Install wifi adapter. Moving from one Wi-Fi network to another. Installing Wi-Fi adapters on PC cards
I'm often asked if I can run an access point, and distribute Wi-Fi from a computer that does not have a Wi-Fi adapter built-in (as in laptops), but external, or internal. Which connects to USB, or PCI. I wrote about such adapters in the article. As a rule, they buy external USB Wi-Fi adapters for conventional stationary computers. It is through one of these adapters that today we will configure the access point and launch the distribution of the Internet.
Quick connection without detailed configuration
Just click the corresponding icon in the taskbar right-click mouse, and then select "Remove problems" from the appeared context menu - the system automatically performs the above steps.
How easy it is to set up an automatic connection
Once your wireless adapter is within reach, it activates the connection without any additional settings.Step 1: Install the software and driver
Configure the following. Turn on the desktop or laptop computer. Enter the password when prompted. So you need to prepare this disk if you need it. This does not affect the installation process. The graphical user interface of the installation CD is displayed. Select the language you want when prompted.
I will show you the example of the TP-LINK adapter TL-WN721N. The computer is running Windows 10. Just want to say that there is no difference between setting up an access point on a desktop computer via a Wi-Fi adapter, or on a laptop. Therefore, you can also configure the following instructions:. And if you have Windows 7, or Windows 8, then there will not be any differences either. The commands for launching the access point will be the same. If that, here's another.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. If you are prompted to specify the location of the drivers, click Install software"Automatically and click" Next ". In either case, click "Yes" or "Continue". In the system tray, the icon of the configuration program should appear on the desktop of the computer. The icon of the configuration program changes color depending on the state wireless connection: red means no connection, yellow - medium quality connection and green - good connection.
I will run a hot spot through command line. And if you want to use special programs to run the access point, then see the article:. There I wrote about the most popular programs that you can run and manage an access point. But, I would advise the first time to configure all the commands through the command line. And if everything works, you can use the program.
Read Wi-Fi status information
Check the connection to the wireless router. Double-click the configuration program icon. When you run the setup program, connection information is displayed on the "Configuration" and "Link Information" tabs. If you are not connected to the correct one wireless router, you can search the environment to find the correct router or enter information about a particular router.
Select the wireless router from which you want to connect, and double-click it. If the wireless router is not listed, click Scan to find the router. If you have a wireless network that you want to connect to, turn on security or if you want to manually enter configuration information, you need to set up a profile.
A few words for those who are not quite in the subject. In Windows, it is possible to launch a virtual access point, and thereby turn a laptop, or computer with a Wi-Fi adapter into a router. It will distribute the Internet, which is connected to the computer via a network cable, or via a USB 3G / 4G modem.
Preparing the Wi-Fi adapter to start the access point
The most important thing is that the computer will detect the adapter and install the driver on it. I think that this should not be a problem. The drivers are on the drive with the adapter itself. If they are not, then you can download the necessary driver on the adapter manufacturer's website, for your model. Even an old adapter like the TL-WN721N worked without problems in Windows 10, and I was able to run the access point.
Once you are connected to an existing wireless network, go to the "Communication Status" tab. An image of your computer and the wireless device is displayed. Waves between the computer and wireless device indicates that a wireless connection has been established.
Sharing files and printers
If you can not connect to the Internet or a valid wireless router, check the configuration settings and see the information in the "Troubleshooting" section later in this guide. Double-click the File and Printer Sharing Network icon.
We are not going to go into all the nuances with the virtual adapter drivers, etc. We do not need this yet. It's enough that after connecting the adapter to the computer, it is detected and Wi-Fi works.
If you want, then the team netsh wlan show drivers You can check if your wireless adapter supports the launch of a virtual Wi-Fi network. Simply at the command prompt, run the command. In the results, find the item "Support for a hosted network". On the contrary, there should be a "yes."
Sharing an Internet connection
File and printer sharing is enabled. If your computer is connected directly to the Internet and you are not using a firewall software or a hardware firewall, there is a risk of intrusion. Select "Internet Tools" and click "Details". Started setting up a public Internet connection.
Click "Finish" to complete the sharing setup. From the Start menu, select Settings, then click the Network and remote access". Click the appropriate field in this window to enable the Internet Sharing function and click "Apply". Select the Internet Protocol option and click the Properties button. In the list, right-click wireless network adapter and select Properties.
If there is no support, then update wi-Fi driver adapter. If the update does not help, try to follow the tips from.
With this sorted out. It remains only to execute several commands, and you can connect to the wireless network, which will broadcast the computer. We continue the adjustment.
Wi-Fi adapter as an access point. Setting in Windows 10, 8, 7
We will execute the commands on the command line. It must be run as administrator. You can find the command line in the start menu, right-click on it and select "Run as administrator". Alternatively, in Windows 10, you can just right-click on the start menu, and select "Command Line (Administrator)."
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode = allow ssid = "site" key = "11111111" keyUsage = persistent
"site" Is the name of the network that the Wi-Fi adapter will distribute, and "11111111" - this is the password. You can change this information. Password is at least 8 characters long.
Copy this command to the command line, and execute it. Should appear this result:
The next command is to start the access point. To do this, run the command:
netsh wlan start hostednetwork
The "Hosted network" report should appear:
This means that the Wi-Fi network is already broadcasting, and you can connect your devices to it using the password that was specified in the first team.
If after the execution of the second command a message appears that " Could not launch the hosted network. The group or resource is not in the right state to perform the requested operation, "then see tips for solving this problem at the end of the article, or follow this link:
We launched the access point, you can already connect to the Wi-Fi network. But, the Internet on devices will not work yet. You need to open the properties of your Internet connection. general access. What we will do now.
