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The wireless network in Windows XP Service Pack 1 or Windows XP Service Pack 2 (obtain the properties of a new or preferred wireless network on the Wireless Networks tab from the properties of the wireless network connection in the Network Connections folder).
When you switch on the laptop, you need to search for available wireless networks. Some operating systems such as Windows Vista automatically search for the available wireless network connections. A network icon is displayed in the taskbar of the screen. If there is a cross mark over this icon it means no network connection exists or it might be switched off or there might be some problem.
You can also check for the wireless connection with a wireless access point. Most wireless access points operate in a range up to a maximum distance of 100 meters or approx 328 feet. All wireless networks have an SSID (Service Set Identifier) name. If the Service Set Identifier broadcasting is off, the name displayed for the network is Unnamed Network. WCL's SSID is: wcl
When your wireless network is not working properly, it might be caused because of many problems.
Step 1. Check the Wireless Network Adapter. The first step of troubleshooting laptop wireless connection should be to check the wireless network adapter. Check whether the wireless network adapter is switched on. Some laptops are equipped with small blue or red buttons on the side, while some others need to be enabled through the operating system.
There are several ways of troubleshooting a laptop wireless connection. In Windows, go to Device Manager and check whether the network adapter is enabled or not. If it is disabled, click there to enable it. If you are using a PCMIA or a USB wireless adapter, remove it and again insert it. The lights on the adapter indicate to you whether there is a problem or not.
You can also check for driver compatibility. Make sure that you have installed the correct device driver for the wireless internet adapter. This may cause all sorts of problems. See the Blog Entry - How to Update Your Driver - Windows
Step 2. Try Using the Wireless Network Adapter Manufacturer's Software
Manufacturer provided software can provide a much more accurate picture of relative Access Point distances and signal strength. In some circumstances, especially public networks at hotels, campuses and coffee shops, your laptop may consistently choose to connect to a weak access point when stronger signals are available. The manufacturer software usually shows this much clearer than the five green signal strength bars of "View Available Wireless Networks."
Step 3. See wireless network?
Does the laptop operating system software see the wireless network you are trying to connect to? Many notebooks come equipped with a special manufacturer's configuration utility, such as Toshiba's ConfigFree, in addition to standard OS connectivity software, like the "View Available Wireless Networks" option in modern Windows versions. In addition, there should be a little wireless icon in the system tray, which may flash a small bubble announcement when it connects or fails to connect. Floating the mouse pointer over the wireless icon in the system tray on a Windows desktop should show the name of the wireless connection (often a HEX address that looks like alphabet soup if not changed from the default), the speed (54 Mbps for 802.11G), the signal strength, and whether a connection to a Access Point has been established. Note that a connection to a Access Point does not imply a connection to the internet.
Step 4. Switch on, enabled?
When a laptop won't connect to a wireless network, more often than not it's because the wireless adapter is switched off or disabled in software. As with volume controls for computer speakers, wireless networking can be disabled both manually and through software, and in more than one place. Most modern laptops come equipped with an manual slide switch on the front or side of the laptop that turns the wireless adapter on or off. There is is usually an LED associated with the switch that will be lit only when the laptop's wireless capability is on. However, the LED will remain lit even if the wireless has been disabled in software, it is a status indicator for the hardware switch only. The switch can easily be turned off by accident when picking up the laptop or even by a book or other table clutter coming into contact with the side of the notebook, so it's a very common problem.
The easiest place to tell if the laptop wireless adapter has been disabled through software is in Device Manager. One sure sign the adapter is disabled in software (or not operating properly) is if it doesn't appear in the system tray. If your laptop wireless adapter is discrete, a USB or PC card (PCMCIA) plug-in, shut down, make sure it's plugged in firmly, and reboot. Even if the wireless device is designed to be hot-swappable (plugged in while the laptop is turned on) it's better to shut down and do it, since this will give the operating system a chance to reset.
Step 5. Access Point active, in range?
