1. maxib's Avatar
    its possible for someone to make a Wifi Adapter that plugs into your micro-usb port, but it would probably add half a inch to the side and would be uncomfortable in the hand. also would require you to download stuff on your phone. nevertheless, possible,
    I think someone should do it if its possible. I've started reading the forums on wifi and wow, people get really aggro about it. At least it would bring a bit of peace Let's face it, we all love the storm (don't we?), I certainly dont want an iphone and no wifi was obviously not a dealbreaker for me...but I think a little wifi would be good if possible - the dongle thing would add a bit of ugliness to the thing yes, but if its only the occasional thing as you sit down in an airport or something, I could live with that for better speeds (I'm in England and Vodafone's 3G is terrible - at least in the places I'm usually in.)
    02-08-09 01:53 PM
  2. 312's Avatar
    I would never add a piece of external hardware just for WiFi. Starts to defeat the purpose of portability and convenience.
    02-08-09 01:55 PM
  3. mikestorm's Avatar
    Third, show me a situation where you don't have VZW coverage, but you have WiFi coverage.
    Most skyscrapers in major metropolitan areas. Concrete and other building material make them black holes for phone service. No worries though right? It's not like companies actually conduct business in skyscrapers or anything.

    FWIW, the Storm is being passed over by my company's IT department due to the lack of wifi. Our corporate offices in Boston, Philadelphia and Manhattan all get crappy/no phone service, and wifi is a must to stay connected.

    I accept the 'no room' answer, but the 'VZW blocked wifi' answer is beyond unacceptable. I certainly hope it's the former and not the latter.
    02-08-09 02:14 PM
  4. mtoomey79's Avatar
    Most skyscrapers in major metropolitan areas. Concrete and other building material make them black holes for phone service. No worries though right? It's not like companies actually conduct business in skyscrapers or anything.

    FWIW, the Storm is being passed over by my company's IT department due to the lack of wifi. Our corporate offices in Boston, Philadelphia and Manhattan all get crappy/no phone service, and wifi is a must to stay connected.

    I accept the 'no room' answer, but the 'VZW blocked wifi' answer is beyond unacceptable. I certainly hope it's the former and not the latter.
    Thank god for free-market capitalism and the ability for your company to choose the next IT device.

    At no time did VZW lead us down the path to make us believe we were getting WiFi in our Storms.
    02-10-09 01:04 PM
  5. Zan.exe's Avatar
    If someone figured out a way to make phone calls from an iPod Touch, I'm sure someone someway, will make some wacky, ugly, cumbersome hack to get wifi on the Storm.

    But why? EVDO/3G is just as fast if not faster than wifi.

    Oh well.
    The statement that I just bolded proves that you're a moron.
    02-10-09 02:19 PM
  6. patches152's Avatar
    In my speaking with the RIM rep who supports my VZW call center i came to the conclusion that RIM doesn't add functions or features onto VZW devices that don't directly profit them. ex: EMS for SMS to go over 160 and just send as a 2nd message. RIM doesn't get a cut from your SMS plan so they don't care if you have to start a 2nd message, etc. they don't get a cut from your wifi coverage, VZW doesn't pay them to add the feature, etc. i cant speak for how RIM does stuff for other service providers.
    02-10-09 10:10 PM
  7. mtoomey79's Avatar
    The statement that I just bolded proves that you're a moron.
    You're so smart.

    My buddy and I did a head-to-head test. My Storm on VZW/EVDO, his iPhone on WiFi. We rendered the same webpages on the same settings...my Storm won.

    If anything, two assumptions could be made - not all 3G locations are equal, not all WiFi locations are equal.

    I would venture a guess that WiFi would beat out 3G most of the time based on what I have been reading, but more of a question - if the board is not made to handle speeds over a certain rate, then no matter how fast data transferred to the device, it could only be rendered at a maximum speed, limited by the chipset/board?
    02-10-09 11:05 PM
  8. mtoomey79's Avatar
    In my speaking with the RIM rep who supports my VZW call center i came to the conclusion that RIM doesn't add functions or features onto VZW devices that don't directly profit them. ex: EMS for SMS to go over 160 and just send as a 2nd message. RIM doesn't get a cut from your SMS plan so they don't care if you have to start a 2nd message, etc. they don't get a cut from your wifi coverage, VZW doesn't pay them to add the feature, etc. i cant speak for how RIM does stuff for other service providers.
    Having WiFi does in a round about way encourage profit for VZW...As AT&T has demonstrated, they opened up their AT&T Hotspots to iPhone users for free, so they can use the WiFi, versus the AT&T 3G network. AT&T figured it was cheaper on the whole to have their iPhone users browsing the net on WiFi as opposed to 3G, if the WiFi is available.
    02-10-09 11:08 PM
  9. hawkxp's Avatar
    I think the WiFi for VZW is very similar to bluetooth...

