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Turn Wireless Radio On or Off

To switch the wireless radio on or off, use one of the following methods:

NOTE: When your computer is switched on, the radio is constantly transmitting signals. In certain situations, as in an airplane, signals from the radio may cause interference. Use the following methods if you need to turn off the radio and use your notebook without emitting radio signals.

Use the Optional Computer Radio on or off Switch

If your computer has an external switch installed, use it to switch the radio on or off. See the computer manufacturer's documentation for more information about this switch. If you have Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software installed, the current state of the radio displays in the WiFi connection utility main window and on the Taskbar.

Use Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi to Switch the Radio on or off

From Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi software, the radio can be switched on or off. The status icon on Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi displays the current state of the radio.

From the Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi main Window, click Wireless On or Wireless Off to toggle the radio on or off.

Switch the radio on or off from the Taskbar Icon

To switch the radio on or off, click the Taskbar icon and select WiFi On or WiFi Off.

Use Windows to turn on or off the Radio

The radio can be turned off using Windows.

NOTE: If you turned off the radio from Microsoft Windows, then you must use Microsoft Windows to turn the radio on. You cannot use a hardware switch or the WiFi connection utility to enable the radio if the radio has been turned off using Windows.

Windows XP

  1. At the Start Menu, click Connect to. Right click Wireless Network Connection and select Disable.
  2. Or if you have more than one wireless adapter, at the Start Menu, click Connect to > Show all connections. Right click the desired adapter and select Disable.

    3. You can use the same method to turn the radio back on.

WiFi Connection Utility to Enable or Disable the Radio

The radio can be enabled or disabled from the WiFi connection utility. The status icon on the WiFi connection utility main window displays the current state of the radio.

When the radio is on, an attempt is made to associate the network access point with the last profile. If the adapter cannot connect to the access point, the WiFi connection utility attempts to find an available wireless network.

Use the WiFi connection utility to enable or disable the radio. Perform these steps:

  1. Open utility features connection utility main window.
  2. To toggle the radio on or off, click Wireless On or Wireless Off.

To turn the radio on or off from the taskbar:

  1. Right-click the taskbar icon.taskbar icon The icon is located in the lower right corner of the Windows desktop.
  2. At the taskbar menu, select WiFi On or WiFi Off. When the radio is disabled, the task try icon has a red X: radio disabled icon

Use the Device Manager to Enable or Disable the Radio

The radio can be enabled or disabled using the Windows Device Manager. The wireless icon on the taskbar displays the current state of the radio.

To use the Windows Device Manager:

  1. At the Windows desktop, right-click My Computer.
  2. Click Properties.
  3. Click the Hardware tab.
  4. Click Device Manager.
  5. Double-click Network adapters.
  6. Right-click the installed wireless adapter that is in use.
  7. At the menu, select Enable or Disable (depending on whether the radio is currently on or off).
  8. When prompted, click Yes.
note

NOTE: Verify the radio is enabled on both the software and the hardware. If it is not enabled on the hardware, you receive this message when you try to connect: The Intel PRO/Wireless Network Connection is still disabled. Press Fn + F2 or use the Wireless ON/OFF Switch to enable it. A red X indicates the radio is disabled.

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