Clients often come to me with a question that is very strange for an advanced user and very common for an unprepared person - how to turn on the WiFi adapter on a purchased laptop and how to then connect to the router’s wireless network.
Why does such a simple procedure raise so many questions among beginners? Yes, simply because they don’t know which button to press, and they’re afraid to experiment with the device they just bought. Now I will tell you how to do this quickly and without any risk.
How to enable wifi on laptops from different manufacturers.
A wireless Wi-Fi adapter on a laptop is usually turned on by hardware by pressing a button. In this case, this button can be located either on the computer case:
Or it is combined with some function key - F2, F3,...F12. Usually, to turn on wifi, it is enough to perform 2-3 simple operations. Which ones exactly depend on the model and manufacturer of the laptop. Here are the options for enabling a wifi network on beeches from the most popular manufacturers:
Please note that the Wi-Fi icon is drawn in a different color. This means that in order for this button to work to turn on the network, it must be pressed together with the Fn function key.
That is, you must press two buttons at the same time, for example FN and F8:
At the same time, each manufacturer tries to adhere to the same standard, but it does not always succeed. So, on an ASUS laptop you usually use a combination of the FN and F2 buttons, on a Lenovo you need to press FN and F5, Samsung, as a rule, uses FN and F9 or F12 to turn on wi-fi. HP and Compaq also like to use F12. Although more often they make a separate button above the keyboard with an antenna-shaped icon. But on Acer, E-Machines and Packard bell you need to hold down the FN and F3 buttons.
On outdated laptop models, the following slider buttons were often made on the end of the device body:
Next to the button or directly on it there may be the signature Wireles, Wi-Fi or Wlan. Move the slider towards On and the wireless network is turned on!
How to connect a laptop on Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 to a Wi-Fi network:
So, we turned on the laptop adapter - half the job is done. Now you need to connect it to the network of your home router. To do this, in the lower left corner, near the clock, look for the wireless network connection icon:
Found it? Great. We left-click on it and the “Networks” panel appears on the left. We look for our grid in the list and click on it:
By the way, you can immediately check the Connect automatically checkbox. In this case, the computer will automatically connect to the network when it detects it. Click the Connect button. Now the system will ask you to enter the password for the WiFi network:
Windows 8 is a new operating system for computers and laptops. Of course, the developers have created a more convenient interface and further simplified the system settings, however, users who are accustomed to previous versions of the OS, or have not encountered Windows settings at all, may encounter some difficulties. For example, one of the most common questions is how to set up a WiFi network on a laptop with Windows 8?
It's simple if you know what to do. This article will discuss exactly how to set up a wireless network in Windows 8. Moreover, how to do this with the least amount of time and effort. So, let's get down to business.
Setting up wireless communication in Windows 8: Video
How to set up wireless communication
First of all, you should install drivers - software without which the computer will not be able to work normally. If you purchased a laptop from a store with Windows 8 pre-installed, then all the necessary drivers should already be installed. You can check this in Device Manager.
To launch it, you need to open the file explorer and find the “My Computer” icon. Right-click on it and select “Properties”. In the window that opens, you need to find the “Device Manager” item and launch it. In addition, you can start the service through search. To do this, move the cursor to the upper right corner, after which a pop-up menu will appear. Here you click on search (the first one in the list) and enter “Device Manager”.
If drivers are not installed on any device, you will see unidentified devices that will be indicated by exclamation marks. If necessary, install the necessary drivers. As a rule, a disk with the necessary software is included with the laptop.
However, even if there is no such disk, then everything you need can be downloaded from the official website of the laptop manufacturer. The manufacturer tries to provide consumers with support, so there should be no problems with drivers and utilities.
Now you can proceed to settings and connecting to the network.
How to connect a laptop to a wireless network
First of all, it is worth noting that on a laptop with Windows 8, setting up a WiFi network is extremely simple. To connect to the network you just need to click on the wireless connection icon in the tray, as in the picture.
After this, a menu will appear in which you can enable or disable the WiFi adapter. After turning it on, you will see a list of available connections here. Among them, select your network and click the “Connect” button. If required, you must enter a password.
In order not to enter a password in the future, and the system to automatically connect to the desired network, check the “Connect automatically” checkbox.
Sometimes there are cases when when you click on the network icon in the tray in the pop-up menu, there is no option to turn on WiFi. This indicates that the module is disabled. How to enable it? It's simple. You should open the search as described above, find and launch “Network and Sharing Center”.
In the window that opens, you need to find and open “Change adapter settings.” Here you will find a shortcut for your wireless network connection. If it is gray this means that the module is turned off. To enable it, you need to right-click on the shortcut and click “Enable”. This completes setting up a WiFi connection on a laptop with Windows 8.
