Installing wireless in Dell laptop

clockdaddy

I have ordered a Dell D610 laptop, but it is not yet set up for wireless use.
I don't have the slightest idea as to what I need to get to make the unit wireless nor how to install it.
Could some of you shed some light on this for me?

CD

nayslayer

Well, if its a new laptop it most likely has wireless built into it. The real question is if you have wireless setup at your home. You would need a wireless router for around 60-70 bucks

clockdaddy

The laptop is a unit refurbished by Dell and sold on their auction site.
I have a Bilkin wireless router I'm using right now for my desktop model.
CD

crawdoogie

Assuming you have Windows XP click Start>Network Connections. In the Network Connections window look for your wireless adapter. If it says "disabled" right click on it and choose "enable". If enabled your laptop should automatically search for available networks.
You may have to enable wireless access in your Belkin router if you haven't used the wireless feature before. If your other computer is already using wireless then you should be able to connect. If not then possibly the router's security settings may be blocking your new laptop. To access the GUI for the router from the connected PC enter http://192.168.2.1 into your browser's address bar to access wireless and security settings.
If using wireless you should at minimum use WEP which uses a password that you set up on the router and any PC's that you want to connect to it.
For more info RTFM! (i.e. see you router's manual for more detailed info.)

clockdaddy

Fantastic! As soon as get the laptop in I'll go thorough the steps you've been kind enough to list. I'll let you know how things go!

CD