These days, the ability to connect your computer device to a wireless network or Wi-Fi hotspot is essential for mobile work and fun.  We have put together step-by-step directions in this tutorial to help you set up your laptop so that you can enjoy a wireless connection to internet access or just to share files with other computers that share the same network.  This process is actually very easy and should only take you about ten minutes to complete. 

What You Will Need:  A wireless network adapter installed on your laptop.  You can buy this just about anywhere these days.

Five Easy Steps to Connect: 

1. Locate the wireless network icon on your computer device.  For example, with Windows, you will see an icon that looks like two computers on your taskbar on the bottom right of your screen; with a Mac, there will be a wireless symbol in the top right of your screen.
2. View your Wi-Fi network options by either right-clicking the aforementioned icon and then choosing “view available wireless networks” (Windows XP) or left-clicking on the icon and selecting “Connect or disconnect” (Windows Vista).  On a Windows 7 or a Mac OS X, you will just need to click on the Wi-Fi icon to see the list of network options.
3. Click on the “connect” button to choose the network you wish to connect to.  (For Windows 7 or Mac, you only need to click on the network option itself.)
4. Type in the necessary security key.  If the wireless network is encrypted with WPA, WPA2 or WEP, you will be prompted to enter the network pass-phrase or password.
5. With Windows 7, select the network type.  This is because Windows 7 sets up security for different network location types such as Work, Home, or Public. 
6. Start enjoying; browse or share as you like.  If you have followed our directions correctly, you will now be connected to the Wi-Fi network.  Just open up your browser and visit any website to make sure.

Additional Things to Remember:

First, make sure that you both updated anti-virus software and a firewall installed on your system, especially if you plan to ever access a public Wi-Fi network such as a “free internet café”.  Those open and unsecured wireless networks are not safe at all.

Next, if you are working with Windows XP, be sure that you have updated your system to SP3 so that you will have the latest WPA2 security drivers available.

Since some Wi-Fi networks are set up to hide their network names (SSID), you might not be able to find it.  In this instance, ask someone at there for the information.

If you able to connect your computer device to the Wi-Fi network, but not to the internet, the first thing you should do is check your adapter setting: make sure that it is set to automatically get the router’s IP address.