How to enable WiFi network on a Windows 8 laptop: Video
How to Create a Wireless Virtual Home Network
Due to the fact that nowadays many household appliances are equipped with a built-in WiFi adapter, which allows you to control equipment remotely, private virtual groups are becoming more widespread. In addition, such groups allow you to combine several PCs, laptops, smartphones, tablets, and so on for data exchange, joint games and simple Internet use.
To organize such a group, routers are used, however, not everyone has such a device at hand, and not everyone knows how to set it up. Therefore, let's look at how to create a virtual WiFi network on a laptop with Windows 8.
The operating system developers have provided such a function, so you can organize a private network in two ways:
- Using built-in tools.
- Using a third party program.
It is worth noting that the built-in tools have better stability and also provide more features. However, they are also more difficult to configure. Let's look at both methods in more detail.
How to organize a Wi-Fi access point using built-in tools
There are also two ways to organize a virtual group:
- By creating a new computer-to-computer connection.
- I use the command line.
We will consider the second method, since it works more stably, is suitable for absolutely everyone and is extremely simple. So what does it take?
Launch the command line as administrator. To do this, press the Windows + X key combination on your keyboard. In the menu that appears, find and open “Command Prompt (Administrator).”
A window will open in which you need to enter the following commands:
- Creating a virtual network – netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=My_virtual_WiFi key=12345678 keyUsage=persistent. Here ssid is the name of the network, that is, instead of My virtual WiFi, you can enter any other name. The only rule is that you can only use Latin letters and numbers. Key is the key that will be required to connect to the network.
- After you have created a virtual group, you need to launch it. To do this, you need to write the command: netsh wlan start hostednetwork.
- To stop the group, you need to write: netsh wlan stop hostednetwork.
The network is created and ready to use. Now in the Network Sharing Center there is a new wireless connection (in my case it is called Local Area Connection 3) and in the Device Manager there is a new device called “Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter”. It is worth noting that the first command is written on the computer only once, but the second command must be executed after each reboot of the computer.
Creating a wireless connection in Windows 8 using the command line: Video
All that remains is to configure it. To do this, you need to launch the Network Control Center. Press the Windows + X key combination again (similar to how we launched the command line) and open the control panel. Next, follow this path: “Control Panel Network and Internet Network and Sharing Center.”
In the window that appears, you need to open “Change advanced sharing settings.” Enable network discovery and disable password protected sharing. After this, if you need to provide Internet access to all group members, you should return to the Network Control Center and open “Change adapter settings.”
In the window that appears, you need to find the connection through which the computer receives the Internet (in my case, it is a wireless network). Right-click on it and open “Properties”. Go to the “Access” tab and check the boxes, and in the “home network connection” line you need to select the virtual network we created (in my case, this is a local network connection 3). After that, click “Ok” and close all windows.
Now you know how to create a virtual WiFi network on a laptop with Windows 8 using built-in tools. As you can see, everything is extremely simple.
How to create a virtual group using third-party programs
In fact, there are quite a lot of such applications. For example, Connectify is the most widely used. This is free software that is easy to find and download on the Internet. All programs work on the same principle, so configuration comes down to several points:
- Group name.
- Encryption type.
- Connection key.
- Selecting a connection for Internet distribution.
After downloading and installing the program, you need to run it and fill in the necessary items (usually the 4 above columns). Of course, different programs may have different settings and it is impossible to describe any universal method. As a rule, there are instructions for the program that you just need to read and follow all the instructions.
I work as a specialist at the Techno-Master company.
Although it seems that connecting to the wireless Internet on Windows 8, just like on its predecessors, should not be accompanied by any difficulties, in practice anything can happen: either there is no corresponding adapter, or there is no required access point in the control panel, or after connection, the status is “Restricted”, etc. Therefore, in this article we will look at how to enable a wireless network on Windows 8, and also briefly describe some possible errors, problems and various other nuances.
Connecting to Wi-Fi in Windows 8: Ideally
First of all, let's look at the process of connecting to the Internet from a laptop running Windows 8 - the most common case in practice. That is, everything is fine with the corresponding module on the PC, it is available, the software for it is installed, Wi-Fi is turned on. In this case, the connection status will look like a gray line with an asterisk, which indicates that the laptop sees available Wi-Fi points.
After clicking on this icon, a list of networks that the PC has found will open. Select the one you need and connect (if protected, enter the password).
If everything went well, the connection status will appear as a simple green icon with the signal strength.
Otherwise, you will need to connect to the desired Internet access point manually. To do this, you will need to follow the path “Control Panel” - “Network and Internet” - “Network and Sharing Center” - “Creating and setting up a new connection or network” - “Connecting to a wireless network manually.” Having specified all the information requested below, you can create a wireless network on Windows 8, which you can then connect to.
