How to connect wi-fi to a Dell laptop or computer?

While WiFi is convenient for laptops and cell phones, if you work from a Dell desktop computer, it can be difficult to get online without the proper built-in WiFi adapters. You may need to find a way to add a WiFi connection to your desktop PC. To connect to WiFi for desktop computers, follow the steps below.

Check Your Desktop for WiFi

To begin, first, look at your desktop computer and see if it has WiFi for desktop capabilities, or what’s known as a wireless network adapter. If you are using a Dell, your desktop should be a PC which runs on Windows. Most Windows operating systems come with a wireless network adapter for accessing wireless network connections already built into them, but not all of them do. To discover whether or not you have WiFi for desktop, go to the Start menu on your Windows taskbar. From there, search for the Device Manager, and click the drop-down button associated with your desktop computer. It will look like a + sign and should expand more options once you click it. From there, you’ll see an option called Network Adapters.

If you have WiFi for desktop capabilities, you’ll see something on the list that says Wireless or WiFi Adapter. If you don’t see any options that specify WiFi, there’s a chance it might be listed under IEEE 802.11, which is the technical specification that determines whether a computer can access a wireless LAN connection over WiFi. If none of those three options are listed, you’ll need to purchase an external Dell wireless adapter.

Connect Dell Computer to WiFi With an External Adapter

If your Dell desktop does not have a wireless network adapter built into it, you will need an external wireless adapter to connect your Dell computer to WiFi. Most of these adapters connect Dell computers to WiFi simply through one of your desktop’s USB ports, so begin by acquiring a USB Dell wireless adapter from your preferred retailer.

Once you’ve purchased your USB wireless adapter, plug the The USB end of the adapter into your desktop. You should then be prompted to install the necessary drivers to use the device. If your Dell desktop already has the appropriate drivers, skip ahead to the Accessing WiFi section. If not, locate any accompanying driver software installation disk that came with your wireless adapter, and insert it into your desktop to begin installing the necessary drivers.

When the Install Wizard shows up, click the option that says Next to go to the user agreement page. Click Accept, then follow any additional steps until you get to the option to click Install. By clicking, you will install the necessary drivers to access your wireless network connection. Finish and complete the installation by restarting your desktop.

If You Lose Your Installation CD

There is a chance that you might not be able to install the proper drivers with the disk that came with your external USB wireless adapter. If that happens, you’ll need another computer with internet access to download the proper drivers directly from the manufacturer. Go to the company website of the wireless adapter you purchased. Navigate to the appropriate webpage that offers Support, locate the section where you download drivers, and download the most recent option available.

Download the necessary driver, and use a USB flash drive or external hard drive to transfer the files to your Dell desktop. Take the driver files off the flash drive and place them on your desktop computer in a folder somewhere you will remember. Once the driver files are on your computer, you should be able to access them from the Network Adapters section of your computer’s Device Manager.

Select your new wireless adapter from the list of names, and right-click it. This should prompt an option to Update Driver Software. The Update Wizard will look similar to the Installation Wizard, but you’ll need to locate the driver files using the Browse my Computer for Driver Software option. Go to the folder where you saved the driver files from your flash drive, and select them. This should install the drivers the same way you would if you had the original installation disc.

Accessing WiFi on Your Desktop

Now that the drivers for your external wireless adapter have been installed, your desktop should treat your wireless adapter as the primary internet connection. You should be able to easily connect to your wireless network connection as you would on any other device with a wireless adapter.

Begin by going to your Windows taskbar, and click the Network icon. You should now be able to select your WiFi network from the list of networks. Locate and select the name of your network, and click Connect. Enter in your Network Password, and click any follow-up confirmations to connect.

Once you’ve connected to your preferred Wi-Fi network, you should now have internet access, thus successfully adding WiFi connectivity to your Dell desktop.

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With the rise of smartphones and laptops, connecting to the internet through WiFi has become an important part of our everyday lives. Gone are the days of needing to connect your computer directly to a modem to get online. Thanks to WiFi, it’s never been easier to connect to the internet, and because of its ease of access and ready availability, your own work is likely optimized specifically for internet access via wireless network connections.

How Do I Connect My Dell Desktop to a Wireless Network?

While WiFi is convenient for laptops and cell phones, if you work from a Dell desktop computer, it can be difficult to get online without the proper built-in WiFi adapters. You may need to find a way to add a WiFi connection to your desktop PC. To connect to WiFi for desktop computers, follow the steps below.

