How Do You Know If Your Laptop Has a Built in Wireless Card?

Older model laptop computers may not have wireless network cards built in.

As wireless networking becomes more popular, many computer manufacturers are including wireless network cards with new laptop computers. Laptop computers with built in wireless network cards can connect easily to Wi-Fi hotspots in many public locations. Older model laptop computers, however, may not have wireless network cards built in. Users of older laptop computers can check if their computer has a wireless card using the Device Manager on a Windows Computer or the System Profiler on a Macintosh computer.

Instructions

Windows Computers

1. Click "Start" and select "Settings" then "Control Panel" from the Windows Start menu.

2. Open the System Properties window by double-clicking on "System" in the Control Panel.

3. Select the "Hardware" tab and click "Device Manager."

4. Click the plus sign next to Network Adapters to show the list.

5. Look for a wireless network card in the list of Network Adapters. If one is not shown, your computer does not have a wireless card installed.

Macintosh Computers

1. Click the "Apple" icon located in the top left corner of the menu bar.

2. Select "About this Mac" from the drop down menu.

3. Click "More Info" in the Mac OS X window that opens.

4. Look for an entry for "Airport" under the Network options of the System Profiler window. If your Macintosh computer has a wireless card installed, there will be an "Airport" entry under Network options.

Tips & Warnings

• The steps provided for Windows computers are specific to checking for a wireless card on computers running Windows XP. If your computer is using a different version of the Windows operating system, locate the Device Manager by opening the Control Panel from the Windows Start menu.

• The Device Manager and System Profiler also give information about the wireless card. Both tools should indicate whether the card is working properly if a wireless card is installed.

References

• UCD - IT: How to check if your laptop has a wireless card
• Microsoft: Using Device Manager
• Apple: About System Profiler