a Wi-Fi router to a computer (PC) via cable - a wired connection is less susceptible to speed surges. This will require a crimped cable - its length should be enough to connect the router and the PC. To connect you will need:

Plug the router into a power outlet and connect the provider's cable to a special port on the router - it differs from others in color or in a separate location.
Connect the router and computer with a network cable.
Then you need to set up the Internet. Most often, this is done by a specialist from the provider when you first connect to the Internet, if the user is forced to do this on his own, then you can contact the technical support service for the settings.

How to connect WiFi if the Internet is already there?

Another common question among users is how to connect a WiFi router if there is wired Internet to a computer? This problem arises if the apartment already has wired Internet, which I would like to distribute to other devices, there can be several solutions:

If the network cable that is connected to the apartment is directly connected to the computer (without routers), then this cable must be disconnected from the PC and connected to the router.
If the network cable is first connected to the router, and the LAN wire is already running from it to the computer, then the router can be replaced with a router (if there are enough ports) or the router can be connected to the router using an additional cable.

As a rule, after such manipulations, a reconfiguration of the network and equipment is required. For settings, you should contact your provider - most large companies have a support service, whose consultants (by phone or chat) help customers consistently set up the Internet.