How to connect to Wi-Fi on a laptop. What to do if Wi-Fi is not connected to the laptop. Why connecting to your neighbor's Wi-Fi is a bad idea

The Internet has become such an integral part of the lives of most that we no longer notice it - as if it had always been there and people did the same things as easily all the time as they do today. However, this is not true and connecting to the network even today requires certain equipment, passwords, payments and tariff plans.

Finding ourselves in an unfamiliar place, we often need urgent access to the network, but how to connect to WiFi without knowing the password? It remains a mystery to many, but it’s possible to connect to Wi-Fi without a password!

Methods for connecting to a wifi network

There are several ways to connect to Wi-Fi without a password. The most important ones are brute-force attacks, phishing, and key interception.
First of all, try to choose the right combination. At first glance it may seem that this is impossible, but it is not. Often, in order not to forget, people make it as simple as possible. For example, 12345678 or something like that. Imagine yourself in the shoes of someone who sets a simple password to connect to Wi-Fi.

If you couldn’t find the wifi key and you don’t connect, try installing the WifiCrack program. They do not charge money for downloading and using it, but you must remember that this operation is illegal and you do this only in exceptional cases and after making sure that the owner of the Wi-Fi network to which you are planning to connect is not a bank, police or other special structures.

So, now we will find out how to connect Wi-Fi without a password:

How to connect to Wi-Fi without a password if this method did not work? Connecting to someone else's wifi can be a difficult task and may require traffic interception. The optimal program that can cope with this task is Airslax. It works according to the following principle: when you try to connect to someone else’s network from your phone or from your personal computer, your device still communicates with the router on that side. Packets are being transferred without you even noticing it. And these same data packets contain an encrypted access code. It turns out that if you decrypt these packets, you can get the password. To carry out interception, you need more than average knowledge, but there is nothing overly complicated in this program.

So, let's see how to connect to Wi-Fi without knowing the password using the interception method:

Therefore, we will use the Wifiphisher program to carry out this attack.

1. After installing the program, the first thing to do is turn off their wireless point. How to do this is at your discretion, but don’t go overboard.
2. Then the wifi router will switch to the “Access Point” mode and the program will be able to copy the Name and title of the Access Point.
3. The DHCP server will automatically configure itself to this access point and provide our client with a fake page disguised as anything.
4. The client will be taken to this page and will likely enter their access point name and password.
5. The program will give you an access code and you can connect.

Once again, we want to repeat that no one will be able to identify you or punish you in any way for any of the above actions, but, if possible, it is always better to ask the owner of the wifi network for the password.

Unlike corporate access points, neighborhood routers are much more vulnerable. With the help of special programs (Wifite, etc.), Wi-Fi can be hacked even without hacking skills. Surely even your neighbors have problems with their router configuration, or their passwords are wrong. This article will be useful for those who want to learn how to connect to their neighbor’s wifi, and for those who want to protect themselves from freebies.

Open access

An open hotspot is a rare occurrence, but it exists. The packets in them are not encrypted; any user can intercept traffic using the Airodump-ng utility. The intercepted data is analyzed in Wireshark.



Now this is unlikely, because sites that work with personal data use a secure connection (https).
Protection method: Install a complex WPA-2 key on the router. If you work through open Wi-Fi, use a browser extension that encrypts traffic.

To find the nearest open Wi-Fi, you can use the Free Zone program on Android. In addition, there are some passwords to closed access points (to which users of the program have given access).

IV collisions in WEP

WEP is an outdated security standard that is vulnerable to static attacks due to IV collisions. After the advent of WPA2 network authentication, few people use WEP; in new firmware versions it is not even in the settings.
The most effective is the Tevs-Weinman-Pyshkin attack, proposed in 2007. To hack, you need to intercept several tens of thousands of packets.

How to protect yourself: change the network authentication method in the router settings to AES or WPA2.

WPS PIN selection

WPS PIN is an 8-digit number, individual for each router. It can be cracked by brute force through a dictionary. The user sets a complex WPA password combination and, in order not to remember it, activates the WPS pin. Transferring the correct PIN code to the router means subsequent transfer to the client of information about the settings, including a WPA password of any complexity.

The main problem with WPS is that the last digit of the PIN is a checksum. This reduces the effective length of the PIN from 8 to 7 characters. In addition, the router checks the code, breaking it in half, that is, to select a password you will need to check about 11,000 combinations.

Protection: update the router firmware. The updated version should have a lock function that is activated after several unsuccessful code entries. If the function is not provided, turn off WPS.

