Tips On How To Install A Wireless Network AdapterThe first step is obviously to plug in the network adapter into the PCMCIA slot in your computer or laptop. If you are using a new operating system like Windows XP or Vista, then in most cases the adapter will be automatically recognized. In case the operating systems asks for a driver when you try to install a wireless network adapter, then you will need the CD-Rom or any storage medium that was sold along with the network adapter. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with driver finding and installation because the disks supplied by the manufacturers or adapter vendors often come with all sorts of other software as well that you do not really need, and which will only clutter up your computer. For example, the drivers may include wireless scanning and monitoring tools that will slow down your network connection for no reason at all. After driver installation the adapter should automatically begin scanning for any available networks active in the vicinity. This will typically be shown via an animated icon that represents an attempt at establishing communication. It is easy as this to install a wireless network adapter but care must be taken at this point because most adapters will just connect to any network they sense and this is not good for your computer security. You must always keep control of your network connectivity and not let the adapter decide on its own where to connect or what to transmit. For example, all the wireless routers made by the company Linksys come with the same SSID. All computers in a wireless network share the same SSID and connecting to a Linksys router essentially means that you are possibly connecting to an unsecured network because if the router is connected to the internet then your computer is suddenly exposed to the entire world with an announcement that it has just come on. It should be noted that not all the wireless networks are equally dangerous but a certain amount of precaution is always recommended when your install a wireless network adapter. The only real protection you need is against hackers that are always prowling the wireless networks looking for vulnerable computers. You should know beforehand which network you wish to connect. When you have that information you should double-click on the wireless adapter icon to go to its "Properties". Go to the Wireless Network tab and then enter the SSID of the network that you wish to connect to. You should always change the SSID to something random of your choice and also switch to another channel and not use the default value of 6. Now you need to check the encryption to use. It is recommended you go with WPA2-PSD with AES or TKIP. |