Windows 10 - Connect to a Wireless Network

NOTE: In order to access the Windows Desktop, please connect a USB keyboard to the media player and press [Alt+F4] to close the active window displaying the directory. Unless your unit has touch functionality, we also strongly recommend connecting a USB mouse.

How to connect to a broadcasting wireless network

If a wireless network broadcasts its name, a.k.a. SSID , it will be automatically detected by any Windows 10 device that is close enough, and you can see that such a network is in range just by looking at the network icon from your system tray: it will look like a radio signal broadcast with a little star on its top.

To access the list of available wireless networks, click or tap on the network icon from the system tray, and you should get something like this:

Locate the network to which you want to connect and click or tap on its name. If it’s a network you know and you will connect to it on a regular basis, you should also check the option that says: "Connect automatically". This way, whenever your Windows 10 PC or device is in that wireless network’s range, it will automatically connect to it.

Then, click or tap Connect.

NOTE: On the bottom of the network panel, you will see two large buttons, called Wi-Fi and Airplane mode. A click or a tap on the Wi-Fi button will enable or disable the wireless card installed on your device. The same action on the Airplane mode button will disable both the wireless card and any other radio emitter installed, like a Bluetooth chip. Disabling the wireless card or entering the airplane mode means that your device won’t attempt to connect to any network. It also helps in preserving the battery life of your device when you don’t work online.

After you’ve clicked or tapped on Connect , Windows 10 will do a scan for the security settings of the wireless network. When it’s done, it will ask you for the security key.

If the broadcasting router supports WPS and this feature is enabled, you can also connect by pushing the WPS button on your router.

Once you have entered the password required by the wireless network, click or tap Next. If you want to double check the accuracy of the password, you can see it before pressing Next by clicking or tapping the eye-like icon on its right side.

Once your Windows 10 PC or device establishes the connection to the wireless network, it will ask you whether you want to set its location as private or as public . If you choose Yes , you will “allow your PC to be discoverable by other PCs and devices on this network” , and it’s what you should do if you are connecting to your home or work wireless network. If you are connecting to a public wireless network, choose No. If you don’t choose anything and simply close this dialog, you should know that Windows 10 will set this new network as public, by default.