Other ways to get WPS PIN

Connecting to Wi-Fi using a PIN code is also possible through direct access to the equipment. The PIN can be obtained from the router's backbone during a "friendly visit".
In addition, the router may remain open during a firmware update or reset. In this case, the neighbor will be able to log into the router interface using the standard login and password and find out the PIN. After this, the WPA password is obtained in a couple of seconds.


Protection method: remove the password sticker and do not leave the access point open for even a second. Change the WPS PIN periodically through the router interface.

Searching for a password using a dictionary

By intercepting the WPA 4-way handshake between the victim and the access point, you can extract the dictionary code from the WPA handshake.

Protection: Use complex WPA passwords consisting of numbers, symbols and letters in different case.

Phishing via Wi-Fi

If programs fail to hack WiFi, they use the human factor, tricking the user into giving out the password to the access point.

Phishing attacks are often carried out via email, but few people would write their Wi-Fi password in an email. To confuse your neighbor, it’s easier to force him to connect to a different access point. This is done using the WiFiPhisher utility, written in Python.
The hacking process follows the following algorithm:

• The utility prepares the attacker's computer: configures HTTP and HTTPS servers, searches for wireless interfaces wlan0 and wlan1. Starts monitoring one of the found interfaces and obtains additional IPs via DHCP services.


• The console displays a list of access points available for attack.


• The utility clones the name of the selected point and tries to disable the existing original network.
• The victim's Internet connection drops and he connects to the cloned access point.
• During the connection, the attacker receives information about a new connection to the console.
• The victim tries to open any website, but is shown a phishing page instead. For example, instead of google.ru, a connection error will be displayed asking you to re-enter your password. The page may be very similar to the standard ISP page or router interface.
• If the victim does not suspect anything and enters the password, the Internet will work, and the attacker will receive the password in his console.

Protection method: Check pages carefully before entering your password, even if you are visiting a reputable site.

Consequences of hacking

Access to Wi-Fi provides access to the router settings. And considering that rarely does anyone change the standard password for the router interface, information about which is posted on the Internet, the task is greatly simplified. Settings management is network management.

Gaining access to WiFi through hacking will allow you to first change the WPS PIN, and then gain access to other information for authorization on sites.

Gaining access to Wi-Fi will allow, through the use of appropriate utilities, to reconfigure the DNS, which will redirect users of banking services to fictitious pages.

If the network is hacked, then even changing passwords after a while will not help: the attacker will save the WPS PIN or install a Trojan program in the firmware.

Resume

This article is not intended to encourage you to hack your neighbor’s Wi-Fi, but to tell you about popular vulnerabilities that can cause losses, including material ones.
Some good-natured people don’t mind giving away unlimited Internet, or they don’t know how to set a password for an access point. Of course, if your neighbors just use your unlimited Internet for free, nothing bad will happen to you. But this way you give access to your passwords. There have been cases when people were tried to be scammed by viewing illegal sites from someone else’s IP.
Modern firmware for routers is made as simple and convenient as possible, so even people without experience can configure the security of their Internet through the interface. Use the protection methods described in this article to the maximum, set complex and unique passwords for each resource.

Nowadays, wireless technologies make it possible to create an entire home network, which will include all mobile devices and computers equipped with Wi-Fi adapters. Everyone potentially has such opportunities, but not everyone knows how to connect Wi-Fi at home.

What you need to organize a home network

In this article I will tell you what you need to connect Wi-Fi at home.

First, you'll need a wireless router or access point. Secondly, in order to connect a computer to the router, the second one must have a Wi-Fi adapter installed. It is worth noting that every modern laptop, netbook, smartphone and tablet are equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless modules, so there should be no problems with creating a home network from this side.

Today, absolutely everyone can buy a wireless router, since their cost is within the reach of any budget. However, if you don’t want to spend money on a router, you can create a distribution on a computer or even on a smartphone; If you create an access point on a smartphone, then you will only be able to access the mobile Internet, and only if it is connected and configured on the distribution device.

Here I will describe what to do if you take the plunge and purchase a router.

How to organize a local wireless network

Let's look at how to set up a local network via a Wi-Fi router, using the D-Link Dir-300 router as an example. If you have a different model, then don't be upset. They are all configured the same way. The difference between the routers is only in the design of the interface and the names of some sections. Otherwise, the essence of the work remains the same for everyone.

