How to connect to a wireless network

This article describes how to connect to a wireless network.

Applies to:   Windows Vista
Original KB number:   928429

Note

Support for Windows Vista without any service packs installed ended on April 13, 2010. To continue receiving security updates for Windows, make sure you're running Windows Vista with Service Pack 2 (SP2). For more information, see this Microsoft web page: Support is ending for some versions of Windows

Introduction

This article describes how to connect to a wireless network in Windows Vista.

More information

The software that you were using together with Windows XP to connect to wireless networks is incompatible with Windows Vista. Alternatively, you can use Windows Vista to configure the wireless networks.

To connect to a wireless network in Windows Vista, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start , and then click Connect to.

  2. Click the wireless network to which you want to connect, and then click Connect.

    Note

    During the connection process, you may be prompted for a Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) key. If you do not have this key, contact the administrator of the wireless network for help.

For more information about how to connect to wireless networks by using Windows Vista, visit the following Microsoft Web site: https://technet.microsoft.com/library/bb878035.aspx
For Wireless Wide Area Networks (2.5G/3G), the communication software is provided by the wireless carriers. Contact the IT manager of the company or call the wireless carrier that is providing the service for Windows Vista-compatible software.