How to activate WiFi on the PC

You just bought a new laptop and you are very happy with it. It also feels much faster to you than the computers you have owned so far. Yet there is a problem: you can't find a way to connect to your Wi- Fi network . The computer does not seem to detect wireless networks and now go looking for a solution on how to turn on WiFi on the PC . Did I guess? Well, then I am content to inform you that you have landed in the right guide at the right time!

In the following lines, in fact, I will show you the most common procedures for activating the network card on laptops and desktop computers, thus giving you the ability to connect to the Internet without the need for awkward and bulky cables. I anticipate right away that there is not only one way to activate Wi-Fi on your computer, but that it all depends on the device you have: for example, on some laptops it may be necessary to move a lever or press a dedicated button, on others may need to press a mixture of keys on the keyboard.

In still other cases, it could be useful to intervene on the operating system and / or on the installed drivers. Too complicated? Don't worry, you don't need to be geniuses or super-technological people to be able to enable the Wi-Fi connection: set aside five minutes of free time, sit in front of the computer, get ready to follow the "tips" I'm about to give you and I am sure that in no time you will succeed in your purpose. Good luck for everything!

How to activate WiFi on your desktop PC

Do you have a built-in wireless card but can't figure out how to activate WiFi on your desktop PC ? I am sure that, by acting on the operating system settings, you will be able to easily solve your problem.

If you do not have an integrated wireless network card, you can easily remedy the problem by purchasing a Wi-Fi USB stick , that is a small device that, once connected to one of the free USB ports on your computer, is able to add to the latter Wi-Fi connectivity.

If you intend to go through this solution, immediately consult my tips for buying the best Wi-Fi key : I'm sure you will find the one that's right for you.

In any case, below I will explain how to reactivate the wireless network card on Windows 10 and Windows 7 , but pay attention: if, after trying all the solutions that I am going to show you, you still have problems, it is very likely that the wireless card or Wi-Fi USB adapter you have is defective and needs to be replaced.

How to activate WiFi on desktop PC: Windows 10

 

If you are unable to use Wi-Fi connectivity on Windows 10 , even if you have the necessary hardware available, it may have been disabled by the operating system settings.

Reactivating it is very simple: first, open the Windows Start menu , by clicking on the flag symbol that resides in the lower left corner of the screen, press on the gear symbol that resides inside it and first click on the icon the Network and Internet , located in the new window that opens, and then the item Wi-Fi , visible in the left sidebar.

At this point, make sure that the switch underneath the Wi-Fi item is set to On and, if not, enable it manually, in order to make the computer's wireless card operational again.

If you do not see any options related to Wi-Fi, I suggest you take a look at the Windows Control Panel and, if necessary, proceed from there with the activation of the network card: you will find explained how to do it in the immediately following section of this guide.

How to activate WiFi on your desktop PC: Windows 7

If you are using a PC armed with Windows 7 or if the procedure illustrated for Windows 10 is not successful, do this: click on the Start button (the flag icon located in the lower left corner of the screen) and open the Control panel , using the item that appears on the screen. If you do not find it, search for Control Panel in the menu that opens and select Control Panel from the search results, in order to open the dedicated utility.

Now, go to Network and Internet , then to Network and Sharing Center and click on the Change adapter settings item located in the left sidebar.

In the panel that appears, right-click on the icon that denotes your wireless card or that bears the word Wi-Fi (it should be gray and marked with the word Disabled ) and select the item Enable .

If this procedure does not lead you to any result, I recommend that you check the correct installation of the drivers in the Device Manager section of your operating system, as the Wi-Fi could also be disabled due to lack or corruption of drivers.

To proceed, press the key combination Win + R on your keyboard, type the command devmgmt.msc in the text box that appears and press Enter . Once in the Device Manager screen , check that the name of your wireless card is not marked with a yellow exclamation point neither among the devices that appear at the beginning (and therefore not classified), nor in the Network cards section , which you can reach by clicking on the arrow next to the dedicated item.

If so, the drivers may not be present or be corrupted: what you need to do is get an Ethernet cable and connect it to the PC to connect to the Internet, immediately double-click on the entry for the wireless card and then click on the Driver section that you find at the top.

At this point, press the Update Driver buttons > Automatically search for an updated driver and wait for the procedure to complete, then restart the computer.

If your device is not reported among those with missing drivers or you do not find the automatic update option just mentioned (not present in Windows 10, for example), again from Device Manager , expand the Network Adapters section by clicking on the small arrow, right-click on the name of your wireless card, then on the Uninstall item and on the OK button .

At this point, via cable or from another PC, download the drivers directly from the manufacturer's website and reinstall them according to the classic procedure: I explained how to download and install the network card drivers in my tutorial dedicated to the topic.

