Associating the Wireless NIC to the Wireless Router

The next step after installing the wireless NIC is to “teach it” how to find and communicate with your wireless router (that you installed in Chapter 7).

Whenever your wireless NIC is enabled and turned on, it starts scanning for a wireless router to communicate with, much like when you turn on your cell phone and it immediately starts searching for a cell tower to connect to.

It’s quite possible (likely, even) that your NIC will be able to see signals from two or more wireless routers. Figure 8-8 in the next section shows an example where we can see the signals from our own wireless router, but also from a neighbor’s and from a coffee shop’s across the street. So how does the NIC know which is your router?