How do i setup a network on windows 8

For better results, follow these tips:. Place your wireless router in a central location. Place the router as close to the center of your home as possible to increase the strength of the wireless signal throughout your home.

Position the wireless router off the floor and away from walls and metal objects , such as metal file cabinets. The fewer physical obstructions between your PC and the router's signal, the more likely that you'll be using the router's full signal strength. Reduce interference. Some networking equipment uses a 2.

This is the same frequency as most microwaves and many cordless phones. If you turn on the microwave or get a call on a cordless phone, your wireless signal might be temporarily interrupted. You can avoid most of these issues by using a cordless phone with a higher frequency, such as 5. Security is always important; with a wireless network, it's even more important because your network's signal could be broadcast outside your home.

If you don't help secure your network, people with PCs nearby could access info stored on your network PCs and use your Internet connection. Change the default user name and password.

This helps protect your router. Most router manufacturers have a default user name and password on the router and a default network name also known as the SSID. Someone could use this info to access your router without you knowing it. To help avoid that, change the default user name and password for your router.

See the documentation for your device for instructions. Set up a security key password for your network. Whenever our computer is connected to more than one network adapter and whenever any one of them is not used then this procedure is very useful. Just make sure to select the correct option to perform an appropriate action. In this article, we will see the procedure with screenshots of how to enable a network adapter in Windows 8. How to enable a network adapter in Windows 8 Step 1 First, off all, we have to move on to the Start window screen in Windows 8.

Step 2 Then move the cursor on the bottom-right of the window screen and click the search box which is helpful to search in Windows 8. Step 3 Then in the search box type "control panel" and click on Apps from the right sidebar then click Control Panel in the main window.

The left-click opens the Networks side bar and displays your VPN connection. To launch the wizard, type vpn in Settings , and then click Set up a virtual private network VPN connection. In the wizard, you will provide the Internet address of the Remote Access VPN server to which you will connect, and a name for the new connection.

You can use an IP address or the fully qualified domain name of the Remote Access server. To find your server settings, on a computer running Windows 8 with a VPN already configured, view the connection properties as shown in Figure 8. The destination name is the text that will be used for the VPN connection name profile name , as shown in Figure 2. You can click Remember Credentials to save your credentials on the first successful connection attempt.

Figure 2 shows the only information that you need to create a VPN profile. During the first successful connection attempt, authentication and tunneling protocols are automatically negotiated between the VPN server and your computer, and are configured for user name and password-based VPN deployments. After these protocols are negotiated, you can edit the settings in Connection Properties.

Open Charms by moving the cursor to the top or bottom right corner of your computer screen. Click Settings , and then click the network icon that is displayed in the right corner of the screen, as shown in Figure 4.

When you click Connect , a new connection is negotiated with the server by using the saved credentials. In this way, you can connect both computers and peripherals such as printers and fax machines and place them where it will easy to access them. When you need the maximum Internet and file-sharing speed for your work, you can plug into the network with an Ethernet cable.

If you need to show a streaming video to your colleague in the office hallway, you can access the network wirelessly. With the right planning, your small business can save money on CAT 5 cables and routers by maximizing the reach of the wireless network.

And with the right encryption and password management in place, the wireless portion of the network can be as secure as the wired. After you set up your network, you might want to add more sharing options for your work and devices. Some of these options are set automatically, while others can be set manually.

In Windows 8. If certain sharing options don't turn on automatically, you can activate them manually. These manual activation options include:. Network discovery is a network setting that lets your device find other devices on the network and other devices find your device. Such functionality makes it easier to share files and printers.

Network sharing automatically adjusts security and other settings based on the type of network connected to your device. To check whether network sharing is enabled, follow the instructions. The first time you connect to a network, you'll be asked if you want to turn on sharing between devices and connect to network devices such as printers. Your answer automatically sets the appropriate firewall and security settings for the type of network.

You can turn sharing on or off at any time. To share a file or folder, follow the instructions for the version of Windows installed on your device. With password-protected sharing, people on your network can't access shared folders on other devices, including Public folders, unless they have a user name and password on the device for shared folders.

The network map is a graphical view of the devices and devices on your network. The map shows how devices are connected and includes any problem areas. It can be helpful for troubleshooting. For Windows 7, certain sharing options turn on automatically. For example, when you change your network location to Home or Work, network discovery is automatically turned on.

Similarly, file sharing turns on automatically the first time you try to share a file or folder. There are three network discovery states:. Windows 7 automatically adjusts security and other settings based on the type of network connected to your device. If you skip this step, then the first time that you connect to the network, you'll be asked to select your network location. You can change this setting later. The network offers some protection from the Internet such as a router and firewall and contains known or trusted devices.

Network discovery is turned on automatically. Most small business networks fall into this category. The network is available for public use. Examples of public networks are public Internet access networks, such as those found in airports, libraries, and coffee shops.

This network location helps keep your device from being seen by other devices around you and helps protect your device from malicious software on the Internet. You should also select this option if you're connected directly to the Internet without using a router or if you have a mobile broadband connection.

The device is connected to a network that contains an Active Directory domain controller. A corporate network is one example of a domain network. This network location isn't available as an option. It must be set by the domain administrator. For your small business network, make sure that the network location type is set to Home or Work.

Here's how to check:. For Windows Vista, certain sharing options turn on automatically. For home or small office networks when you know and trust the people and devices on the network. Network discovery is on by default.

For networks in public places such as coffee shops or airports. This location keeps your device from being visible to other devices around you and helps protect your device from any malicious software on the Internet. Network discovery is turned off for this location. If your network consists of devices that are running similar hardware and software, you can select the option to download additional printer drivers on the host system. We do not recommend this option if you have a mixed network that includes more than one combination of bit and bit operating systems.

If your network contains devices running different versions of Windows, put all devices in the same workgroup.