So, turn on your router and wait for it to boot. After that, you can connect to it via Wi-Fi or through the cable that came with the device. Next, open your favorite browser and enter the router’s IP address in the address bar. It is indicated on the factory sticker, which is affixed to the device itself (just carefully inspect it from all sides). On the same sticker you will find information about the login and password to enter the options menu.

If the sticker is missing or worn off, you can find out all the necessary information in the instructions. If none of the options suits you, then after connecting to the router, launch the command line and enter the following command in it: ipconfig and press “Enter”. All that remains is to find the line “Main gateway” - this will be the address of your router. As a rule, T-Link and D-Link use this IP address: 192.168.0.1. Sometimes there are routers with the following address: 192.168.1.1.

So, we register the IP address we already know in the browser and press “Enter”. Now the system asks you to enter your password and login to enter the options menu. By default, in the vast majority of cases, the following data is used: login – admin, password – admin.

That's it, now you are in the router settings menu. As mentioned above, you don’t need to configure anything special to create a local network. You can simply enter the name of the network, and also secure it by creating a complex password. To do this, go to the “Wi-Fi” section.

In the main settings you can enter the name of the router. To do this, find the line “SSID” (or username) and enter in it any network name you like.

A little lower you will see the line “PSK encryption key”. This is the password for connecting to the network. You can enter absolutely any password here at your discretion. The main thing is not to forget it later, since without this key you will not be able to connect to Wi-Fi.

Of course, there are still a bunch of settings, but, as a rule, no one uses them, since for normal operation of the network it is enough to specify a name and set a password. Now you know how to install Wi-Fi at home yourself.

But, if you have cable Internet, you can connect it to your router. This will allow you to distribute the Internet via Wi-Fi. Of course, this connection also requires separate configuration.

Setting up WAN in the router

WAN is a wide area network. Simply put, this is the Internet. If an Internet cable from your provider is installed in your apartment (house), then you can connect it to the WAN port of the router (RJ-45 interface). Of course, you will also need to enter certain settings in the router itself. To do this, go to the “Network” section in the router settings. Next, go to the “WAN” subdirectory.

Below, click the “Add” button. In the “Connection type” line, you need to indicate the type of connection that your provider provides. There are three options to choose from:

1. PPPoE is a connection to the Internet using a unique login and password that is issued by the provider upon connection.
2. Static IP - in this case, you will have to manually enter the network parameters. That is, the provider gives you certain network settings that you must enter when setting up the connection. This data is usually specified in the contract concluded with the provider. But you can call customer support and ask the operator for all the necessary information.
3. Dynamic IP - this option sets network parameters automatically. It only works if the provider provides such services and supports the technology for connecting clients by MAC address. That is, instead of a login and password, a unique number is used - the MAC address of your network card (or router).

As a rule, in the vast majority of cases, the first option is used - a PPPoE connection using a client login and password. Therefore, in the “Connection type” line we set the value to “PPPoE”.

Additional settings will open below. We are interested in the “PPP” section. It only needs to be filled in three lines:

• “Username” – here you need to indicate the login that your provider assigned to you.
• “Password” – enter the password assigned to you by your provider.
• “Password Confirmation” – here you need to enter your password again.

If you are provided with an IPTV service and will watch TV on a computer or on a TV with a Wi-Fi adapter, then check the “IGMP” box. After that, click “Apply” and reboot the router.

This completes the router setup. All devices connected to it will have access to the global web. In this case, they will all be in the same home group. Thanks to this, you can transfer information between devices in a group, transfer files, and so on. To do this, you just need to set up sharing and open access to the necessary resources.

Now you know how to install Wi-Fi in your apartment. However, there are other options.

For example, if you have a laptop, then you can distribute Wi-Fi from it. Moreover, if you connect your laptop to the Internet, your virtual network will have access to the Internet. The easiest way to organize Wi-Fi distribution on a laptop is to use the Virtual Router Plus program.

The program is free and extremely easy to use. I think you will understand its settings. You can learn more about how to distribute Wi-Fi from a laptop in this article.

You can also distribute mobile Internet via Wi-Fi from your smartphone. To do this, you just need to connect to a 2G or 3G network on your phone and activate the “Mobile Hotspot” function in the Wi-Fi settings. You can find out more about this.

How to set up a local network via a Wi-Fi router: Video

When connected via Wi-Fi, you can access the Internet from several devices using just one router. Access points can be of two types: with a password and without protection. Free access is available in many public places: shopping centers, cafes, airports. In some cities there are areas completely covered with Wi-Fi. All you need to join the network is a gadget with a Wi-Fi adapter.

