Wireless connections use radio
signals to send and receive transmissions. The two dominant forms of
wireless connection are Wi-Fi, which is based on the IEEE 802.11
standards, and broadband connections that use cellular phone networks
such as 3G and 4G.
Microsoft has put a lot of development effort
into making wireless networking seamless and easy to use. If your
wireless adapter is enabled, chances are that it will be automatically
configured for you and will detect available networks. You just need to
know how to select a wireless network and authenticate your device.
You can set all of your wireless and network
settings in the Wireless section of the PC Settings page, which is
accessed from the Settings charm. Windows learns your network
preferences over time and prioritizes one wireless or mobile broadband
network over others. Since Wi-Fi is cheaper, has lower latencies
(greater transfer rates), and allows for higher data caps, when Wi-Fi
is available mobile broadband connections are not used. On a mobile
device, this also has the effect of lengthening battery life. When
Wi-Fi isn’t available, your device switches back to your broadband
connection.
Microsoft has put a lot of effort into making
mobile broadband easy to use. When you insert a SIM card or a USB
transceiver into your PC, Windows 8 automatically recognizes which
vendor’s device it is, installs the correct drivers, and connects you
to the service’s network. That’s pretty slick. If the device is
unlocked and can access multiple service providers, Windows 8 allows
you to choose from the different possibilities within the Networks bar.
You can also choose another network provider and even be directed to
subscribe to a service.
One new feature you might not notice is that
when you reconnect a PC to a Wi-Fi network, it connects in about a
second—even faster than your display is available. Windows 7, by
comparison, took about 12 seconds to establish a network connection.
If you have a limited bandwidth connection, you may want to show the estimated data usage and set it as a metered connection.
The metered connection option is useful if
you are on a 3G or 4G network and have a limited data bucket. When this
option is enabled, device software and app updates will not download
over your broadband connection. Those data transfers are performed when
another network connection, such as a home Wi-Fi network, is enabled.
Windows 8 introduces a feature called
“airplane mode,” which turns on and off all wireless communications
with a single switch. In airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and any other
wireless connections are taken offline. Airplane mode is not available
when your device is connected to an Ethernet network. When Windows 8 is
offline, a variety of system functions, such as Live Tiles and
automatic updates, do not function. You access airplane mode from the
Networks bar in the Settings charm.
To switch wireless networks
1. Open the Networks bar, and click or tap the network you want to connect to.
Switch wireless networks by opening the Networks bar and selecting a network.
2. If you want to
connect automatically to this network, leave the Connect Automatically
check box (the default) selected and then tap or click Connect.
3. Enter the network security key , then tap or click Next.
Enter the network security key to join the network.
4. For public networks, tap or click the No, Don’t Turn On Sharing Or Connect To Devices button.
or
For private networks, tap or click the Yes, Turn On Sharing And Connect To Devices button .
Turn network discovery and device sharing on or off here.
You are joined to the new
wireless network. Each wireless adapter has a unique address and can be
connected to one wireless network at a time.
