Correct way to use WiFi...?

[dkozodoy]

I can't get a straight answer about how or when to use WiFi. Verizon reps say I have no need for WiFi b/c I have their incredible 3G network which they say is faster. I've also been told that it's useful for browsing while on the phone. How is everyone really using it? I thought I would be able to toggle it on and have quicker browsing when I have access to hot spots.

When WiFi is connected, do I have to go in and change the browser settings from 'Inernet Browser' to 'Hot Spot', or will the device automatically default to pick up data from the router? Also, is it a drain on the battery to keep WiFi toggled on at all times, or should I turn it off when I don't have access to a router?

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[BiG BaLLA 923]

I have found the two ways I use it are when I am at home I just turn it on and it automatically connects to home and then i start browsing. I live in a very bad place and I usually don't get more then 2 bars of 3g but I find wifi to be much faster anyways. The other is in the office it is just easier and and faster for the same reasons as above.

I am always plugged into the charger at work it usually doesn't kill your battery but if you leave wifi on and leave out of range then it does hurt your battery as it is always looking for a signal just like your 3g connection.

But the 3g is not faster then your wifi signal.

[princebb]

I've found wifi is maybe a little faster than my 3g signal. I leave my wifi on all the time and it automatically connects at work and home, and even in another building where I have a meeting every week. I haven't noticed any major battery drain by leaving the wifi on. Your battery might be different.

[mjbesen310]

WIFI is A LOT faster then Verizons 3g... just shows you even more verizon reps have no clue what there talking about

I leave me WIFI on all the time, but I have an app called "smartwifi" that turns on and off my WIFI when I'm not around my router and turns it back on when i'm around it again so it saves my battery.

[rts3k]

I leave my WIFI on all the time and its somewhat faster at home. It all depends on your network you are connecting to. When at my friend's house, the WIFI browsing is much faster than the network because of where he lives. I usually leave my browser on Hotspot at home and work. Downloads browsing are the best WIFI benefits for me. You can set it to Quicklaunch if you have fast and the toggles work pretty well.

[Flightless_Bird]

I leave wifi on all the time and only have it set to automatically connect to the network in my house. I have found no battery issues with leaving it on all the time. Browsing using wifi is faster for me.

[pistolpetefan23]

Do I need to manually change the browser from WiFi to Internet when I am not able to get WiFi coverage or does it do it automatically?

[lak611]

Originally Posted by pistolpetefan23

Do I need to manually change the browser from WiFi to Internet when I am not able to get WiFi coverage or does it do it automatically?

You don't need to change it to Hotspot at all. You can leave it on Internet Browser. If you have Wi-Fi enabled, your device will use Wi-Fi when you are in range of the router automatically. When you are out of range of the router, it will use the mobile network.

[expidia]

Originally Posted by pistolpetefan23

Do I need to manually change the browser from WiFi to Internet when I am not able to get WiFi coverage or does it do it automatically?

No, it does it automatically. If you are home it connects by Wifi. If you leave the house it connects by 3G.

If you are in a hotspot and search for a network, if there is one available you do a one time set up and the next time you are in that same (example: the same McD's) I would think since that network has already been saved it should connect to that wifi hotspot as soon as you are in range.

I'm guessing on that because I delete saved connections after i leave the hotspot. I would think people who say go to the same Starbucks during a week can just connect to their network because they saved it previously.

Quick Launch is cheap like $2.99-3.99. Many users here use it. I finally installed it a few weeks ago and you can set up short cuts that with two clicks allow you to toggle stuff on and off (like BT, GPS, Wfi etc) if you wanted to enhance battery time.

You asked some good questions. I too was confused as when I had a Tour which does not have Wifi and I always wondered why users who had Wifi capabilities got so excited about it??? Like the VZ rep said . . . you can connect to the 3G network from just about anywhere anyway, this is true. So Wif you have an unlimited data plan Wifi is kinda overkill. But Wifi in my home is a hair faster. I would think having Wifi in areas a provider does not have coverage, Wifi works great to go into a hotspot and connect or for users that have limited data plans. Using Wifi in a hotspot to connect to the web is free!

Wifi hotspots were the rage a few years ago until providers like Verizon came out with full unlimited 3G coverage. Most of us don't need Wifi anymore.

Of course if we don't have it, then we want it

I personally would not have spent the extra $99 it cost me to upgrade from the Tour just for Wifi. But I do think $99 was worth it to get the trackpad, 512 memory and a 6.0 future OS upgrade. Wifi came along with the 9650 for me as a bonus

[sthrngrl]

piggyback off the rest... my wifi is a bit faster then vzw 3g. Plus I have wi-fi set up in my profile which allows automatic connection when I'm at home.

[dakid2k6]

I'm having issue with my wifi at home. My phone doesn't connect to it but my wife palm pixi does. Really sucks as my phone doesn't hold good signal but my wife does.

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[7scarabs]

Expidia - agree with you 100%. I haven't even set up WiFi on my Bold yet because I haven't found a use for it. At home and office, I do web browsing on the computers, not the phone, anyway, and when I'm working out of the office, I use my laptop and broadband modem, since my job doesn't keep me at the local coffee shops or Mickey D's often enough to be near a "hot spot." But I can see that it would be convenient for those who don't have unlimited data plans or want to use the internet while visiting someone else's home or office where a wireless internet connection is available. Like you, I wouldn't have paid extra for it, but I needed a new phone anyhow, and the Bold was a good choice.

[John Yester]

Correct way - For me.

Have it turned on ALWAYS, it will connect with in range and the phone will use it. If not then it will stay disconnected.

But it's left on at all times. Since I am always going in and out of places that have WiFi

[mikeplus1]

WiFi should be faster than 3G mobile network on a fast network, but can be slower on a slow WiFi network. I leave mine turned on and set to Internet Browser all the time and have found no real difference in battery drain. Mine connects automatically when I arrive at work each day and automatically again when I arrive home at the end of the day with no changes in any settings and with no add-on programs to turn it on/off or change any settings. I have tried this many different times over the last 2 months with various settings and methods and found no measurable difference in my battery usage, no matter the settings. I have found the same WiFi networks can give me different speeds at different times for no apparent reason, but generally WiFi is faster than the mobile network 3G.

[F2]

Originally Posted by dakid2k6

I'm having issue with my wifi at home. My phone doesn't connect to it but my wife palm pixi does. Really sucks as my phone doesn't hold good signal but my wife does.

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Explain what happens or what does not happen? Does your router use mac addressing? Some other password or encryption? You've scanned but it is not showing up?