Windows 8 does a lot of things well, but one thing it doesn’t do well is making it easier for users to connect to a wireless network. Here’s how to connect to a wireless network in Windows 8.
With the advent of smaller, thinner and lighter computers, it has never been more important for Microsoft, especially with Windows 8, to allow users to easily connect to and switch between wireless networks.
Although Windows 8 ships as the only operating system on desktops, the more important form factors (laptops and tablets) no longer ship with network internet ports. Instead, these devices only have wireless cards that allow users to connect to the local Wi-Fi network.
Until now, devices running Windows 7 and Windows Vista came with third-party tools focused on enabling wireless connectivity. While useful, these utilities often lacked compatible interfaces and did not integrate well with the rest of the operating system.
Open the Charms Bar from anywhere, including the Start Screen, on touch-based Windows 8 PCs, or by moving your mouse cursor to the upper-right corner of the screen.
Tap or click on . It is the gear-shaped talisman at the bottom of the Charms Bar.
click It’s in the upper right corner in the settings area. For the purposes of this How-To, this is the setting highlighted in the screenshot above.
If your wireless hardware is turned on and there are Wi-Fi networks available in your area, you’ll find a list of wireless networks to choose from. In our example, the name we are trying to connect to is “harlemPhone”.
If your wireless connection is turned off for some reason, tap the Wi-Fi switch at the top of the settings menu and then tap the network you want to connect to.
If the network you are connecting to is secure, type the security code for this wireless network. If the wireless network you are trying to connect to was set up by your internet provider, they should have given you a hard copy of the security code. If you set up the wireless router yourself, you must enter the security code you created for your router during the setup process.
If the wireless network you are trying to connect to is public, such as at your local Starbucks, Windows 8 will not prompt you to enter any network keys.
After entering the correct security code, Windows 8 will take some time to connect to the wireless network.
After verifying your Windows 8 security key and connecting you to the network, the Wireless icon in the settings menu will display the name and signal strength of the network you just connected to.