Share the Internet for a Wi-Fi hotspot
Go to "Network and Sharing Center", and go to "Change adapter settings".
Now an important point: open the properties of the adapter through which you have connected the Internet. It does not have to be an "Ethernet" adapter, or " local Area Networks"There may be a connection with the name of your provider, right-click on it and select" Properties. "
Go to the "Access" tab, check the box next to "Allow other network users to use the Internet connection of this computer". And from the list choose "Local Area Connection *" (you can have it with a different number). Click Ok.
The Internet on the devices must earn. If it does not work, stop the network with the command netsh wlan stop hostednetwork, and restart it with the command netsh wlan start hostednetwork.
After restarting the computer, you will need to start the network each time with the command netsh wlan start hostednetwork. Or, do it.
Solving popular problems and mistakes
- Error "Unable to start a hosted network: The group or resource is not in the correct state to perform the requested operation." I will not re-write the reasons for its occurrence and solution, but simply give a link to a separate article:. In it, I wrote about solving this problem.
- Devices do not connect to a running access point. If possible, try connecting another device. Make sure that you specify the password correctly. As a rule, an antivirus, or a firewall, is guilty of this problem. Disconnect them. Also, you can try disabling the built-in Windows firewall.
- On the Internet works. It is not uncommon for devices to connect to Wi-Fi, but there is no access to the Internet. First of all, make sure that the Internet is working on the computer. Next, check the sharing settings. Let me remind you that you need to open the shared access in the properties of the connection through which you have the Internet connected.
- In any situation, restart the computer, and start the access point again, using the netsh wlan start hostednetwork command.
The process of adjustment is not difficult. But, often there are strange problems. Equipment, adapters and Internet connections are different for everyone. Therefore, there may be certain nuances. If you can not start the access point, then describe your case in the comments. We will solve the problem together.
A familiar situation - there was one computer in the house that received the Internet, but it became necessary for users to access the global network from other devices. Under the words "other devices", as a rule, one should mean a smartphone or a phone equipped with a Wi-Fi module.
The smartphone can only use ICQ and mail, but still need a wireless network. We'll look at how to make WiFi without a router by connecting a miniature access point to the computer via USB. Next is an example of setting wireless adapter D-Link DWA-125, turned into an access point.
Wireless USB Adapter
First of all, it should be noted that even a miniature device of the "access point" class can provide good quality connection. It is desirable that on the case of the module connected to the USB, there is a connector for the antenna. Then there are additional possibilities:
- You can use the Wi-Fi cable extender
- Using an external antenna with a radiation pattern narrower than 360 degrees, we automatically obtain additional amplification
- The external antenna has better characteristics than the built-in antenna
An access point that looks like a USB flash drive does not require external power, and this is another positive difference from the router.
D-Link Wireless Network Adapter
The DWA-125 adapter we are considering does not have an antenna socket. But, there is a good program that allows you to enable and configure an access point based on this budget adapter. The program in question works even under Windows XP. The instruction below is also relevant for D-Link DWA-140 adapters.
It is not necessary to think that a miniature access point is not capable of overtaking a power router. USB port to power devices gives 2.5 watts, well, the output power of Wi-Fi-modules routers can reach only 320 milliwatts (otherwise the legislation will be violated). But if you need a wireless network operating in the "802.11N x 2" or "x 3" mode, it's better to think about purchasing a router. Most inexpensive adapters connected to USB work on a single-channel protocol "802.11N", providing a theoretical data transfer rate of up to 150 Mbps.
Where to download the driver
To configure the DWA-125/140 as an access point, you do not need to install the driver from the disk. First you need to download the program, which is the installer of proprietary software, developed by the manufacturer of the chip. Note that in addition to installing one program, you do not need anything. We go to the site www.ralinktech.com, click on the button "Download Drivers":
Site pages of Ralinktech
In the opened list we find the required line (as shown in the picture), we download the driver.
We select the line with the inscription "USB (RT2870 / RT2770 / RT307X / RT2070 RT357X / ...)", click on it, and scroll down the page that opens. There will be three fields: the user's name, email, digital captcha (anti-bot protection). Filling in all the fields, we press the button "Submit", and the download of the installer begins. Note that the file with the program takes more than 30 megabytes.
Installing and Configuring Ralink
The downloaded program must be launched. The DWA-125/140 adapter must first be connected to the computer. In the first window, the programs ask what exactly you need to install:
Installing the Access Point Driver
Select "Install driver and utility", otherwise we will not configure anything, and click "Next". After the installation is complete, a new icon will be added to the system tray.
To enable the access point, the icon in the Windows tray is just needed. Right-click on it, select the following: "Switch to AP AP mode". Sometimes pops up a warning, do not pay attention. We launch the program "Ralink Wireless Utility", the window of which should take the following form:
Application window Ralink
Note that the access point is already working!
It is important to know that in any case, you can not leave the wireless network settings, as is. By default, the access point does not use encryption and works with an open SSID. It needs correction.
Configuring a Wireless Network
In the application window, click on the circular button with the gear. In the upper field, set the network name, click the arrow button:
Set the name of the wireless network
After clicking the arrow again, it remains to select the encryption method (recommended WPA2-AES) and set the password value.
Sometimes it turns out that the access point is working, and it's impossible to get to the Internet via Wi-Fi. In order for the Internet to be accessible, you must:
- Disable the Windows Firewall (only the application itself, not the service)
- Verify that the connection responsible for the Internet is available to other users:
Wired Internet connection properties
- To restart a computer
