How to connect wireless network adapter to VMWare workstation?

Question

How can I connect wireless network adapter to wmvare workstation ?(My Host OS is Win Seven Ultimate, my Guest OS is Fedora 13 & my VMWare version is 6.5.0) I'm running win seven on my Dell Vostro A860 laptop & my wireless network adapter is Atheros.

Answer 1

Workstation doesn't have a wireless NIC type, so direct wireless hardware access is out. If you just want to access through the extant host wireless connection, bridging is your answer.

I think the only way to get a wireless NIC dedicated to the VM would be using a USB wireless NIC as a USB-passthrough device on the VM. When you have Workstation running and a USB device plugged in, it should give you an option to change whether that device is connected to the host or to the VM.

Answer 2

1. Add a local loop network in your normal PC (search google how to)
2. Click start -> type "ncpa.cpl" hit enter to open network connections.
3. While pressing Ctrl key, select both your wireless and recently created local loop network. right click on it and create the bridge.
4. Now in virtual network editor in vmware, select the network with type "Bridged" and change Bridged to option to the recently created bridge.

You will then have access to network via wifi card.

Answer 3

Change your network adapter to a bridged connection, this will directly connect to your computers physical network.

Answer 4

Use a Linux Live cd/usb and boot an that to be able to directly connect to your wifi hardware or use linux as the main OS with direct access to the wifi card and then use windows as a guest os, I know that this maybe not the ideal way but it will work.

Answer 5

Here is a simple way to connect with your WIFI -

1. Click on Edit from the menu section
2. Virtual Network Editor
3. Change Settings
4. Add Network
5. Select a network name
6. Select Bridged option in VMnet Information -> Bridge to : Automatic
7. Apply

That's it. You might be asked password to connect. Add it and you would be able to connect to the network.

Kind Regards,

Rahul Tilloo

Answer 6

I also encountered a similar problem. I run Ubuntu 11.04 on VMware on a Windows 7 host OS. Virtual machines can't expose the physical wireless cards. All of that is using a virtualization layer.