1<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/" 2 xmlns:if="http://projectmallard.org/if/1.0/" 3 xmlns:its="http://www.w3.org/2005/11/its" 4 type="topic" style="task" 5 id="net-wireless-connect"> 6 7 <info> 8 <link type="guide" xref="net-wireless" group="#first"/> 9 <link type="seealso" xref="net-wireless-troubleshooting"/> 10 <link type="seealso" xref="net-wireless-disconnecting"/> 11 12 <revision pkgversion="3.4.0" date="2012-02-19" status="outdated"/> 13 <revision pkgversion="3.10" date="2013-12-05" status="final"/> 14 <revision pkgversion="3.18" date="2015-09-28" status="final"/> 15 <revision pkgversion="3.33" date="2019-07-17" status="candidate"/> 16 17 <credit type="author"> 18 <name>GNOME Documentation Project</name> 19 <email>gnome-doc-list@gnome.org</email> 20 </credit> 21 <credit type="editor"> 22 <name>Michael Hill</name> 23 <email>mdhillca@gmail.com</email> 24 </credit> 25 26 <desc>Get on the internet — wirelessly.</desc> 27 <include href="legal.xml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/> 28 </info> 29 30<title>Connect to a wireless network</title> 31 32<p>If you have a wireless-enabled computer, you can connect to a wireless 33 network that is within range to get access to the internet, view shared files 34 on the network, and so on.</p> 35 36<steps> 37 <item> 38 <p>Open the <gui xref="shell-introduction#systemmenu">system menu</gui> from the right 39 side of the top bar.</p> 40 </item> 41 <item> 42 <p>Select 43 <gui>Wi-Fi Not Connected</gui>. The Wi-Fi section of the menu will expand.</p> 44 </item> 45 <item> 46 <p>Click <gui>Select Network</gui>.</p> 47 </item> 48 <item> 49 <p>Click the name of the network you want, then click 50 <gui>Connect</gui>.</p> 51 <p>If the name of the network is not shown, scroll down the list. If you 52 still do not see the network, you may be out of range, or the network 53 <link xref="net-wireless-hidden">might be hidden</link>.</p> 54 </item> 55 <item> 56 <p>If the network is protected by a password 57 (<link xref="net-wireless-wepwpa">encryption key</link>), enter the 58 password when prompted and click <gui>Connect</gui>.</p> 59 <p>If you do not know the key, it may be written on the underside of the 60 wireless router or base station, or in its instruction manual, or you may 61 have to ask the person who administers the wireless network.</p> 62 </item> 63 <item> 64 <p>The network icon will change appearance as the computer attempts to 65 connect to the network.</p> 66 </item> 67 <item> 68 <if:choose> 69 <if:when test="platform:gnome-classic"> 70 <p>If the connection is successful, the icon will change to a dot with 71 several curved bars above it 72 (<media its:translate="no" type="image" mime="image/svg" src="figures/classic-topbar-network-wireless-strength-excellent.svg" width="28" height="28"/>). More bars 73 indicate a stronger connection to the network. Fewer bars mean the 74 connection is weaker and might not be very reliable.</p> 75 </if:when> 76 <p>If the connection is successful, the icon will change to a dot with 77 several curved bars above it 78 (<media its:translate="no" type="image" mime="image/svg" src="figures/topbar-network-wireless-strength-excellent.svg" width="28" height="28"/>). More bars 79 indicate a stronger connection to the network. Fewer bars mean the 80 connection is weaker and might not be very reliable.</p> 81 </if:choose> 82 </item> 83</steps> 84 85 <p>If the connection is not successful, you may be asked for your password 86 again or it might just tell you that the connection has been disconnected. 87 There are a number of things that could have caused this to happen. You could 88 have entered the wrong password, the wireless signal could be too weak, or 89 your computer’s wireless card might have a problem, for example. See 90 <link xref="net-wireless-troubleshooting" /> for more help.</p> 91 92 <p>A stronger connection to a wireless network does not necessarily mean that 93 you have a faster internet connection, or that you will have faster download 94 speeds. The wireless connection connects your computer to the <em>device 95 which provides the internet connection</em> (like a router or modem), but the 96 two connections are actually different, and so will run at different 97 speeds.</p> 98 99</page> 100