Checking wireless connection status and running diagnostics: Video
Connection problems
The most common problem is that there are no available points or nothing is said about their availability at all. In such cases, the connection status will appear as a stationary monitor with a red cross.
The cause of this problem may be the following:
- the device is not equipped with Wi-Fi;
- no driver for Wi-Fi;
- The connection is simply disconnected, which happens quite often.
You should also not rule out a possible breakdown of the same board, any system failures, virus attacks, etc. .
Windows 8 won't connect to Wi-Fi: Video
Solution
If you don't have an adapter, you just need to buy one and connect it to your computer.
If there is no driver for Wi-Fi, just install it. True, it is worth saying that this is extremely rare, since the “eight” automatically selects it and installs it. You can check whether the software for this Internet card is installed on your PC by right-clicking on the Internet connection icon and selecting “Network and Sharing Center” - “Change adapter settings.” If there is no “Wireless network” in the window that opens, it means the driver has not been installed.
It may also happen that this adapter is simply disabled. In this case, you can connect to the World Wide Web by turning it on, and to check the new state, carry out the above-described sequence of actions.
In previous versions of Windows, there was a certain key combination that could be pressed to connect to the wireless Internet. There is such a function in the “eight”, but it is important to note that here this will lead not only to connecting the device to the network, but also to its transition to “Airplane” mode. 
Windows 8 does not see Wi-Fi network: Video
WiFi is a technology for wirelessly connecting devices to a network and organizing their common connection to the Internet, thanks to the transmission of an electromagnetic signal with certain characteristics that carries digital information in encrypted form.
Wi-Fi is used everywhere:
- for connecting a large number of devices into a home or enterprise network wirelessly;
- providing Internet to several devices with one connection;
- creating WiFi networks in public places (airport, cafe, stadium, educational institutions).
Many beginners who have just bought a computer/laptop with Windows 8 pre-installed encounter problems when they try to set up Wi-Fi on their device. For example, not everyone knows that the radio module must be turned on in order to be able to connect to a wireless network.
Let's look at how to set up WiFi on a PC with Windows 8, and what problems may arise.
Wireless Network Configuration
Setting WiFi parameters is an integral step before using an Internet connection via a radio channel, and this is done on Windows 8 by following the steps of simple instructions.
- In the tray, click on the Wi-Fi network icon.
- In the window that appears, click on the name of the access point to which we plan to connect.
- Click on the “Connect” button.
Check the “Connect automatically” checkbox to enable connection to the network via WiFi when it appears.
- We set the key by which the Wi-Fi connection to the selected point is encrypted. It consists of at least 8 characters.
If you need to see the characters being entered, click on the button with a schematic image of an eye located to the right of the password entry form.
- After entering the password, click “Next” or press “Enter”.
As a result, within ten seconds the connection will be established, and its icon will change its appearance.
You will then be asked to determine your network type.
By clicking “Yes”, you will be able to exchange files via a wireless connection (this setting is recommended only for a home network), clicking on the “No” button will only provide the ability to access the Internet using this network.
Changing connection parameters
After connecting to the access point, Windows sets the default Wi-Fi connection settings. To improve your experience, the connection must be configured.
- Call the context menu of the “Network” icon in the tray and go to the “Control Center...”.
- Select the WiFi connection you just connected to.
- In the status window, click on the “Wireless Network Properties” button.
Possible problems
It happens that after reinstalling Windows, the drivers for the WiFi adapter are not installed automatically, so the laptop cannot use the wireless connection capabilities. The solution to the problem may be the driver disk that comes with the laptop, or a driver downloaded from the manufacturer’s website or support. To make sure that the problem concerns the driver, go to the “Task Manager”. If a yellow or red icon is displayed next to the device icon, you are on the right track.
The second common fact that causes problems with connecting to Wi Fi is the inactivity of the radio module. You can turn it on using a hardware button or combination (study the laptop manual or the purpose of the buttons).
The last reason why a Windows 8 user cannot connect to WiFi is that the radio module is disabled at the software level.
To activate it, go to the “Control Center...”, where we click on the link, as shown in the screenshot below.
Creating an access point on Windows 8 is quite simple and quick. And in this article there are instructions, step by step, with illustrations, on how to create a WiFi access point using the Windows 8 operating system.
Similar articles for other operating systems:
A little theory
Setting up an access point on Windows 8.1
We need to create a software WiFi router based on Windows 8 that will receive the Internet in some way and be able to distribute this Internet via WiFi.
What do we need?
- Windows 8.
- Old WiFi adapter. For example, a USB WiFi adapter was used for this article TP-Link TL-WN722NC.
