<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/"
      xmlns:its="http://www.w3.org/2005/11/its"
      type="topic" style="task"
      id="net-wireless-connect">

  <info>
    <link type="guide" xref="net-wireless" group="#first"/>
    <link type="seealso" xref="net-wireless-troubleshooting"/>
    <link type="seealso" xref="net-passwordok-noconnect"/>
    <link type="seealso" xref="net-wireless-disconnecting"/>

    <revision pkgversion="3.4.0" date="2012-02-19" status="outdated"/>
    <revision pkgversion="3.10" version="0.2" date="2013-11-11" status="review"/>

    <credit type="author">
      <name>GNOME Documentation Project</name>
      <email its:translate="no">gnome-doc-list@gnome.org</email>
    </credit>
    <credit type="editor">
      <name>Michael Hill</name>
      <email its:translate="no">mdhillca@gmail.com</email>
    </credit>

    <desc>Get on the internet - wirelessly.</desc>
    <include href="legal.xml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/>
  </info>

<title>Connect to a wireless network</title>

<p>If you have a wireless-enabled computer, you can connect to a wireless
 network that is within range to get access to the internet, view shared files
 on the network, and so on.</p>

<steps>
  <item><p>Click the system status area on the top bar, select <gui>Wi-Fi</gui>,
 then click <gui>Select Network</gui>.</p></item>
  <item><p>Click the name of the network you want to connect to, then click
 <gui>Connect</gui>.</p>
   <p>If the name of the network isn't in the list, try clicking <gui>More</gui>
 to see if the network is further down the list. If you still don't see the
 network, you may be out of range or the network
 <link xref="net-wireless-hidden">might be hidden</link>.</p>
  </item>
  <item><p>If the network is protected by a password
 (<link xref="net-wireless-wepwpa">encryption key</link>), enter the password
 when prompted and click <gui>Connect</gui>.</p>
  <p>If you do not know the key, it may be written on the underside of the
 wireless router or base station, in its instruction manual, or you may have to
 ask the person who administers the wireless network.</p></item>
  <item><p>The network icon will change appearance as the computer attempts to
 connect to the network.</p></item>
  <item>
   <p>If the connection is successful, the icon will change to a dot with
 several bars above it. More bars indicate a stronger connection to the
 network. If there aren't many bars, the connection is weak and might not be
 very reliable.</p>
  </item>
</steps>

<p>If the connection is not successful, you
 <link xref="net-passwordok-noconnect">may be asked for your password again</link>
 or it might just tell you that the connection has been disconnected. There are
 a number of things that could have caused this to happen. You could have
 entered the wrong password, the wireless signal could be too weak, or your
 computer's wireless card might have a problem, for example. See
 <link xref="net-wireless-troubleshooting" /> for more help.</p>

<p>A stronger connection to a wireless network does not necessarily mean that
 you have a faster internet connection, or that you will have faster download
 speeds. The wireless connection connects your computer to the <em>device which
 provides the internet connection</em> (like a router or modem), but the two
 connections are actually different, and so will run at different speeds.</p>

</page>
