● A wireless router
● A wireless network adapter (wireless card) for each computer that you want
to connect to the wireless network.
Wireless Networking Basics
What is a wireless network manager or client utility?
The software application on your computer that is used to manage your wireless
connections is commonly referred to as a wireless network manager or client utility.
Your Dell portable computer ships with two client utilities installed: Intel PROSet/
Wireless and Microsoft Windows Zero Configuration. Intel PROSet is set by default
as the utility which controls the management of your wireless connections.
You can select which utility is the managing utility based on your preference.
However, it is important to understand that the wireless network connection settings
(profiles) created by each utility are only applied when that utility is managing. It is
a common error for users to inadvertently switch between the two utilities. This is a
problem because network settings created in one utility are not applied if the other
utility is managing the wireless connections. It is recommended that you choose one
client utility to manage your wireless connections, and stay with it.
See Connect to a Network for more information.
Network Name
Each wireless network uses a unique Network Name to identify the network. This
name is called the Service Set Identifier (SSID). When you set up your wireless
adapter, you specify the SSID. If you want to connect to an existing network, you
must use the name for that network. If you set up your own network, you can make
up your own name and use it on each computer. The name can be up to 32
characters long and contain letters and numbers.
Profiles
A profile is a saved group of network settings. Profiles display in the Profiles list.
Profiles are useful when moving from one wireless network to another. Different
profiles can be configured for each wireless network. Profile settings can include the
network name (SSID), operating mode, and security settings. From the Intel(R)
PROSet/Wireless main window you can add, edit, and remove profiles.
Security
The 802.11 wireless networks use encryption to help protect your data. Wired
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