How Do I Create a Wireless Access Point With My Wireless LAN Adapter?

Wireless access points allow computers to share one connection.

A wireless access point allows multiple computers to connect to each other or to a single Internet connection to share. While a wireless router is commonly used with a modem to create a wireless network, you can create a LAN (local area network) without a router. Using a primary computer, all connected computers go through the primary computer for access to outside Internet or to share files between the computers.

Things You'll Need

• Ethernet cable

Instructions

1. 

   Common Ethernet port (directly to the left of the blue colored jack).

   Connect the wireless LAN adapter to your computer. If you have a USB adapter, plug the USB end of the LAN adapter into an available USB port on your computer. If you have a Ethernet-style LAN adapter, connect an Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the adapter. Connect the other end to the Ethernet network card port on the rear of the computer.

2. Check whether or not your computer has a built-in LAN adapter by clicking on "Start" followed by "Control Panel." Look for "System and Security" and click on it.

3. Click on the "System" icon followed by "Device Manager." Scroll down the list of items until you see "Network Adapter." Double-click on "Network Adapter." If you have a wireless LAN adapter built in, it will be listed below "Network Adapter." Right-click on the listing and click on "Enable."

4. Click on "Start" and "Control Panel" again. Click on "Network" or "Network and sharing." Click on "Set up a new network or connection." Click "Next" to proceed through the Windows network setup program.

5. When prompted, enter a network name for the LAN network. This name can be anything that you want. Click on "Security enabled" to create a password-protected local network. Enter a password in the "Security Key" text box and click "Next." Click "Next" or "Finish" on the next screen.

6. Go to each computer you want to add to the network and right-click on the wireless or network icon located on the lower right of the Windows desktop screen. Select "Connect" or "View available wireless networks."

7. Click on the name of the network you created and enter the password when prompted. Repeat on each additional computer.

Tips & Warnings

• Ensure that the first computer is connected to a cable or DSL modem if you want to share the wireless Internet connection with the other computers. Otherwise it will be a closed LAN network, with only the computers in the network communicating with each other.

References

• Microsoft Support: Setting Up a Wireless Network