Add device to wifi network

How to Add a Wi-Fi Network to Any Device

Aaron Peters is a writer with Lifewire who has 20+ years experience troubleshooting and writing about consumer and business technology. His work appears in Linux Journal, MakeUseOf, and others.

• The Wireless Connection
• Routers & Firewalls
• Network Hubs
• ISP
• Broadband
• Ethernet
• Installing & Upgrading
• Wi-Fi & Wireless

What to Know

• iOS: Open Settings. Tap Wi-Fi and select a network from the list. Enter the network password and tap Join.
• Android: In the notification bar, tap Wi-Fi >Details. Select a network and tap Add Network. Enter the password.
• Windows 10: In the System Tray, select the Network icon. Choose a network from the options and enter the password.

This article explains how to add a Wi-Fi network to an iOS or Android device and to a Windows 10 or macOS computer. It includes troubleshooting suggestions for common problems that occur when connecting to a Wi-Fi network.

How to Connect to a Wi-Fi Network on iOS

Since mobile devices are wireless by nature, getting on a Wi-Fi network on iOS is a snap. These instructions are valid for iOS 12.1.

If it is secured, you’ll be prompted to enter the Password. Do so.

How to Add Wi-Fi Network on Android

Unlike iOS, the precise look and feel of your Wi-Fi settings may differ on Android since Android can be customized by device manufacturers. However, the basic process is the same.

The precise steps differs to varying degrees amongst the various versions of Android across manufacturers. The below instructions are valid for Android 7.0 on a Note 5, although other Android versions/manufacturer models will likely be similar.

1. First, pull down the notification bar. If Wi-Fi is one of your quick controls there (it most likely is), tap Wi-Fi.

Tap Details.

Alternatively, tap Settings > Connections > WiFi to go to this settings screen directly.

Now, your device will search for networks. If you see the one you want, tap it. If not, you may need to enter the network’s name; tap Add Network.

If you do have to set up your network automatically, make sure you use the right Security setting. Tap the security dropdown menu, then tap WPA/WPA2/FT PSK.

If the network is unsecured, you’ll see a couple of messages go by, such as one about getting an IP address, then you should be connected.

How to Connect to a Wi-Fi Network on Windows

Connecting your Windows machine to a wireless network is much easier than it used to be, thanks to the new Settings app.

The below instructions are valid for Windows 10.

1. In the bottom-right of your screen, select the network icon in the System Tray. It may look like a wireless signal, or, if you have Ethernet cable attached, it might look like a monitor with a cable.

If the network isn’t secured with a password, it will connect right away. Otherwise, enter the required password.

Finding a Missing Network

If the network you’re looking for doesn’t appear in the list, it’s possible it’s not broadcasting its name. In this case, you’ll need to take a couple extra steps from the network panel.

1. Select the network icon in the System Tray, then select Network and Internet Settings at the bottom of the panel.

Alternatively, press Windows key, then select Settings > Network & Internet.

Select Wi-Fi.

Select Manage known networks.

Select Add a new network.

In the new dialog box, enter the Network name.

Most modern networks will use WPA-Personal AES or WPA-Enterprise AES, but choose the one as appropriate for your network.

How to Add a Wi-Fi Network on macOS

Like most things on a Mac, connecting to a Wi-Fi network is pretty intuitive.

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Configure WiFi Connections

This section explains how to establish a WiFi connection. It covers creating and modifying connections as well as directly connecting.

Establish a Wireless Connection

This section will show how to establish a wifi connection to the wireless network. Note that directly connecting will implicitly create a connection (that can be seen with “nmcli c”). The naming of such will follow “SSID N” pattern, where N is a number.

First, determine the name of the WiFi interface:

$ nmcli d DEVICE TYPE STATE CONNECTION . wlan0 wifi disconnected -- 

Make sure the WiFi radio is on (which is its default state):

Then, list the available WiFi networks:

$ nmcli d wifi list * SSID MODE CHAN RATE SIGNAL BARS SECURITY . my_wifi Infra 5 54 Mbit/s 89 ▂▄▆█ WPA2 

As an example, to connect to the access point ‘my_wifi’, you would use the following command:

$ nmcli d wifi connect my_wifi password

is the password for the connection which needs to have 8-63 characters or 64 hexadecimal characters to specify a full 256-bit key.

Connect to a Hidden Network

A hidden network is a normal wireless network that simply does not broadcast it’s SSID unless solicited. This means that its name cannot be searched and must be known from some other source.

Issue the following command to create a connection associated with a hidden network :

$ nmcli c add type wifi con-name ifname wlan0 ssid $ nmcli c modify wifi-sec.key-mgmt wpa-psk wifi-sec.psk

Now you can establish a connection by typing:

is an arbitrary name given to the connection and is the password to the network. It needs to have between 8-63 characters or 64 hexadecimal characters in order to specify a full 256-bit key.

Further Information

You will find further information and more detailed examples on following pages:

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Setting up a wireless network in Windows

A wireless network at home lets you get online from more places in your house. This article describes the basic steps for setting up a wireless network and starting to use it.