Check Your Desktop for WiFi

To begin, first, look at your desktop computer and see if it has WiFi for desktop capabilities, or what’s known as a wireless network adapter. If you are using a Dell, your desktop should be a PC which runs on Windows. Most Windows operating systems come with a wireless network adapter for accessing wireless network connections already built into them, but not all of them do.

To discover whether or not you have WiFi for desktop, go to the Start menu on your Windows taskbar. From there, search for the Device Manager, and click the drop-down button associated with your desktop computer. It will look like a + sign and should expand more options once you click it. From there, you’ll see an option called Network Adapters.

If you have WiFi for desktop capabilities, you’ll see something on the list that says Wireless or WiFi Adapter. If you don’t see any options that specify WiFi, there’s a chance it might be listed under IEEE 802.11, which is the technical specification that determines whether a computer can access a wireless LAN connection over WiFi. If none of those three options are listed, you’ll need to purchase an external Dell wireless adapter.

Connect Dell Computer to WiFi With an External Adapter

If your Dell desktop does not have a wireless network adapter built into it, you will need an external wireless adapter to connect your Dell computer to WiFi. Most of these adapters connect Dell computers to WiFi simply through one of your desktop’s USB ports, so begin by acquiring a USB Dell wireless adapter from your preferred retailer.

Once you’ve purchased your USB wireless adapter, plug the USB end of the adapter into your desktop. You should then be prompted to install the necessary drivers to use the device. If your Dell desktop already has the appropriate drivers, skip ahead to the Accessing WiFi section. If not, locate any accompanying driver software installation disk that came with your wireless adapter, and insert it into your desktop to begin installing the necessary drivers.

When the Install Wizard shows up, click the option that says Next to go to the user agreement page. Click Accept, then follow any additional steps until you get to the option to click Install. By clicking, you will install the necessary drivers to access your wireless network connection. Finish and complete the installation by restarting your desktop.

If You Lose Your Installation CD

There is a chance that you might not be able to install the proper drivers with the disk that came with your external USB wireless adapter. If that happens, you’ll need another computer with internet access to download the proper drivers directly from the manufacturer. Go to the company website of the wireless adapter you purchased. Navigate to the appropriate webpage that offers Support, locate the section where you download drivers and download the most recent option available.

Download the necessary driver, and use a USB flash drive or external hard drive to transfer the files to your Dell desktop. Take the driver files off the flash drive and place them on your desktop computer in a folder somewhere you will remember. Once the driver files are on your computer, you should be able to access them from the Network Adapters section of your computer’s Device Manager.

Select your new wireless adapter from the list of names, and right-click it. This should prompt an option to Update Driver Software. The Update Wizard will look similar to the Installation Wizard, but you’ll need to locate the driver files using the Browse my Computer for Driver Software option. Go to the folder where you saved the driver files from your flash drive, and select them. This should install the drivers the same way you would if you had the original installation disc.

Accessing WiFi on Your Desktop

Now that the drivers for your external wireless adapter have been installed, your desktop should treat your wireless adapter as the primary internet connection. You should be able to easily connect to your wireless network connection as you would on any other device with a wireless adapter.

Begin by going to your Windows taskbar, and click the Network icon. You should now be able to select your WiFi network from the list of networks. Locate and select the name of your network, and click Connect. Enter in your Network Password, and click any follow-up confirmations to connect.

Once you’ve connected to your preferred Wi-Fi network, you should now have internet access, thus successfully adding WiFi connectivity to your Dell desktop.

Dell Laptop Won’t Connect to WiFi

Let’s say your Dell laptop won’t connect to WiFi. It has a built-in wireless adapter, but it’s not connecting properly anymore for some reason. You can actually use the same method as above to install a new, external Dell wireless adapter to re-connect your laptop to WiFi the same way you added WiFi to your desktop.

First, purchase an external USB wireless network adapter from your preferred retailer. Use either of the driver installation methods listed above to install the external wireless adapter. Use the disk if you have it. If you don’t, download the drivers from another computer and transfer them to your laptop, then update the drivers as shown above.

Once you’ve installed the appropriate drivers, your laptop will automatically establish this new wireless adapter as a second backup network. Since your Dell laptop won’t connect to WiFi from its current wireless adapter, you’ll need to select this new adapter from the WiFi icon your Windows taskbar. It should be listed automatically as Wi-Fi 2, while your broken one will be listed just like Wi-Fi. Select WiFi 2, then go back and reconnect to the wireless network connection you want to connect to, and your Dell laptop will be back online.

Conclusion:

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