If there isn't a wireless network in range, the notebook certainly can't connect to it. It doesn't matter is somebody else's laptop once connected to a network from the spot you are trying to connect, the question is whether or not there's an active signal your laptop should be picking up now. The most obvious reason for the wireless Access Point to be invisible to your laptop is if the Access Point is turned off or out of range. The best way to start troubleshooting wireless problems is to take your laptop and plunk it down right next to the Access Point you are trying to connect to (See the WCL Wireless Coverage Maps Blog Entry). If you still do not get a connection, please report the problem to: www.wcl.american.edu/technology/wifi_problem.cfm
Step 6. Intermittent connection?
One of the most frustrating problems to troubleshoot on wireless networks are intermittent connections. Logic seems to dictate that if it works sometimes, it should work all the time, but mismatched hardware or protocols can result in intermittent operation, just like interference, failing hardware, or a poor signal from the ISP. However, the most common reason for intermittent connections is a weak signal that appears to be stronger than it actually is on the reported signal strength. Probably the best indicator of a marginal wireless signal is slow operation, but if your notebook came equipped with utility that truly shows the relative strength of signals and your connection is usually on the borderline, a weak signal is likely the problem. Relocate the laptop closer to the Access Point (see the Wireless Coverage Map Blog Entry).
Step 7. All 802.11g? (The WCL Network is a 802.11g Network. 802.11b/g cards will work on the network. 802.11a or 802.11b cards will not. Please go the Help Desk for an adapter if you have an 802.11a or 802.11b card).
The IEEE standard for wireless ethernet networks is supposed to be backwards compatible, but in practice, not all of the hardware produced lives up to the standard. All newer notebooks have 802.11g wireless capability built in and they will normally work with older Access Points, but older notebooks and PC adapter cards of the 802.11b generation often have trouble with 802.11g Access Points.
If your laptop won't connect to the public network, it's entirely possible that your wireless adapter is at fault, and you can try a USB or PC card adapter if you're willing to have it sticking out of the side of the notebook. But most of the time the problem will be software, either the wireless adapter is, in fact, disabled in some way you haven't been able to spot, the driver version isn't the best for the adapter model (even if Device Manager appears happy), or there's some corruption in the networking settings that you can't figure out. If you search the web, there are some free third party utilities you can run to fix the registry, stack and network settings by resting them to defaults, and which report out on the process if they find errors. Please go to the Help Desk for assistance.
Step 8. Phone, Bluetooth interfere?
If your wireless connection slows down or gets flaky when you or somebody else in the household is using a cellular phone, Bluetooth device or other RF emitter, the problem is interference. There is no cure other than trying to increase the distance between the laptop and the interfering device or not using the interfering device when you're on the Internet. However, interference is probably a much less common problem than flaky hardware, software timeouts or hardware problems. Overheating hardware can lead to intermittent operation, as can power interruptions. Keep in mind that a properly functioning laptop has it's own built in UPS (Uninterruptible Power Source) in the form of the main battery that should provide seamless operation so you might not even notice if your power grid is suffering from brownouts or even mini-blackouts. The Access Point, however, may be resetting every time the power glitches, and then requiring a minute or two to reestablish the Internet connection each time. Please report any problems to IT at www.wcl.american.edu/technology/wifi_problem.cfm
Step 9. Turn It Off & On Again
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the ones that work the best. When you’re encountering wireless connection problems, try turning your wireless network card.
If you have a laptop with a built-in wireless network card, check your documentation because there is usually a button on the side of the laptop that lets you easily turn the card off and then on again. If you have a PC Card or USB wireless network card, launch the Safely Remove Hardware utility and click the Stop button. Next, remove the wireless network card and reinsert it while Windows is running so the OS will redetect and re-enable the wireless network card.
Step 10. Make sure your wireless card has a valid physical address:
Click Start, then Run. Type cmd in the field to get a command prompt (on black screen).
Type ipconfig /all after the prompt.
This will show the actual "physical address" of the network card (also called the MAC address). Every card should have a unique ID, which will look something like 00:0A:30:C0:60:1F. If the physical address is all zeros, you have a problem with your card that must be solved by a call to the vendor who sold the card to you. | 
