How do I get my new computer to see my wifi network?

It does seem strange that you’re seeing the Xfiniti WiFi if your computer doesn’t have any wifi adapters at all.

Is it possible the motherboard has wifi, but there’s no antenna connected? That might cause it to barely pick up the strongest signal. Check the back of the computer and see if there’s a small circular coax connector on it (usually gold colored, looks like the antenna connector on a TV but much smaller). And/or check the bag of parts/accessories you likely got with your computer, and see if there’s a WiFi antenna in there.

I’ll do that. Thanks!

It’s silly for the matter of whether there’s a WiFi adapter to be a mystery – just go into Device Manager and look at the list of network adapters. (I don’t know about Windows 10, but in previous versions you get to Device Manager through Control Panel). If you find a WiFi adapter you can confirm that it’s functional and Google the model number to see if it’s the type with a detachable antenna.

My own strong preference would be to try to set up a hardwired Ethernet connection, for all the reasons already stated. If this is really impossible, you can go ahead and try a WiFi dongle if you don’t already have WiFi – they’re pretty cheap so no big loss – but I’ve often found them to have limited range and performance. In a similar situation, where I have a desktop in the basement two floors down from the router, and a cable run isn’t practical, I have good results with a wireless bridge, which has dual antennas and is far more sensitive than a little dongle. But my main desktop is hardwired and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Okay, scr4, you are my favorite person for today!

I just checked the box and sure enough, there were two wifi antennas included, and two little gold coax connectors on the back of the box. I installed both antennas, fired up the box, and voila! Wifi!

Thank you so much. :slight_smile:

This. Until about two months ago I had a hard connection between my desktop and the router on the other side of the living room. Destructo, the Wonder Puppy chewed through that leading to some adventures in wireless connections chronicled in another thread. After my last update, the bridge(?) started dropping out again so back to the hard connection it was which laster about a week until DtWP got behind the desk and managed to chew through the new cable where it descended from the ceiling to the box.

After manfully resisting the urge to garrote said puppy with the remains of the Cat-6 cable I went to Frys and came back with a WiFi dongle that cost about the same as the replacement replacement cable would have cost. It’s a tiny thing, smaller than a thumbdrive, and since Windows wasn’t kind enough to have something to show strength bars like my phone does, I have no idea how close I might be to dropping out. It is showing only the strongest neighbor’s network instead of the five my phone does so it is not as sensitive.

The connection has been rock solid, though, and tests out at 50Mbps, a bit slower than the hard connection but perfectly adequate for my needs. Sometimes when the box is rebooted, it is a tad slow reconnecting, causing Windows to put up You have no internet connection! Do you want to troubleshoot? messages, but by the time I click them off the connection has restored.

Very nice call!

Man, I was hoping we could always and forever harp on **Infovore **as “that poster who couldn’t get wifi because he didn’t even have a wifi adapter!”

But I guess that doesn’t have a ring to it, anyway.

Dumb thing you might have overlooked: if it’s a desktop computer, have you screwed-in the little antenna that came with the built-in wifi card? A wifi card inside a steel case isn’t going to be able to find much.

(You didn’t specify if it’s a desktop or laptop, so I’m assuming here.)

EDIT: oh I was on the right track I guess. Go me. Although next time I should read the whole thread before replying.

Could be worse. You could have skipped the thread and guessed wrong. Being right absolves a multitude of sins.

I got around that by using a 10-foot male-to-female USB cable. Plugged the male end into the back of the PC, plugged the USB adapter thingy into the female end. Then, to improve my signal even further, I ran the cable up beside the window so that the USB adapter is hanging up near the curtain rod. Higher antenna gives you better signal and more range.