    VZW was the last carrier to have it on every phone.. for the longest time, the exact same phone on sprint/att->cingular->at would have bluetooth, but the CDMA/VZW version would have it disabled...

    Then on the ones they had BT had much of it disabled (address books, voice control etc etc)

    For whatever reason, VZW has decided not to pay for WiFi... Dont get me wrong, it may be technically harder with the CDMA + GPS + GSM that they need... but if they wanted it in there, it could get in there...

    But the cost may have been higher design, higher production, or a delay in release...

    Do I think it was a mistake.. sure.. the Storm is clearly targeting non-business as much as business customers... Ie, the soccer mom who now is getting 50+ emails a day..

    And not having WiFi to me is a marketing mistake... Do the checklist against the iPhone... Besides having the lightsaber app out first... Name another check that the iPhone wins out on? WiFi.. thats it...

    My feeling.. inside 2 years, all phones will get data from WiFi first, and OTA data second...

    Then the fight will be over WiMax... BTW.. my WiMax on Clear (in Portland Oregon) ROCKS..
    3.5MB down in my car driving around town...
    02-10-09 11:47 PM
  10. mikestorm's Avatar
    Thank god for free-market capitalism and the ability for your company to choose the next IT device.

    At no time did VZW lead us down the path to make us believe we were getting WiFi in our Storms.
    Nor did I say or imply that they did. You were looking for a legitimate situation where we had wifi but no VZW service, which you later qualified to business situation, since apparently legitimate situations that are collegiate or recreational in nature do not count, and I simply provided one.
    02-11-09 02:38 PM
  11. kazn3r's Avatar
    lmao...how did this get to 6 pages? the second post should have been "Please search the forums next time before posting a thread." Then the thread should have been closed. I'm not dogging anyone, I am just trying to explain how a forum under moderation should be functioning.
    02-11-09 03:46 PM
  12. 312's Avatar
    Look at this clown trying to sell a Storm on eBay saying it has WiFi...damn scammers.
    02-12-09 02:58 PM
  13. patronanejo's Avatar
    Really Stupid Arguments:
    1. "No-one needs wi-fi." You have no idea what another's coverage circumstances are.
    2. "My Storm is just as fast on 3G as an iPhone on wi-fi." I have just about had it with people who say 3G is as fast or faster than wi-fi! Maximum throughput on CDMA 3G is about 2.05 Mbps. Maximum throughput on 802.11(g) is 54 Mbps. That's over 25 times faster under ideal conditions--which you are more likely to encounter on wi-fi (due to proximity). Also, no-one cares how slow your buddy's iPhone is.
    3. "Use your computer instead." You use what you want; I'll use what I want. It's not like anyone's trying to use a guitar to hammer nails; speedy internet access is an advertised feature of this device.
    4. "It wasn't Verizon, it was RIM." Also, "It wasn't RIM, it was Verizon." Who cares...bottom line, we don't have wi-fi.
    5. "There was no room." The 9520 has the same physical dimensions as the 9530.
    6. "It's too expensive." I guess it would have kept Big Red from being able to give them away during this buy one, get one free bonanza.
    7. "Dongles are ugly." Yeah, that's the least of your worries if you're trying to kludge wi-fi capability onto an attractive handset. USB host controller- or SDIO hardware may or may not exist in the Storm; drivers ain't easy either.
    8. "4G will be faster than wi-fi." Not on the 9530 it won't.
    9. "You shouldn't have bought the storm" You're right, I should have gotten that Verizon handset that's just like the Storm except it's got wi-fi...which one was that, again?
    10. "Wi-fi presents too many security problems for enterprise users." Uhh...so no other BlackBerries have wi-fi, right?

    As dumb as these arguments are, they are not as ridiculous as the continued insistence of some that a simple registry hack could activate some dormant wi-fi hardware lurking in the 9530. Dumbest of all was the decision not to include it, if only to relieve some of the data load from the cellular network--Storm users are forced to subscribe to the data plan anyway; Verizon's already got our money! The worst part about the absence of wi-fi is that once the handset is no longer activated, it's basically useless. I use my old XV6800 Mogul as the ultimate Storm accessory: it's got wi-fi, so I can use it to side-load content onto microSD. It's got a physical keyboard, so I can use it to edit large files and shuffle them back to the Storm (via microSD or by uploading to the cloud). Once the 9530 gets NE2'd, that beautiful screen will just sit in a drawer...unless my niece wants to watch a video saved on the card. What a colossal waste!

