If you have a Broadband Connection normally your main computer is connected to the Broadband Modem using a couple of cables (i.e a USB cable and a Telephone cable). And when you want to share the Broadband Connection you normally connect an Ethernet cable from the main computer to the second computer. This is a normal scenario. However. This normal scenario has changed over the last year or so. Broadband connections have jumped from 2MBs to "up to 8MBs", more homes have a second computer and more people now want Wireless Broadband.

To be able to use your broadband connection wirelessly you need a Wireless Modem/Router. This is a "Box" that has a Router inside it as well as a Modem. The modem/router is normally connected to the main computer via a USB cable. Basically, the modem has the job of making the broadband connection and the router has the job of routing (directing) the broadband connection to other computers. This means: With only one computer using a 2MB broadband connection it will use the whole 2MB, whereas with two computers sharing a 2MB broadband connection both computers will use 1MB each.

Fig 1.0  Wireless Modem/Router....

Fig 1.1  ....with 1 ADSL Socket, 4 Ethernet Sockets and 1 Power Socket.

Once the Wireless Modem/Router has been installed the Modem automatically dials your ISP (Internet Service Provider), with your broadband User Name and Password, in order to make the Broadband Connection. This happens each time you restart the computer or restart (unplug/re-plug) the modem/router. When the broadband connection has been made the Router then beams it around, an area of up to 50 Meters, as a Wireless Signal. When another computer detects that wireless signal, which is beaming Network information in the air, that other computer can connect to the wireless signal (your broadband connection) straight away if the Network (which was setup by the Wireless Modem/Router) does not require a Network Key (Security Password) - If it does, that other computer must know the Network Key before it can connect to the wireless signal. Each computer that is connected to the wireless signal is added to the "Network Of Connected Computers", which is known as a Wireless Network.

Regardless if the wireless signal (broadband connection) is yours or not, you will need a second computer that has a Wireless Network Card inside it (either built-in or added manually) in order to connect to the wireless signal - And therefore be added to the Wireless Network. A Wireless Network Card comes in two formats - PCI for the computer and PCMCIA for the laptop.

Fig 2.0  PCI Network Card

Fig 2.1  PCMCIA Network Card

As said above, the main computer is normally Wired with the modem/router. However. The main computer is only needed to setup the modem side of the modem/router (the broadband User Name and Password) and therefore can later be used as a wireless computer as well. Hence the reason why wireless works on a second computer even though the main computer is switched off.

When the second computer with the wireless network card inside it is up and running, the network card should be able to detect any wireless signal that is within range. Unlike in Windows XP where you was informed of Available Wireless Networks via a pop-up window (balloon message) "Wireless Networks Detected", "Wireless Network Connection Is Not Connected" and so on, Windows Vista uses the Network Icon in the notification area instead.

Fig 2.2  Not Connected to a Network

Fig 2.3  Connected to a Local (Networked) Computer only

Fig 2.4  Connected to the Internet

Basically. If you were connected to a wireless network before you switched off the computer Windows Vista will automatically re-connect you to that wireless network upon computer start-up. If the wireless network is still within range and available, in which case the Wireless Network Icon should be of two blue screens (as Fig 2.3 or Fig 2.4 above). On the other hand. If you disconnected from a wireless network before switching off the computer you will have to manually re-connect to that wireless network when the computer has been switched on again and the desktop has appeared.

Assuming you have never connected to a wireless network before, the first thing you need to do is check to see if at least one is available by hovering the mouse pointer over the Network Icon (Fig 2.5 below). In this example there are some wireless networks available, as well as my own OneTel (P.A.Y.G) Dial-Up Connection which is also in the list of networks. The difference between the two notifications below is that in Fig 2.5 the wireless network card could not detect any wireless networks and therefore fell back on my Dial-Up connection. Hence the notification message of "You are currently not connected to any networks". In Fig 2.6 the wireless network card did detect some wireless networks but did not automatically connect to one of them. One thing to remember is that a Dial-Up connection connects to the internet, via an ISP, and therefore connects to a network - even though it is not a wireless network.

Fig 2.5  Hover the mouse pointer over the Network Icon....

Fig 2.6  ....to see what networks were found, if any.

To see the network(s) associated with the wireless signal(s) right click over the Network Icon to bring up its Options menu and then select (left click on) the CONNECT TO A NETWORK menu-item (Fig 2.7 below). This will bring up the Connect To A Network window (Fig 2.8 below).

Fig 2.7  Right click over the Network Icon and then select the CONNECT TO A NETWORK menu-item



Fig 2.8  The Connect To A Network window

The Connect To A Network window lists all Dial-Up connections, VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) and Wireless networks. If you only want to view Wireless Networks you can do so by clicking on the SHOW drop-down menu and then select WIRELESS (Fig 2.9 below).

