[Jonathan-Archer]

How do I use wifi over radio for browsing and connecting to the BIS server. Especially when I'm roaming, does it automatically use the wifi then to connect and allow me full functionality with BM, apps etc?

[hestonk]

pretty much!
On the top right of your homescreen, there's usually the a 3G and a wifi icon there. You'll notice a blackberry logo next to the 3G when you're juts on 3G. Once you connect to wifi, the wifi logo will turn white. When the blackberry logo is next to the wifi logo, then all your data is travelling over wifi!
-of course there are exceptions if you're on BES...

don't forget to make sure in "Mobile Network Options" you have data services while roaming set to off or prompt in order to inadvertantly use data on a roaming connection (and to keep your costs to a min)

[Jonathan-Archer]

Okay, but when I switched off the Network data services and went to wifi only the browser can't connect because there is no internet connection. How does that operate then?

[hestonk]

So you have "Data Services:" set to Off and "While Roaming" set to off or prompt?

Data Services should always be on.
I was referring to the "While Roaming" setting to be set to off/prompt in my above post.

Hope this clarifies it

[Jonathan-Archer]

Yeah I understand, but I was testing it while not roaming. Turning it just "off". So when I set it to "Off when roaming" and I get a wifi connection it should connect automatically via Wifi?

Turning them "off" right now was just a way to test the wifi, but I suppose it doesn't work that way.

[hestonk]

Yeah I understand, but I was testing it while not roaming. Turning it just "off". So when I set it to "Off when roaming" and I get a wifi connection it should connect automatically via Wifi?

Turning them "off" right now was just a way to test the wifi, but I suppose it doesn't work that way.

Turning "Data Services" will disable your access to BIS through WiFi as well. You will notice the BB logo next to the wifi logo disappears. I don't believe the browser will work through this since it loses connection to BIS. It may work on local sites however. Unless you don't want data at all, never change data services to off.

When you are actually roaming, the only option you need to change is the "While Roaming" option to prompt or off.

There's really no way to test a completely roaming connection without actually being in a roaming area. lol.

[joeldf]

Yeah I understand, but I was testing it while not roaming. Turning it just "off". So when I set it to "Off when roaming" and I get a wifi connection it should connect automatically via Wifi?

Turning them "off" right now was just a way to test the wifi, but I suppose it doesn't work that way.

Yeah, you found what I think is often a confusion of the terms, and what they do.

The phone transmits and receives 2 types of information - voice and data. That information can be transmitted 2 ways - mobile network and wifi (with each method using its own "radio").

Now, AT&T doesn't offer a way to transmit voice over wifi using UMA the way T-Mobile and some other carriers do, so I won't get into that so much other than to say it is possible.

Data (basically, your internet connection), as offered by the carrier, usually runs over the mobile network via the EDGE or 3G connection (and 4G when those Berries eventually come out). BIS (the direct internet connection to RIMs servers) runs over that data connection. Data can also be routed through a wifi connection to a router, bringing the BIS with it the way hestonk described.

The wifi radio in your phone can make a connection to an available router regardless of data status, and that is what you are seeing. Turning "data services" off kills all flow of data information to the internet - including the BIS. And it kills it over the mobile network too. But, that has no affect on your phone's connection to the mobile network or a wifi router. You can, however, turn off each radio type - mobile or wifi - independently.

You could try turning your mobile connection off, leaving wifi and data on. See if the BIS logo stays on and next to the wifi logo and see if the browser still works. I'm not near a wifi hotspot myself right now so I can't check it.

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