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    03-05-09 12:51 PM
  14. StorminTrojan's Avatar
    How does he have wifi? Unless it's not his phone...no one is answering there so I thought I'd ask here:

    http://forums.crackberry.com/f131/final-fantasy-175648/
    03-12-09 09:07 PM
  15. tdetroit's Avatar
    UNLESS, there is a SDHC card that is both a memory card and WiFi....not sure if that exists yet, and then how would the system recognize the WiFi portion. I remember that in my old PDA (around 2004), I had a SD card that had WiFi build in....the thing stuck out about an inch from the top of my PDA....just not sure if they make that in SDHC form, and if it would still fit in the Storm.....otherwise, no, only the 9520 has it, but you lose GPS....a trade off I wouldn't want. My EVDO is pretty blazin'
    03-12-09 09:11 PM
  16. Zoandar's Avatar
    Spectec does make a microSD with wifi built into it. BUT.....only for Windows Mobile OS. Someone would need to write Blackberry OS drivers for it.

    You can see it at

    .cecompass.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=108

    (I haven't posted enough yet to be allowed to post full URLS)

    Z
    03-12-09 11:13 PM
  17. cguymartin's Avatar
    There was not enough room on the board for GPS and wifi. The 9520 will have wifi but no GPS

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    so, it's like this...verizon wireless chose to include the GPS chipset in their Storms, but disable the chip and make you pay a monthly fee to activate it, and they passed on the wifi????

    tell me people, does this make a lick of sence? they should at least give us the option to opt out of the VZ Nav (as in, delete the program) but allow us to use the GPS chip for other apps that can utilize it...personally, i dont think they are being fair.
    thats my 2cents
    03-12-09 11:46 PM
  18. thed0cb's Avatar
    Going on way to far.
    03-13-09 12:37 AM
  19. lennonownsaBB's Avatar
    You can add wifi to your 9530 all you need to do is call verizon and ask for "the package" they will know what to do. Then upon receiving "the package" u do a little dance tap your head and stomach and say "abrakadabra wambam wallawalladingdong" and poof there u go wifi on your 9530

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    03-13-09 01:25 AM
  20. crackberryfan's Avatar
    tell me people, does this make a lick of sence? they should at least give us the option to opt out of the VZ Nav (as in, delete the program) but allow us to use the GPS chip for other apps that can utilize it...personally, i dont think they are being fair.
    thats my 2cents
    Am I reading your point correctly? You do know that you can deactivate/uninstall VZNav and the GPS continues to function....with programs like Google Maps, Garmin, etc.?
    03-13-09 05:04 AM
  21. buxleyp's Avatar
    so, it's like this...verizon wireless chose to include the GPS chipset in their Storms, but disable the chip and make you pay a monthly fee to activate it, and they passed on the wifi????

    tell me people, does this make a lick of sence?
    It doesn't make any sense because you're wrong. The stand-along GPS functionality of the Storm is not repeat not locked. It's been shown many times that other programs (oh, like Google Maps, Trapster, Weatherbug, etc) can use the GPS just fine.

    So you only pay a monthly fee if you sign up for VZ Nav, and that is optional.
    03-13-09 08:18 AM
  22. cguymartin's Avatar
    Am I reading your point correctly? You do know that you can deactivate/uninstall VZNav and the GPS continues to function....with programs like Google Maps, Garmin, etc.?
    no, i did not know that...thanks for the info....really what i mean is yes, i did know i could (and did) uninstall vz nav, but i did not knwo the GPS would still function...good to know
    03-15-09 03:23 AM
  23. Mark_Venture's Avatar
    patronanejo, very good post. Just a couple of things...

    Really Stupid Arguments:
    1. "No-one needs wi-fi." You have no idea what another's coverage circumstances are.
    Correct.
    2. "My Storm is just as fast on 3G as an iPhone on wi-fi." I have just about had it with people who say 3G is as fast or faster than wi-fi! Maximum throughput on CDMA 3G is about 2.05 Mbps. Maximum throughput on 802.11(g) is 54 Mbps. That's over 25 times faster under ideal conditions--which you are more likely to encounter on wi-fi (due to proximity). Also, no-one cares how slow your buddy's iPhone is.
    But, raw Specs are not reliable for comparrison. There also could be many bottle necks besides WIFI's specs that limit its speed.