One of the described connection methods will definitely help you. But no one is immune from problems. If unsuccessful, call your provider and have them check your router settings. Its IP address is on the bottom or side.

There are several ways to connect to Wi-Fi from a mobile phone (Android and iOS) or from a computer. In the instructions, we will also look at what problems you may encounter and how to solve them. We will also consider in detail the issue of setting up a network connection through the interfaces of the router itself and Windows.

How to connect Wi-Fi on your phone

Every modern smartphone has a Wi-Fi module in its hardware. Typically, you can connect your device to Wi-Fi in just a few steps. Use the quick access menu or connect through your phone settings. These steps for devices running iOS and Android will be described in more detail below.

On iPhones

Modern versions of the iOS operating system have a quick access menu, which is called up by swiping up. If your phone automatically connects to your home network, then you can safely turn on Wi-Fi through the lower toolbar. Press the wireless connection indicator until it lights up and becomes active. Afterwards, you will automatically connect to a known network.

If this is your first time connecting to a home or public network, you must complete the following steps:

Now you know how to connect Wi-Fi on any iOS device.

Possible problems and solutions

There are situations when a phone or tablet does not connect to Wi-Fi. The first and most common problem is a password-protected access point. You need to enter it in the appropriate field when connecting.

If the point does not have a password, but you cannot connect, take the following steps:

• check your Internet connection to see if the network is accessible from a computer or other device;
• make sure you are close enough to the router;
• make sure that automatic IP address distribution is enabled (DHCP function);
• reboot the router;
• reboot your mobile gadget;
• reset your router.

If other devices connect to your wireless network without problems, this means that the problem is with a specific mobile phone. We recommend taking it to a service center for diagnostics.

On Android devices

Despite the differences between Android and iOS, fundamentally connecting to Wi-Fi follows the same principle. To access the quick menu, swipe down on the unlocked screen, and then tap the corresponding Wi-fi icon.

Users can activate Wi-Fi through settings:

1. Go to your phone settings.
2. In the wireless networks section, click on WLAN (or Wi-Fi).
3. Move the slider to the activated state, and among the available networks, click on the desired one.
4. Enter your password if the system prompts you for one.

If you encounter problems, follow the same steps as described in the troubleshooting section for iOS.

If the connection to the router is hidden

When the devices are connected to Wi-Fi, the corresponding icon appears at the top. However, in some situations, you cannot connect to a wireless network because it is hidden. The user will not find it in the search list. To connect to a hidden wireless access point, follow the instructions:

If all parameters are entered correctly, the phone will automatically connect to the hidden network. Make sure you are within its coverage area.

When DHCP is disabled

When trying to connect to the router, the user may see a persistent “Obtaining an IP address” message. Each device connected to the router receives its own IP address. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is responsible for distributing addresses. It may be disabled on some routers, so you must enable this protocol manually.

To activate DHCP, you need to go to the router settings. How to do this is described in detail in the subsequent paragraph “Access via the web interface”. Once you are in the settings, find the DHCP (or equivalent) section, and then select the Settings sub-item. Enable should be checked in it. Click "Save" and reboot your device.

DHCP may be disabled due to a problem in the router. Try a hard reboot. Press the button on the back of the router that says reset, and then hold it down for more than 5 seconds. Your password settings will be lost, but this will allow you to restore DHCP functionality.

Connecting Wi-Fi on a laptop

If you are connecting to a wireless network via a laptop, follow these steps:

WPS technology allows you to connect to the router quickly and easily. Using it, you do not have to enter a password on your computer or laptop. To do this, go to point 3 of the previous instructions. As soon as the password entry window appears, find the button on the router that says WPS, and then click on it. The laptop will automatically connect to the network.

WPS is often disabled by software. You can activate it in the router's web settings. Go to the WPS section, and then click the “Enable WPS” button. If necessary, you can add a new device through the web interface by clicking the “Add device” button.

Now you know how to connect to Wi-Fi with a password.

Enabling on the case or using a keyboard shortcut

On some laptops, Wi-Fi is disabled by hardware. It must be turned on before connecting to a wireless network. The first way is to press a special button. Some manufacturers place a similar key on the keyboard or on the side of their devices.

You can also connect your laptop to Wi-Fi using key combinations. On many models, there is a button among the functional ones (F1-F12) to activate Wi-Fi. It should display the appropriate icon. To activate Wi-Fi, you need to press it together with the Fn key.

These are current ways to connect your laptop to Wi-Fi using buttons.