Can any computer connect to wifi

How to Connect a Desktop to Wi-Fi Without an Adapter

Jon Martindale has been a feature tech writer for more than 10 years. He’s written for publications such as Digital Trends, KitGuru, and ITProPortal.

Michael Heine is a CompTIA-certified writer, editor, and Network Engineer with 25+ years’ experience working in the television, defense, ISP, telecommunications, and education industries.

In This Article

What to Know

• Plug your phone into your PC using a USB cable and set up USB tethering.
• On Android: Settings >Network and Internet >Hotspot & Tethering and toggle on Tethering.
• On iPhone: Settings >Cellular >Personal Hotspot and toggle on Personal Hotspot.

This guide will walk you through connecting your desktop to your local Wi-Fi network without the need for a wireless adapter or dongle.

How Do You Connect a Desktop Computer to Wi-Fi?

Most desktop computers come with a built-in Ethernet port for connecting to your local network and the internet via an Ethernet cable, but not all with Wi-Fi connectivity pre-installed. You can use a Wi-Fi adapter, of course, but you can also connect a desktop to Wi-Fi without an adapter.

The easiest way to do it is using your smartphone’s built-in USB Tethering.

For our screenshots below, we’ll use Android, but we’ll include the steps needed for an iPhone.

1. Make sure your PC and smartphone are running the latest versions of their respective operating systems.

On Android, navigate to Network and Internet >Hotspot & Tethering and toggle on USBTethering. On iPhone, navigate to Cellular >Personal Hotspot and toggle on Personal Hotspot.

Your PC should have connected to your local Wi-Fi network via your smartphone. You can confirm its active network connection by selecting the Taskbar Icon arrow in the bottom right of your screen, then select the network icon. It will appear as a rectangular screen—not a Wi-Fi symbol, as the computer is technically connected to Wi-Fi over a wire).

Select the network’s name to open the Network and Sharing Center. There you’ll see your newly connected network as being Connected. If it says No Internet, confirm that your smartphone is on the Wi-Fi network. If it is, but you still don’t have internet, follow router troubleshooting steps to get yourself back online.

How Do I Connect My Old Desktop to Wi-Fi Using Internet Sharing?

If you have an older laptop with an Ethernet connection, there is another method you can use for connecting your desktop PC to Wi-Fi: Internet sharing. You’ll need to connect your laptop to your chosen Wi-Fi connection, then connect it to your desktop PC using an Ethernet cable.

Can a PC Connect to Wi-Fi Without Ethernet?

Ethernet is a wired connection, so if you want to connect to a wireless Wi-Fi network, you don’t need Ethernet at all.

The best way to connect to your Wi-Fi network is by using a Wi-Fi adapter. Some desktop PCs and most laptops have them built-in, but there are add-in ones you can buy. They are relatively affordable and offer the best speeds without being limited by battery life. Alternatively, you can use a smartphone and USB tether it as in the instructions above, but you’ll need the correct USB cable, and you won’t be able to unplug your smartphone if you want to retain that Wi-Fi connection on your PC.

How Can You Connect a Desktop PC Without Internal WLAN to a Wireless Network?

If your desktop PC doesn’t have a built-in Wi-Fi adapter, then your best bet is to add one yourself. They are affordable and easy to install and offer the best wireless performance. Alternatively, you can use USB tethering to connect your smartphone to get you on the Wi-Fi network relatively quickly. The only downside is that you must leave your smartphone plugged in to take advantage of it.

To connect a wireless network in Windows 7, go to Start > Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center. Select Connect to a network, choose your wireless network from the list, and select Connect Automatically > Connect. If prompted, enter the network password.

To access Wi-Fi on your Dell desktop, your computer must have a wireless network adapter built-in, or you’ll need to connect an external Wi-Fi adapter. To connect to your wireless network, go to the Windows taskbar and select the wireless network icon. Next, choose your Wi-Fi network > Connect > enter your network password, and follow any additional prompts.

Источник

How to connect WiFi in Windows 7 [Solved]

If you’ve got the password to a wireless network and want to connect WiFi on your Windows 7 computer, follow the steps below to connect WiFi, quickly and easily!

Follow theses steps

Step 1: Make sure your computer has a wireless adapter

Most laptops can connect to WiFi, but some desktop computers may not be able to use the wireless network. In order to connect to WiFi, make sure your computer has a wireless adapter. To check for it, you can:

1. Click the Start button, type device manager in the search box, and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Network adapters, and check if there’s any device with the words Wireless Adapter or WiFi as its name. If there is, follow the steps below to connect WiFi in Windows 7. If your computer has no wireless adapter, you need to use the wired network.

Step 2: If you’re using a laptop, verify the WiFi switch is toggled on

On laptop, there’s usually a switch or button for WiFi connection. To connect WiFi on your laptop, you should turn on the WiFi switch.

The switch may be on the front, left or right-hand side of your laptop.

Unplug the network cable, which is for the wired network, and if the WiFi switch is toggled on, the WiFi icon on the bottom right of your screen should appear like this:

Step 3: Connect WiFi in Windows 7 (Laptops & Desktops)

1. Click the network icon on the right side of the taskbar, and click on a wireless network you want to connect to. If you want to automatically reconnect to this network the next time you start your computer at the same place, check the box beside Connect automatically. Then, click the Connect button.
2. Enter your WiFi password, and click OK. Your computer should remember your password from now on.

