Tips

WiFi Internet Access Connection For Windows

Procedure _________________________________________________________________________________________

WiFi Internet Access Connection Procedure
WINDOWS Vista
The library has provided wireless network service to connect your personal laptop to the World Wide Web while at your public library. All you need is a laptop, wireless adapter and web browser.
This following section describes in detail how to connect to a wireless network using the Connect to a network dialog box in Windows Vista. This document presumes that you have the appropriate permissions on your laptop to setup a wireless connection. NOTE: Windows Vista has additional security features that may periodically ask you if you want to continue making changes during the wireless setup process.
The Connect to a network dialog box
You can access the Connect to a network dialog box from many locations in Windows Vista, including the following:
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By clicking Start, and then Connect to from the Windows Vista desktop
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From the Manage wireless connections dialog box
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From the Connect/Disconnect context menu option of a wireless network adapter in the Network Connections folder
The following figure shows the Connect to a network dialog box. You should see a connection called ‘Library’ or the actual name of the library.
WiFi Internet Access Connection Procedure Windows Vista

In Show, you can select the following:
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All Wireless, dial-up, and VPN connections.
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Wireless Only wireless connections.
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Dial-up and VPN Only dial-up and VPN connections.
By default, All is selected and the list of networks consists of wireless networks that have been detected and dial-up and VPN connections that have been configured. The list of available networks is subject to the types of wireless networks being detected, including the library’s wireless network. To connect to the library’s wireless network, double-click the network name ‘library’ or click the network name and then click Connect.
The following figure shows a dialog box that informs you that the wireless network you are trying to connect to is unsecured

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After you connect to the library’s wireless network, a dialog box will display informing that you are connecting to an unsecured wireless network. Click Connect Anyway to proceed with the connection to the library’s wireless service.
* Please note that the library’s public wireless network is an unsecured network and that information sent over the network might be visible to others. It is recommended that you have a firewall and updated anti-virus software on your laptop before connecting to this service. However, even with a firewall and updated anti-virus software, it is still possible for information to be visible when sent over this network. The library is not responsible for any stolen or damaged data that may occur while using the library’s wireless network.
Your laptop will now tell you that it is trying to connect to the ‘library’ wireless network.
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The following figure displays when you have successfully connected to the library’s wireless network.






Once Vista has connected to the library’s wireless network a dialog box will display telling you it has successfully connected to ‘library’. If your connection was not successful, check later in this document for troubleshooting tips.
Before closing the dialog box you will see a check box option labeled Save this network. This option will allow you to save this wireless network and even connect to it automatically every time you visit the library. This option is only recommended for experienced users of public wireless networks.
If this is your first time connecting to this wireless network or you choose to save your settings, Vista may display a dialog box asking you how you would like Vista to treat this new network. Vista will then automatically apply settings appropriate for the type of network you select.
This figure shows options for how you want Vista to treat this network.





Clicking Public location for the library’s wireless service is recommended.
After you select how Vista should treat the library’s wireless service, you should see a dialog box telling you that the settings have been successfully set.

This figure displays the settings you selected.



At this point you can click Close and open your web browser to begin browsing the World Wide Web.
Troubleshooting Tips
Vista tells you the wireless connection failed
1. Verify you are attempting to connect to the library’s wireless network. Check with the library staff if you are unsure of which wireless network to connect to.
2. Make sure that your wireless adapter is enabled. You can verify this by going to Start > Connect to. When the Connect to a network dialog window is displayed, click Open Network and Sharing Center. When that window opens, click on Manage network connections found on the left-hand side. Depending on your laptop, you may see multiple adapters available in this window. Right-click the adapter named Wireless Network Connection or something similar and click Enable (the icon will have a picture of two monitors with 5 escalating bars). Once your wireless adapter has been enabled, walk through the instructions above to see if this resolved your problem.
 3. If you have previously been able to connect to the library’s wireless network, check to see if you had saved the connection. There are occasional updates to the library’s wireless service that may require changes that a saved connection would not receive. Delete your existing connection and walk through the instructions to see if this resolves your problem.
It says I am connected, but I cannot browse the web.
• Mouse over the network icon in your taskbar, which is the icon with 2 monitors and a little globe (if the icon shows 2 monitors and a red ‘x’, you are not connected to the wireless network). With the mouse-pointer over the network icon, a notification box should display what you are currently connected to, your signal strength, and your Access type. Please verify that the Access type says Local and Internet.
The Access type says Local and Internet, but I still cannot browse the web.
• Open Internet Explorer, click Tools, then click Internet Options. Click the Connections tab and then click the LAN settings button. Verify that NO settings are checked and that all boxes in the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings dialog are unchecked. Reconnect to the library’s wireless network.
The Access type says Local only.
• Go to Start > Connect to. When the Connect to a network dialog window is displayed, click Open Network and Sharing Center. When that window opens, click on Manage network connections found on the left-hand side. Depending on your laptop, you may see multiple adapters available in this window. Right-click the adapter named Wireless Network Connection or something similar and click Properties. The Wireless Network Connection Properties dialog will display. Highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties. The Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties dialog will appear. Under the General tab, make sure that both Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically are selected. Reconnect to the library’s wireless network.