    What is the connection of the "modem" the wifi access point is connected to? 54Mbps G would be limited if someone was using a 1.5mbps DSL line. You might have 6, 12 or 16 mbps cable, but if your neighbors are downloading music, movies, or more, it will slow down.

    What if the CPU, bus, or other parts inside the hand held isn't fast enough to keep up with higher data speeds... (my T-Mo Curve/8320's Wifi browser doesn't seem any faster loading pages than using the internet or wap browsers when connected to my 54G home network with 16mbps comcast cable.)

    Btw, max throughput on CDMA 3G is not 2mbps. EVDO Rev0 is up to 2mbps. Evdo Rev A can be around 3mbps or more. However, these figures are based on "brustable" data rates... real world average through put is usually less... (rev 0 = aprox 400-600kbps, rev A = aprox 800kbps-1mbps, both based on proximity to tower, signal strength, etc).
    3. "Use your computer instead." You use what you want; I'll use what I want. It's not like anyone's trying to use a guitar to hammer nails; speedy internet access is an advertised feature of this device.
    Agreed. And there are some times you DONT have your computer on you, but you do have your mobile device.

    When at home, I'm one who likes using my laptop with bigger screen, and normal sized keyboard.
    4. "It wasn't Verizon, it was RIM." Also, "It wasn't RIM, it was Verizon." Who cares...bottom line, we don't have wi-fi.
    Exactly.
    5. "There was no room." The 9520 has the same physical dimensions as the 9530.
    9520 doesn't have CDMA radio or antennas. Can that be the reason? Oh, and is the 9520 released yet?
    6. "It's too expensive." I guess it would have kept Big Red from being able to give them away during this buy one, get one free bonanza.
    No idea of the cost of adding it, but I could see VZW not wanting to drive the device cost up and have it eat into any possible profits.. After all, every dollar the device doesn't cost, is anther dollar in VZW's pocket.
    7. "Dongles are ugly." Yeah, that's the least of your worries if you're trying to kludge wi-fi capability onto an attractive handset. USB host controller- or SDIO hardware may or may not exist in the Storm; drivers ain't easy either.
    there are no cards or drivers available for blackberries
    8. "4G will be faster than wi-fi." Not on the 9530 it won't.
    Correct.
    9. "You shouldn't have bought the storm" You're right, I should have gotten that Verizon handset that's just like the Storm except it's got wi-fi...which one was that, again?
    Correct again

    Don't forget the following...

    Having Wi-Fi on the Storm would mean the ability to use the new video sevice. (its for wi-fi only...)

    Having Wi-fi would allow for INTERNET access only... NOT Voice calling using your Verizon Phone number, not text messages, and likely not BB data, as Verizon doesn't support UMA like T-Mobile does, so all those "you can use your BB in areas where you have wi-fi but not EVDO coverage" are not 100% valid.

    Having wi-fi would have allowed for surfing the net while on an airplane, or in some airports that have free wi-fi, but poor cell coverage... i.e. help you pass the time at the airport.

    I agree, that SOME feel wi-fi is necessary, while others feel its not needed.

    I for one would have liked to have the option of Wi-fi built in, provided...

    1. it didn't add more than $5-10 to the storm's purchase price.
    2. VZW supported UMA like T-Mobile's HotSpot@home feature (full voice and data, including blackberry BIS/BES data)
    04-10-09 11:55 PM
  24. maxipak's Avatar
    I don't understand why someone would buy the storm, or even continue using it if they have such a need for wifi? Did VZW promise wifi in the storm or something? Here in Canada, Telus and Bell users accepted the uselessness of wifi in the face of unlimited data plans on EVDO Rev0/A.

    Also to the guy who said phone coverage sucks inside skyscrapers...what kind of third world sky scrapper are you working in? Every skyscraper I've ever been to has a network of repeaters inside and you get better coverage in the skyscraper as opposed to outside of it.

    I'll admit, I love wifi. It would be a nice and sort of useful feature in the storm (i think i used wifi twice in the 1 1/2 year I had my PPC6700), but the fact is, the storm was never intended to have wifi, nor did any company (RIM/VZW/TELUS/Bell) that supports it claim that it was going to support it. So stop ******** and buy an iphone if it bugs you so much.
    04-11-09 01:08 AM
  25. Shadow.xXx's Avatar
    WRONG!!! There is lots of room for wifi... the big V asked RIM not to incorporate it into the 9530.
    The 9520 is said to have GPS and wifi.
    The reason GPS will be on the 9520 is because the GPS is integrated into the chipset. It's not a separate module.
    04-11-09 02:11 AM
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