Fig 2.9  Use the SHOW drop-down menu to list certain network types only

When the Connect To A Network window appears you will see some or all of the Wireless Networks available (Fig 2.8 above), depending on how many networks there are. Simply click on the network you want to connect to and then click on the CONNECT button to continue. Alternatively. Just double click on the network.

Fig 2.10  Select the wireless network you want to connect to and then click on CONNECT to continue

In this example there are four wireless network available. The one I am going to connect to is the NETGEAR wireless network. It is a security-enabled network which means it has a Network Key (Security Password) that I must enter before I can connect to the network.

If a wireless network is not secure, meaning it has no network key, it can be accessed by anyone - Simply select it from the wireless network list and then click on the CONNECT button (Fig 2.11 below). A Windows Vista security requester will then appear asking you if you still want to connect the unsecure network (Fig 2.12). This is because an unsecure wireless network does not normally use Data Encryption when it sends/receives data across the network, which means that data could be visible to others (hackers) on the network.

Fig 2.11  Select the unsecure wireless network and then click on CONNECT to continue



Fig 2.12  Click on CONNECT ANYWAY to continue with the connection process

After selecting a secure wireless network and then clicking on the CONNECT button (Fig 2.10 above), you are then asked to enter the Network Key for that secure wireless network into the SECURITY KEY OR PASSPHRASE Edit Box (Fig 2.13 below). Technically you are connected to the network. Behind the scenes your network card or built-in wireless technology is communicating with the network. Hence you are tecnically connected. If all goes well the connection is made to the network address and you are then connected properly (Fig Fig 2.15).

Fig 2.13  Type the secure wireless network's Network Key into the SECURITY KEY OR PASSPHRASE Edit Box



Fig 2.14  The Network Key is being verified so that a wireless connection can be made



Fig 2.15  You are now connected to the wireless network and can therefore share its Broadband Internet Connection

Once you are connected to the network you can use its broadband connection (wireless signal) as a normal broadband connection - You can use it with Internet Explorer (Webpages), Windows Mail (E-Mail), for Uploading/Downloading and so on. It is only a broadband connection that is beamed wirelessly at the end of the day.

If you want to save the profile (settings) of a connected wireless network you should make sure the option SAVE THIS NETWORK is ticked. And if you want to automatically connect to a wireless network, that has had its profile saved, make sure the option START THIS CONNECTION AUTOMATICALLY is ticked. On the other hand. If you are only using the wireless network once, for example, do not bother ticking these two options. When you have more than one profile saved that is set to automatically start it is the profile nearest the router with the highest priority that will attempt connection first. Remember. Only one connection can be made - You cannot be connected to two wireless networks for example at the same time.

To see how good/bad the wireless signal strength is simply hover your mouse pointer over the connection icon in the notification area. The signal strength is indicated by its Green Bar rating. Five bars means Excellent Strength Strength, usually because your computer is right next to the wireless router or a couple of feet away only. And one bar means Poor Signal Strength, usually because your computer is too far away from the wireless router or because some object for example is blocking/weakening the signal.

Fig 2.16  Hover over the wireless connection icon only - Do not click on it.

The above (Figures 2.13 to 2.15) showed a successful connection to a wireless network, but if the connection could not be made you I would of been informed of it. Two common reasons for not being able to establish a connection to a wireless network are 1) Because the network key (security password) is incorrect and 2) Because the wireless signal is too low/weak due to it being too far from the wireless router. If you need a list of Default Passwords associated with a particular modem/router click here.

Fig 2.17  The Network Key (Security Password) is incorrect - Enter another network key and then click on CONNECT.

When you successfully connect to a wireless network for the first time, depending on your computer's network settings, you might be asked what kind of Network Location you are in when using that wireless network - In the HOME, At WORK or In a PUBLIC LOCATION. This is so that the correct network settings can be applied by Windows Vista. In this example I clicked on the HOME option - If I later want to change this setting I can do so using the Network And Sharing Center control panel (not shown here) or I can click on the CUSTOMIZE THE NAME, LOCATION TYPE AND ICON FOR THE NETWORK link at the bottom of this Set Network Location window.

Fig 2.18  Click on the HOME option to continue




Fig 2.19  Click on the CONTINUE button to continue



Fig 2.20  By making the network location HOME the location type becomes PRIVATE

To disconnect from the wireless network simply right click over the connection icon in the notification area, hover the mouse pointer towards the DISCONNECT FROM menu-item to reveal the network's name (i.e NETGEAR) and then select (left click on) the network's name.

Fig 2.21  Disconnecting from the NETGEAR wireless network

Remember. If you have saved the network's profile and more importantly set Windows Vista to auto-connect to the network upon start-up of Windows Vista (see Fig 2.15 above) and you now decide to DISCONNECT FROM the network, Windows Vista will switch off auto-connect and make the network a Manual connection. Meaning. You will have to connect to the network manually, as described above, in order to re-connect to it. Therefore. If you want the network to be connected to automatically upon start-up of Windows Vista just leave the network connected when you shutdown Windows Vista.

Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.  As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.

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