Dell dimension 5150

loulou41

I do not know whether my computer dell dimension 5150 is wireless enabled I do not think it is. If I do want to go wireless, I assume I will have to buy a wireless adapter, pl can somebody tell me which one to get? I am tempted to change to sky wirelessbroadband. Also will be grateful for some simple instructions how to secure it. Newbie here. Thanks

Welliesorter

Most recent laptops have built-in wireless. Most desktops don't. Those with wireless don't necessarily have an external antenna. Mine (a Medion) doesn't.

I have another PC (a recent Dell) without built-wireless. For that I use one of these. At £7.48 it's a bargain, even if you have to pay a fiver for postage. It comes with a short extension lead in case your USB ports are inaccessible.

If you're thinking of buying a router, it may be best to look for that first, as some come as kits with the wireless adapter thrown in. If you get the router from your ISP, it probably won't have any extras included.

How you secure the connection depends on the model of wireless router. Generally, you connect your PC to the router with an Ethernet cable and go into a web page, generated by the router itself, to set it up.

Once you've done that, you need to enter the WEP or WPA key (a random string of characters) to connect wirelessly for the first time. After that, your PC should remember the settings for next time.

WPA is more secure than WEP, so use that if you have the choice. Routers often don't come with the most secure settings enabled by default so you'll need to check this when you get yours.