- Internet connection. For this article, an ADSL connection was used through the Rostelecom operator. But it can be any connection - PPPoE, VPN, GSM Dail-Up, LTE RNDIS, Ethernet, WiFi.
Step one
You need to make sure that the WiFi adapter is available, turned on and working. If it is not there, then install it. For example, if you have a laptop and it has a built-in WiFi adapter, it can be turned off in the BIOS or with a special hardware button. Without an adapter or with the adapter disabled, you will not be able to distribute WiFi with Windows 8.
Step two
You need to check that your Internet connection is working. Make sure that your computer or laptop has Internet access. Otherwise, what will you distribute over WiFi?
Step three
After this, you need to check whether the “WLAN AutoConfig Service” and “Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)” services are running. This check is done through "Control Panel - Administration - Services". By default, these services start automatically, but it may be that some smart guy “optimized” your Windows and disabled these services. This happens - a student reads a lot on the Internet and begins to “improve”.
Step four
After this, you need to open the Windows console (cmd.exe) with administrator rights. This can be done by opening the Windows 8 start screen, then from it go to the programs menu, find “Command Prompt”, right-click and click “Run as administrator”:
Or open Windows 8 Explorer, open the “File” menu item in it and then “Open command line - Open as administrator”:
Step five
In the console you need to type and execute the command:
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=winap key=123456789 keyusage=persistent
Instead of winap And 123456789 you can write a different name for the access point and a different password for it:
Note. Important!
- The password must be at least 8 characters long, this is a requirement for the WPA2 security type that is used in Windows when creating an access point.
- It is better not to use the Cyrillic alphabet in your password.
- Letter case matters - A And A These are different symbols!
Step six
Now you need to start the access point. Again, type and execute commands in the console
netsh wlan start hostednetwork
The second command shows the current status of the access point.
Step seven
Open Control Panel, then Network Connections and there you should see something like this:
In this example, "Ethernet Network 2" is the connection to the Internet. And “Local Area Network 2 winap” is an access point.
Now you need to share (enable Windows ICS) your Internet connection. Select this connection, then right mouse button, then “Properties”, “Access” tab. Enable ICS and specify the connection to which the Internet will be distributed - to the WiFi connection of the access point ("winAP"):
Step eight
Connect the client to this access point and check the Internet. And in the console you can type and execute the command
netsh wlan show hostednetwork
It will show the number of connected clients:
It can be seen that one client is connected.
How to connect a WiFi client to:
- Laptop (or computer) under Windows - Setting up WiFi in Windows 8.
Windows 8 Hotspot Management
Stopping an access point with a command netsh wlan stop hostednetwork
Complete destruction of the access point by command netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=disallow
If you want the access point to turn on automatically when Windows boots, then the start command needs to be added to autorun. It's about the team netsh wlan start hostednetwork. The command can be written into a cmd script; you must specify “Run as Administrator” in the properties of this script. Then include the script in autorun.
It is necessary that the connection to the Internet is also established when Windows starts. Otherwise, you will have an access point, but there will be no Internet through it.
Of course this is a very simple access point. But everything is at hand. No third party programs needed. Just Windows 8. And everything can be configured in a couple of minutes.
Some may say that this option does not have many of the capabilities that an access point should have. This is true. Only this is an option when you need to make a WiFi router very quickly and without problems. And Windows 8 provides just such an opportunity - with a minimum of body movements, what is called “on the knee,” to create an access point.
And if your needs are broader and deeper, if you need an access point for every day, or in complex configurations, then you don’t need to use Windows, but buy a decent, or even good WiFi router. A decent WiFi router now costs less than a thousand rubles. And in such a situation, sculpting a design based on a computer and Windows is somehow absurd.
It’s another matter if you need an access point once a month, for a day or for a couple of days. Or on a business trip. Or on vacation. This is where Windows helps us out. You can quickly distribute the Internet via WiFi from a laptop to a tablet, smartphone or other laptops.
But if there is a need to make a permanent access point on a computer, then it is better to do it under Linux. This is how this is actually implemented in WiFi routers.
Hotspot on Windows 8 does not work
There is no need to swear at Microsoft, at Windows - in general, look for the guilty on the side. The problem in such cases Always on your own computer (or laptop). It could be:
- Drivers for the WiFi adapter on which you are creating an access point.
- The WiFi adapter itself.
- You did something wrong.
- Any "left" services or drivers/programs that use the WiFi adapter or USB port (if your adapter is connected via USB).
For example, during Windows startup, the WiFi adapter driver can put the adapter into standby mode. And when Windows starts the service hostednetwork the adapter does not wake up.
With a normal WiFi adapter and if you haven’t messed up your Windows with crooked programs and drivers, everything will work fine.
In general, always look for the source of the problem on your computer.