Get the right equipment

Before you can set up your wireless network, here’s what you’ll need:

Broadband Internet connection and modem. A broadband Internet connection is a high-speed Internet connection. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable are two of the most common broadband connections. You can get a broadband connection by contacting an Internet service provider (ISP). Typically, ISPs that provide DSL are telephone companies and ISPs that provide cable are cable TV companies. ISPs frequently offer broadband modems. Some ISPs also offer combination modem/wireless routers. You can also find these at computer or electronics stores, and online.

Wireless router. A router sends info between your network and the Internet. With a wireless router, you can connect PCs to your network using radio signals instead of wires. There are several different kinds of wireless network technologies, which include 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax.

Wireless network adapter. A wireless network adapter is a device that connects your PC to a wireless network. To connect your portable or desktop PC to your wireless network, the PC must have a wireless network adapter. Most laptops and tablets—and some desktop PCs—come with a wireless network adapter already installed.

To check whether your PC has a wireless network adapter:

1. Select Start , type device manager in the search box, and then select Device Manager.
2. Expand Network adapters.
3. Look for a network adapter that might have wireless in the name.

Setting up the modem and Internet connection

After you have all the equipment, you’ll need to set up your modem and Internet connection. If your modem wasn’t set up for you by your Internet service provider (ISP), follow the instructions that came with your modem to connect it to your PC and the Internet. If you’re using Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), connect your modem to a phone jack. If you’re using cable, connect your modem to a cable jack.

Positioning the wireless router

Put your wireless router somewhere where it will receive the strongest signal with the least amount of interference. For better results, follow these tips:

Place your wireless router in a central location. Place the router as close to the center of your home as possible to increase the strength of the wireless signal throughout your home.

Position the wireless router off the floor and away from walls and metal objects, such as metal file cabinets. The fewer physical obstructions between your PC and the router’s signal, the more likely that you’ll be using the router’s full signal strength.

Reduce interference. Some networking equipment uses a 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) radio frequency. This is the same frequency as most microwaves and many cordless phones. If you turn on the microwave or get a call on a cordless phone, your wireless signal might be temporarily interrupted. You can avoid most of these issues by using a cordless phone with a higher frequency, such as 5.8 GHz.

Securing your wireless network

Security is always important; with a wireless network, it’s even more important because your network’s signal could be broadcast outside your home. If you don’t help secure your network, people with PCs nearby could access info stored on your network PCs and use your Internet connection.

To help make your network more secure:

Change the default user name and password. This helps protect your router. Most router manufacturers have a default user name and password on the router and a default network name (also known as the SSID). Someone could use this info to access your router without you knowing it. To help avoid that, change the default user name and password for your router. See the documentation for your device for instructions.

Set up a security key (password) for your network. Wireless networks have a network security key to help protect them from unauthorized access. We recommend using Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) security if your router and PC support it. See the documentation for your router for more detailed info, including what type of security is supported and how to set it up.

Some routers support Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS). If your router supports WPS and it’s connected to the network, follow these steps to set up a network security key:

1. Do one of the following, depending on which version of Windows is running on your PC:
   • In Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, select Start, start typing Network and Sharing Center, and then choose it in the list.
   • In Windows 10, select Start , then select Settings >Network & Internet >Status >Network and Sharing Center.
   • In Windows 11, select Start, type control panel, then select Control Panel >Network and Internet >Network and Sharing Center.
2. Select Set up a new connection or network.
3. Select Set up a new network, then choose Next.

The wizard will walk you through creating a network name and a security key. If your router supports it, the wizard will default to Wi‑Fi Protected Access (WPA2 or WPA3) security. We recommend that you use WPA3 if you can, because it offers better security than WPA2, WPA, or Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security. With WPA3, WPA2 or WPA you can also use a passphrase, so you don’t have to remember a cryptic sequence of letters and numbers.

Write down your security key and keep it in a safe place. You can also save your security key on a USB flash drive by following the instructions in the wizard. (Saving your security key to a USB flash drive is available in Windows 8 and Windows 7, but not in Windows 10 or Windows 11.)

Use a firewall. A firewall is hardware or software that can help protect your PC from unauthorized users or malicious software (malware). Running a firewall on each PC on your network can help control the spread of malicious software on your network, and help protect your PCs when you’re accessing the Internet. Windows Firewall is included with this version of Windows.

Connect a PC to your wireless network

1. Select the Network or Wifi icon in the notification area.
2. In the list of networks, choose the network that you want to connect to, and then select Connect.
3. Type the security key (often called the password).
4. Follow additional instructions if there are any.

If you have problems with your Wi-Fi network when using Windows 10, see Fix Wi-Fi problems in Windows for advanced troubleshooting info.

1. Select the Network icon in the notification area, then select the > icon next to the Wi-Fi quick setting to see a list of available networks.
2. Choose the network that you want to connect to, and then select Connect.
3. Type the security key (often called the password).
4. Follow additional instructions if there are any.

If you have problems with your Wi-Fi network when using Windows 11, see Fix Wi-Fi problems in Windows for advanced troubleshooting info.

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