- Aug 30, 2013
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Hi, are you new to building PCs ? A complete noob ? Don't know how to connect to the internet wirelessly ? Well today's your lucky day! All your questions should be answered in this tutorial. This is my first time writing one so I may not have the best presentation.
*True story, from my experience*
Have you been searching all day
" How to connect to the internet ? "
" How to connect to the internet wirelessly ? "
" How to get WiFi ? "
If so, then this is the right place. Here's a step-by-step guide to connecting to the internet wirelessly when your router is too far away.
Step 1
Get a wireless adapter
You need a Wireless Adapter.
It should look like this
But not all wireless adapters look like that. Let's move on to the next step
Step 1.1
Identify which type of wireless adapter you can use
There's
> USB
> PCI
> PCIe
If you have a laptop, and you can't connect to the internet wirelessly because the built-in adapter broke, or maybe it doesn't support your new router, then you should get a USB one
But if you have a desktop PC, and if you know how to open your case to access the motherboard, then the PCI and PCIe options would be ideal. You need to find out if you have any empty PCI / PCIe slots. You can do so by doing a visual check ( if you're slightly more experienced ) or you could check your motherboard's product website for its specifications.
This is how PCI / PCIe slots look like
If you have both empty, then it's best if you use the PCIe slot instead. I'm not entirely sure about the speed differences, but I think this should be in the correct order
Fastest to slowest
PCIe 3.0 > USB 3.0 > PCI > USB 2.0
But if you have a desktop PC and you can't access your motherboard, then going with a USB wireless adapter would be fine.
Step 1.2
Identify which connection your router supports
This is how a router generally looks like
Different routers support different connection types such as
(oldest to latest, slowest to fastest)
> 802.11 a
> 802.11 b
> 802.11 g
> 802.11 n
> 802.11 ac
If you bought your router about 3 years ago, then your router should support up to 802.11 N. I don't think there are any older wireless adapters that don't support 802.11 N any more , so I guess you could just go with a reasonably priced 802.11 N wireless adapter and everything would be fine.
But if you bought a new router last in the last 6 months or so, then the router would probably support 802.11 ac. It is the fastest connection, and features a larger bandwidth.
But don't make the wrong conclusions just based on when you bought the router. I'm just giving an estimate. If you enter your router's model number online, check it's product website and specifications, you definitely be able to find out what it supports.
Have you seen the words " Dual Band " or " 5 GHz network " appear while shopping for an adapter ? You could just go with a reasonably priced 802.11 N wireless adapter and everything would be fine. But if you're interested in possibly increasing your connection strength or speed, then continue reading.
Some routers support this " Dual Band " feature. It allows you to use a 5 GHz network instead of the usual 2.4 GHz. The 5 GHz network offers greater bandwidths and the cost of shorter ranges. So if you feel that the connection strength between the router and your PC is already pretty bad, then don't bother with this " Dual Band " stuff. But if you're interested, simply get a wireless adapter that support this feature. You might have to configure the 5 GHz in your router's Web GUI . The router's manual should show you how to access it.
Step 2
Install the wireless adapter
If you bought the easy to install USB wireless adapter, then this shouldn't be a problem. Simply insert the USB wireless adapter into an empty USB port, and install the drivers from the included CD. This CD should come in the adapter's package.
But if you bought the faster more powerful PCI / PCIe wireless adapter, this might be a little difficult. But if you know how to install a Graphics Card, this should be fairly easy.
Firstly , remove the PCI bracket and the back of your case. It should look like this.
most modern cases require you to unscrew a thumbscrew from the inside of the case.
See the small piece of metal this mysterious hand is holding ? See a small hole near his thumb ? That's where the screw should be. unscrew that, and pop the bracket off.
Then simply insert the card and install drivers from the included CD.
Don't forget about ESD ! You could rub your hands at the back of the case where the steel is for a short while to ground yourself, but don't get too paranoid that you'll spoil your card.
Step 3
find the sweet spot ( optional, but recommended )
sometimes, just by moving your PC by an inch can improve the signal strength.
Install inSSIDer
http://www.techspot.com/downloads/5936-inssider.html
use it to find out your connection strength.
When you start it, select the ' networks ' tab. The current connection your connected to should be highlighted. There should be a tab right above it's name stating ' SSID ' . Now look at 2 tabs away and find " Signal " . This is the most important tab. The lower the number, the stronger the connection strength. The line should be green. So start moving your PC , your router or the antennas. Move them until you get the lowest number you can get.
