Dell Inspirion, Owner'S Manual

Page: 74 / 149

Setting Up a Home and Office Network
73
Determining Your Network Type
NOTE:
Most wireless networks are of the infrastructure type. Consult your network administrator if you
are unsure of the type of network to which you are connecting.
Wireless networks fall into two categories—infrastructure networks and ad-hoc networks. An
infrastructure network uses routers or access points to connect several computers. An ad-hoc
network does not use routers or access points and consists of computers that broadcast to one
another.
Connecting to a Wireless Network in Microsoft
®
Windows
®
XP
Your wireless network card requires specific software and drivers in order to connect to a network.
The software is already installed. If the software is removed or corrupted, follow the instructions
included in the user's guide for your wireless network card. The user’s guide is located on your
Drivers and Utilities CD (that came with your computer) in the "User’s Guides-Network User’s
Guides" category. The user’s guide is also available on the Dell Support website at
support.dell.com .
1
Click the Start button, click Control Panel , and then click Switch to Classic View .
2
Double-click Network Connections .
3
Click Wireless Network Connection .
The Wireless Network Connection icon is highlighted.
ad-hoc network infrastructure network