How to Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi-Fi Card

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Make sure your laptop supports Wi-Fi in just a few simple steps
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Most laptops made within the last 5 years are equipped with Wi-Fi. If you have an older model or you just want to be certain, it only takes a few clicks of the mouse to discover if your laptop has a WiFi card.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Checking the Model of Your Laptop

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    Your laptop will have a model number printed on the bottom--a series of numbers and letters. Copy them down onto a piece of paper.
    • If you can't find the model number on the bottom of your laptop, check the battery case. It may be located inside.
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    Type the model number of your laptop into a search engine, and can easily find the specifications for your laptop. This will give you all kinds of detailed information, including whether or not your laptop has a WiFi card.
    • If your laptop has been modified since manufacturing, or you bought it second-hand and you're not sure, then you may want to use alternative methods.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Checking on Windows 7 or Lower

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    The Start menu is located at the bottom left of the computer screen. Click on the Start button to open the menu, then click on "Control Panel." [1]
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    When the Control Panel opens, locate the icon that says "System and Security." Click the icon, then select "System." Within the System folder, you will see the Device Manager. Click to open. [2]
    • You may be prompted to enter an administrator password or confirmation when opening the Device Manager.
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    " The Device Manager shows you all the devices installed on your computer. Open "Network Adapters" to find a list of any Bluetooth, Ethernet, or WiFi Adapters.
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    There is no one name for the WiFi card, so you will have to go through the list and look for something with "wireless," "802.11," or "WiFi" in the name.
    • If you don't see anything with "wireless" or "WiFi" in the name, then you do not have a wireless card.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Checking on Windows 8 or Higher

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    Move your mouse to the top right-hand corner of the screen and swipe down. A side menu will pop up.
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    " You will find "Settings" at the bottom of the menu. Click to open the folder.
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    A new interface appears when you click "Settings," with six icons at the bottom and five clickable tabs. The first of the six icons should look like five bars, starting small and get larger. If you see this icon, you have a WiFi card in your laptop.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Checking on a Mac with OSX Yosemite

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    " Move your mouse to the Apple logo in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Click to open a drop-down menu, then select "About This Mac" from the options.
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    " There are different tabs at the top of the "About This Mac" window--stay in the tab labeled "Overview." Locate the button that says "System Report," and click to open.
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    Scroll down on the left panel until you find the "Network" heading and click to expand. Click on "Wi-Fi."
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    " If you have a WiFi card, it will appear here. It will say "Card Type" and then tell you the name of your card, such as "AirPort Extreme" (yours may be called something different).
    • If you don't have a card, you might also see the error Wi-Fi: No hardware installed on the top right corner of the screen, along with the date and day.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Should I disable WiFi card adapter if I can not connect to WiFi on my laptop?
    TheWikiHowFurry
    Community Answer
    No. Just reset it. Go to your device manager, find your WiFi card in the device manager, and then click "uninstall." After it uninstalls, restart your computer and it will reinstall the driver.
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  • Question
    Can you gave me a name of a laptop that has both Bluetooth and WiFi?
    Community Answer
    If you want a laptop with both Bluetooth and WiFi connection capabilities, one suggestion among many is the Lenovo ThinkPad T440s.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      Tips

      • In this Device Management window. You are able to view every hardware piece built-in to your computer.
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      Warnings

      • You must never un-install a device unless you know what you are doing. The piece of hardware might not work without the proper files stored on your computer.
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      References

      1. ↑ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/open-device-manager#1TC=windows-7
      2. ↑ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/open-device-manager#1TC=windows-7

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