The portability of devices has transformed in leaps and bounds. Much of the credit for this convenience comes from wireless technology. You can now access the internet from almost anywhere and anytime through PCs or smartphones without any cable interruptions. Specialized advancements are required in each component of computer technology for agile wireless technology and portability. Thus, different companies dedicatedly work on these different components, such as wireless adapter cards or processors.
When all components are delivered, computer manufacturing companies assemble them in one place. Then, the devices need instructions on how to operate to work properly with other components. These drivers are accessible online from either the device or the computer manufacturer’s website.
The drivers for a wireless adapter will operate in Windows XP but not in Windows 7 or 10, and vice versa. This is because drivers are particular to an operating system. Similarly, a 64-bit operating system may support the drivers, but a 32-bit operating system may not. You can download Realtek Wifi Driver or others to ensure compatibility with your operating system. Still, if your wireless driver is not working, there are probably no or improper drivers installed. In the next section, you will learn about identifying the right drivers for your system.
Identify Your Wireless Adapter Driver
So how does one determine which wireless drivers their computer needs? Go to the device manager (Press Windows Key + R > Type devmgmt. msc and press enter) to see the names of your devices, then download the appropriate drivers. The network adapters area is where the wireless adapter device belongs. When you need to update your drivers, this method works. Your wireless adapter won’t be listed under this category if your wireless device drivers haven’t been installed at all. It will instead be labeled as “Network adapter” in the “Others” section with no name displayed.
How can one determine which wireless adapter driver is required in such a circumstance? The network adapter inside of your PC will have the device name. However, even for a skilled expert, disassembling your PC to obtain this information can be too much trouble for a straightforward issue. Instead, you can find the name of your WLAN equipment written on a sticker inside your computer or in the battery box. Finding the drivers you require can be done easily with this method.
Programs built into Windows can help you get this information, such as DxDiag.exe (click Windows + R, type dxdiag, then press Enter), albeit it is more useful for processor and display information than networking data. Finding someone with a comparable laptop and using his device manager is a typical explanation. Since computer makers can utilize up to three distinct devices for the same computer model, this is not always possible. Still, there are ways through which you can understand your wireless adapter. Read till the end to understand which method works for you.
Different Ways of Knowing About Your Wireless Adapter-
Follow these simple steps to find the WiFi driver for your computer-
- Open the Windows start button.
- From the list, choose Device Manager.
- You can view the list of all the network adapter devices in the system by selecting Network Adapters in the Device Manager window and clicking the carat (>) next to it.
Remember that an exclamation point on a device means that the device’s drivers weren’t installed correctly. Before continuing, resolve the problem by installing the most recent drivers or returning to the earlier versions.
- In the aforementioned example, the machine uses the Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4 Wireless Network Adapter for WiFi (wireless connections), so choose it from the list.
Follow these steps to find a driver for a particular wireless network adapter-
- Select the chosen Network Adapter and press it twice.
- Then, click the Driver tab in the Properties window and open it.
- From the drop-down option in the Property section, choose the Inf name.
Follow these directions to use the ‘Hardware IDs’ to find the wireless device online-
Each device has an ID (a collection of numbers and characters) attached to it that may be used to distinguish it from the others. You can locate the name of your wireless adapter device online using this ID, and you can obtain drivers using the name and manufacturer id.
- To access Run, press Windows Key + R. Type “devmgmt.msc” and press Enter to launch the device manager.
- Your wireless device will be labeled as a “Network Adapter” under the “Others” category if it is not installed. It would appear under “Network Adapters” with a yellow exclamation point if not installed properly.
- Select “Properties” by right-clicking on the adapter.
- Select the Details tab.
- Select “Hardware IDs” from the property dropdown menu.
- Copy the first string of characters you see in the window by performing a right-click. These will identify the wireless card model that is installed on your computer.
- Do a Google search for the characters you just copied once the browser is open (if you are not connected to the internet, you will need to find a PC connected to the internet for this purpose).
- Visit the manufacturer’s website using the information you’ve gathered, download the drivers for your network adapter, and install them.
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Conclusion
Other services and applications can identify your cards as well as the requirement of drivers. Still, a strong internet connection must be available on your PC to solve the problem. You can use the driver identifier service available at your manufacturer’s website if you have Ethernet (LAN) connection.