=============================
Alright, I would like to thank you for reading until this point. This is my first tutorial and it may not be the best. I really hope this tutorial has helped you. Fell free to give feedback or PM me for more help.
😀
*True story, from my experience*
Have you been searching all day
" How to connect to the internet ? "
" How to connect to the internet wirelessly ? "
" How to get WiFi ? "
If so, then this is the right place. Here's a step-by-step guide to connecting to the internet wirelessly when your router is too far away.
Step 1
Get a wireless adapter
You need a Wireless Adapter.
It should look like this
But not all wireless adapters look like that. Let's move on to the next step
Step 1.1
Identify which type of wireless adapter you can use
There's
> USB
> PCI
> PCIe
If you have a laptop, and you can't connect to the internet wirelessly because the built-in adapter broke, or maybe it doesn't support your new router, then you should get a USB one
But if you have a desktop PC, and if you know how to open your case to access the motherboard, then the PCI and PCIe options would be ideal. You need to find out if you have any empty PCI / PCIe slots. You can do so by doing a visual check ( if you're slightly more experienced ) or you could check your motherboard's product website for its specifications.
This is how PCI / PCIe slots look like
If you have both empty, then it's best if you use the PCIe slot instead. I'm not entirely sure about the speed differences, but I think this should be in the correct order
Fastest to slowest
PCIe 3.0 > USB 3.0 > PCI > USB 2.0
But if you have a desktop PC and you can't access your motherboard, then going with a USB wireless adapter would be fine.
Step 1.2
Identify which connection your router supports
This is how a router generally looks like
Different routers support different connection types such as
(oldest to latest, slowest to fastest)
> 802.11 a
> 802.11 b
> 802.11 g
> 802.11 n
> 802.11 ac
If you bought your router about 3 years ago, then your router should support up to 802.11 N. I don't think there are any older wireless adapters that don't support 802.11 N any more , so I guess you could just go with a reasonably priced 802.11 N wireless adapter and everything would be fine.
But if you bought a new router last in the last 6 months or so, then the router would probably support 802.11 ac. It is the fastest connection, and features a larger bandwidth.
But don't make the wrong conclusions just based on when you bought the router. I'm just giving an estimate. If you enter your router's model number online, check it's product website and specifications, you definitely be able to find out what it supports.
Have you seen the words " Dual Band " or " 5 GHz network " appear while shopping for an adapter ? You could just go with a reasonably priced 802.11 N wireless adapter and everything would be fine. But if you're interested in possibly increasing your connection strength or speed, then continue reading.
Some routers support this " Dual Band " feature. It allows you to use a 5 GHz network instead of the usual 2.4 GHz. The 5 GHz network offers greater bandwidths and the cost of shorter ranges. So if you feel that the connection strength between the router and your PC is already pretty bad, then don't bother with this " Dual Band " stuff. But if you're interested, simply get a wireless adapter that support this feature. You might have to configure the 5 GHz in your router's Web GUI . The router's manual should show you how to access it.
Step 2
Install the wireless adapter
If you bought the easy to install USB wireless adapter, then this shouldn't be a problem. Simply insert the USB wireless adapter into an empty USB port, and install the drivers from the included CD. This CD should come in the adapter's package.
But if you bought the faster more powerful PCI / PCIe wireless adapter, this might be a little difficult. But if you know how to install a Graphics Card, this should be fairly easy.
Firstly , remove the PCI bracket and the back of your case. It should look like this.
most modern cases require you to unscrew a thumbscrew from the inside of the case.
See the small piece of metal this mysterious hand is holding ? See a small hole near his thumb ? That's where the screw should be. unscrew that, and pop the bracket off.
Then simply insert the card and install drivers from the included CD.
Don't forget about ESD ! You could rub your hands at the back of the case where the steel is for a short while to ground yourself, but don't get too paranoid that you'll spoil your card.
Step 3
find the sweet spot ( optional, but recommended )
sometimes, just by moving your PC by an inch can improve the signal strength.
Install inSSIDer
http://www.techspot.com/downloads/5936-inssider.html
use it to find out your connection strength.
When you start it, select the ' networks ' tab. The current connection your connected to should be highlighted. There should be a tab right above it's name stating ' SSID ' . Now look at 2 tabs away and find " Signal " . This is the most important tab. The lower the number, the stronger the connection strength. The line should be green. So start moving your PC , your router or the antennas. Move them until you get the lowest number you can get.
=============================
Alright, I would like to thank you for reading until this point. This is my first tutorial and it may not be the best. I really hope this tutorial has helped you. Fell free to give feedback or PM me for more help.
😀
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