Enabling and Disabling Your Network Adapter

Enabling and Disabling Your Network Adapter

You should disconnect or disable your network adapter when you are not using your network. For security reasons, this is especially true when you are using unsecured wireless networks such as hotspots. Doing so also helps save battery power when you are using laptops and other mobile devices. In addition, knowing how to disable and enable your network adapter might help when you are troubleshooting problems.

Using the Start Menu

You can turn your network adapter on and off via the Start menu:

Step 1.	In the lower-left corner of Windows, click the Start button.
Step 2.	Hover the mouse pointer over the Connect To option, as shown in Figure 13-1. Figure 13-1. Hovering over the Connect To Option [View full size image] If this option is not available, your Start menu is likely in Classic mode. In that case, hover over the Settings option, and then hover over the Network Connections option.
Step 3.	To enable a wireless connection, click it.
Step 4.	To disable a wireless connection, right-click it and click the Disable option.

Using the System Tray

An easier and quicker way to disable your network adapter is via the system tray using the following steps: