connecting via ethernet

so for some reason i get a very unstable wireless connection in the room i use my laptop from (its only one room away from the actual router, which when i move it there the connection is fine). this has been bugging me so i bought an ethernet cable for the times my wireless in being funky.

but now that i have the cable, i realize i have no idea how to connect using it instead of the wireless. im using windows 7, which i'm new to and it's been a while since i didnt use wireless. i thought all i had to do was connect the cable to my pc and that would do the job but its not.

 

If your wireless connection is showing a weak signal just a room away from the Router, there are a few things to look at.

A lot of the older cordless phones operate on the same 2.4ghz band as the wifi signal. Make sure there are no wireless phone base stations between you and the Router.

A microwave oven can also completely disrupt a wifi signal but only when the Microwve is running.

The most common cause is having another Router from a neighbor interfering with your signal by being on the same wireless channel. Netstumbler is an excellent utility that will show you what other wifi signals are in the area and will also tell you what channel they are on. Try to set your router up to be on an unused channel.

As far a using the Ethernet, A lot of Laptops running Win7 turn the Ethernet Controller off when running on the battery. If the controller is on, it should simply be a matter of plugging the Ethernet cable in to the computer.