As easy as wireless networking has become on the Windows side of the fence the last few years, there can still be issues that make us pull our hair out. I recently met a gentleman who had a problem getting his laptop onto his secure wireless network. Anyone familiar with networking knows that this could be a number of things, but don't worry. Together we can examine some of the most common problems. Let's dig in.

The first issue is whether or not your laptop can see the wireless network. If it can't, then almost certainly the problem is that your router isn't broadcasting its SSID information. This is what enables internet-ready devices to see that your wireless network exists. It is enabled by default, but it can become disabled by accident. Go into your routers settings:

Open Internet Explorer
Type 192.168.1.1 (your router may use a different address) into your address bar
Enter your username and password if you set one up to log in
Usually under the wireless tab, you will see a Wireless SSID broadcast box. Make sure that it is enabled
Save your changes and see if you can now see your network

If you cannot, then go back into your routers control panel and make sure that your Wireless Network Mode is set to Mixed. If you still can't see your network, then try changing the Wireless Channel as you may be using the same channel as a nearby neighbor. If you still cannot see your network, then your last resort is to disable security and see if you see it then. If you do, then simply re-enable security and you will have to enter your password on your laptop. If you don't, then it is likely that you have a hardware failure somewhere.

I will flesh this out with screenshots and such soon. I haven't used Linksys' firmware for a long time (and I no longer use a Linksys router), but I will dig some up. The above steps should allow you to find the network and connect barring any sort of hardware failure.