Once all the operations have been completed, go to Device Manager again , access the Network Cards section , double-click on the item relating to your card and check for the wording The device is working correctly , then try to connect in Wi-Fi .

How to activate WiFi on the laptop

So you own a laptop and you still can't understand, even if you try hard, how to activate the WiFi on the Lenovo PC , how to activate the WiFi on the HP PC and on other well-known brands of notebooks, in order to finally surf the Internet without problems? There are many ways to intervene: it may be necessary, for your notebook model, to move a lever, press a physical button or turn to a specific combination of keys.

Buttons and levers

On some well-known brands of portable PCs (ASUS, Toshiba, Olivetti, Acer, HP), to manage the switching on or off of the wireless network card there is often a real slide switch or a dedicated button : both, as a rule, they are characterized by the presence of a symbol in the shape of an antenna , a parabola or a “stylized” computer that emits a signal, or by the words Wi-Fi, WiFi, Wireless or even Network .

I can't say for sure the shape or location of each switch, as this varies from notebook to notebook, but I can give you some guidelines that may help you.

•             Acer laptops - typically this manufacturer's laptops have a dedicated button with a dish / antenna icon that can be found on the bottom right, left side (circled in blue), on the numeric keypad or on top of the keyboard. Some models, on the other hand, have a slide switch on the front edge.

•             Compaq laptops - have a very large dedicated button , usually located near the power button.

•             HP laptops - have a dedicated button with an antenna symbol on it, located above the keyboard, or on the numeric keypad.

•             Philips Laptops - Many Philips notebook models have a button denoted by an antenna icon next to the power button.

•             Samsung laptops - are equipped with a special button , present in the central part of the keyboard.

•             Toshiba laptops - in this case the Wi-Fi activation mode changes strictly depending on the model. In general, you can find the dedicated button (marked with a symbol in the shape of a small antenna) on the right side, left side or near the monitor, or a small slide switch on the front of the laptop, near the volume wheel.

All you consume to do is locate the button according to the model of your laptop, press it once, wait a few seconds and check if the connection to the Wi-Fi network can be set. In some laptop models you will see a semi-transparent notification appear on the screen , confirming that the wireless card has been turned on.

Key combination

If your laptop PC is not equipped with a button or slide switch when turning on the Wi-Fi, this could be "hidden" in a combination of keys to be pressed right on the keyboard.

Usually the key in question is denoted by a blue antenna-shaped icon and can be activated by simultaneously pressing the Fn key (which is usually located to the left of the keyboard, next to the Ctrl key).

In this regard, I want to provide you with general instructions that may be useful, also in this case variable depending on the brand of your laptop.

•             ASUS, Dell and Fujitsu Amilo laptops - Wi-Fi can be turned on or off by pressing the Fn + F2 key combination .

•             IBM Laptops - On laptops from this manufacturer, you can usually enable Wi-Fi connection by pressing the Fn + F5 keys .

•             Philips and Packard Bell laptops - on these notebooks you can activate the wireless network card by pressing the key combination Fn + F1 .

•             Toshiba laptops - on some laptops (Tecra series, for example) it is possible to activate and deactivate Wi-Fi by pressing the Fn + F8 keys together .

•             Huawei laptops - the key combination to press, in most cases, is Fn + F9 .

The combinations that I have just indicated are the most common ones. However, it may happen that the Wi-Fi activation button is located in correspondence with a high key on your keyboard, so I invite you to study it carefully and, when you have located it, press it together with the Fn key and check that the laptop is set up. for Internet access. Again, you must see a notification on the screen that will notify you that the network adapter has been turned on.

If you have not been able to activate Wi-Fi on your PC using the methods described so far, it is likely that your network card (or wireless functionality) has been deactivated via the operating system: in this case, follow the instructions that you I have already provided in the chapter related to Windows , to enable it again.

How to turn on WiFi on Mac

If you are by means of a Mac , you can activate Wi-Fi by clicking on the network icon in the menu bar (top right) and choose the Activate Wi-Fi item from the menu that appears.

If the indicator is not present, you can activate it as follows: click on the System Preferences icon from the Dock, click on the Network icon , then on the Wi-Fi item on the left and check the box Show Wi-Fi status in the menu bar .

If in the left sidebar you do not find any indicator relating to the Wi-Fi network, click on the [+] button at the bottom and, in the box that opens, select the Wi-Fi item from the Interface drop-down menu . Then type a name you want to assign to the connection (I recommend leaving Wi-Fi ) and click on the Create button to complete the operation and activate the Wi-Fi connection on your Mac.

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