There are two ways to update your wireless adapter driver: manually and automatically.

Update your wireless adapter driver manually — You can update your driver manually by going to the hardware manufacturer’s website, and searching for the latest driver for your wireless adapter. But if you take this approach, be sure to choose the driver that’s compatible with the exact model number of your hardware, and your version of Windows.

Update your wireless adapter driver automatically — If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your driver manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing. Driver Easy handles it all.

1. Download and install Driver Easy.
2. Run Driver Easy and click Scan Now. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3. Click Update next to any flagged devices to automatically download the correct version of their drivers, then you can install them manually. Or click Update All to automatically download and install them all automatically. (This requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. You get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee.)
4. Restart your computer and check if your computer is now able to connect to WiFi.

The Pro version of Driver Easy comes with full technical support.
If you need assistance, please contact Driver Easy’s support team at support@drivereasy.com.

Hopefully this can help you out.

If you have any question or suggestion, please leave a comment below.

Источник

How to Connect Desktop To Wifi Without an Adapter

Having a wifi connection for your desktop is sometimes necessary. You may need it because you don’t want to depend on cables, or maybe you just want to place your desktop somewhere else.

But what if you don’t have a wireless network adapter or wifi connector for your desktop? Good news: you can still have a wifi connection in your PC without one. Read on to find out how.

3 Ways to Connect Your Desktop to Wifi Without an Adapter

If you don’t have a USB adapter, fret not. Here’s how you can connect your desktop computer to a wifi connection without one:

Use Your Smartphone as a Network Adapter

Below, we’ll tell you some simple steps that you can follow to have a wireless internet connection on your computer:

• Grab your smartphone and a USB cable and turn on your computer. Even a charging USB cable will work for this.
• After your computer is turned on, connect your phone with it using the USB cable. You will hear a recognition sound from your computer and see a notification as well.
• Turn on wifi on your smartphone.
• Next, drag down your smartphone’s notification bar and tap on the USB notification.
• Select ” USB tethering” from the list of options.
• Alternatively, you can go to your smartphone’s settings, connections, and then turn on USB tethering here.
• Wait for a minute. Eventually, you’ll see that the wifi bars symbol in your PC’s taskbar has changed into a desktop symbol. This means you’re connected and ready to surf the web now.

That was pretty simple, wasn’t it? You got a good enough internet connection on your computer and didn’t even spend a penny on a wifi adapter.

Use Your Laptop to Share Wifi

Here’s how you can use your laptop to connect your PC to wireless internet:

• First off, turn on your laptop and make sure it is connected to your wifi.
• Go to the control panel and then click on ‘network and internet’.
• Next, click on the first option that says ‘network and sharing center’.
• On the left, you’ll see some options. Click on the one which says ‘change adapter settings’.
• Find the wireless network that’s connected to your laptop and right-click on it.
• A box will open up, showing wifi properties. On the top, hit the sharing tab.
• Next, tick the box that says ‘allow other network users to connect through the computer’s internet connection’.
• Now, connect your laptop and PC together through an ethernet cable.
• Your PC will recognize the connection, and you’re ready to surf the web.
• However, in some cases, you may have to select the ethernet option after connecting the cable. Right-click on this and select Bridge Connections.

Ethernet Connection Between a Router and Pc

If you have a wireless device such as a MiFi, but you don’t have any wifi hardware for your pc, you can still establish a connection between the two. For this, you’ll need a router.

So, if you have a router lying around in the house, you can use it as a repeater which will connect your wireless device to your pc through an ethernet cable.

You won’t have to buy a USB wifi adapter for your pc this way. However, if you don’t have a router, buying a wifi adapter will be a much cheaper and simpler solution.

To use a router as a wifi repeater for a wifi connection in your pc, watch this video tutorial that explains the whole process in detail.

How Do I Connect to Wifi on Windows 10 Without an Adapter?

No matter what version of windows you got, the steps to connect your pc to a wireless connection will be the same as described above.

With only a few tweaks in the Windows 10 update, you won’t find it difficult to establish a connection between your pc and smartphone/laptop.

Can You Connect an Old Computer to Wifi?

Adding wireless abilities to old desktop pcs is tricky but not impossible. It depends on what version of Windows is installed on it, so if you have Windows XP or anything above, you can try the above-listed methods.

However, the connection may be too slow to be of any use, so you can, instead, buy a USB adapter, or, you can try installing a PCI express card on your computer.

None of these methods likely works if you have, for example, Windows ME in your computer, since wifi devices these days don’t support this version anymore. You can watch this youtube video for a detailed explanation.

Conclusion

You may have to seek professional help for installing a PCIe card in your computer, and this will, of course, cost money, just like buying an adapter would.

So unless you need super-fast internet, you should try the first two methods we discussed to get a wireless connection in your pc. They provide a stable and fast enough connection for everyday tasks and are simple to set up as well.

Recommended for You:

Источник