Once the proper hardware is in place, connecting to an existing WAP, or infrastructure network, is a breeze. All you have to do is follow these steps:
You will only see the next dialog box if you're running XP Service Pack 2. (Refer back to Chapter 1 for instructions and an overview of Service Pack 2.) It's called the Wireless Network Connection dialog box, and it presents a list of available wireless networks. This list doesn't necessarily mean you can connect to the wireless network; it just means that the network card has detected a network and will try and connect if you wish. To connect to one of the networks on the list (sometimes there's only one), simply choose the network first with a mouse-click (it will have a shaded background), and then click the Connect button. You should then see the dialog box in Figure 10-4 as the network card tries to obtain an IP address from the wireless access point. Figure 10-4. The wireless card is trying to connect. |