How to Connect Your Android Phone to Wi-Fi the easy way
 

Thought this may be of interest to some here...

or not. ;)

ARTICLE DATE : April 3, 2012
By Sascha Segan

This has to stop. According to a new comScore study, nearly 70 percent of Android smartphone users never connect to a Wi-Fi network, preferring to consume all of their Internet through their carrier's data connection.
This is an extremely bad idea. It's a great way to bust your data cap and raise your monthly bill. It overloads cellular networks, potentially causing slow connections for everyone. And especially if you're on Verizon or Sprint 3G, Wi-Fi can be much faster - even public Wi-Fi.
It's safe to say that if you are at home, you have a home Wi-Fi network and you're not connecting your phone to your Wi-Fi network, you are doing it wrong. The whole smartphone thing. You're doing it wrong.
The problem seems to be that many Android phone owners don't know how to connect their devices to Wi-Fi. Apple's iPhone gets all up in your face, popping up a list of Wi-Fi networks every time you wander into range, so it's hard to ignore. But Android doesn't prompt you with a list of networks even if your Wi-Fi is on, so many people never actually connect to a network. If you're lucky, you get a little exclamation point in your notification bar if there's an unlocked network in range, but even then you have to make several clicks to connect to it.
While Android has perfectly good Wi-Fi settings, by default they're buried a few levels deep in Menu > Applications > Settings > Wireless and Network > Wi-Fi Settings. It looks like only about 30 percent of Android users have decided to go spelunking to find them, so let's bring them to the surface.

How To Connect to Wi-Fi The Easy Way

The easiest way to improve the Wi-Fi experience on an Android phone is to install a Wi-Fi widget that tells you if you're connected. Right now I like Kostya Vasilyev's WiFi Manager, which you can download for free from Google Play.
Once you've downloaded it, go to your home screen and hold down your finger on an empty space. From the menu that pops up, pick Widgets, then WiFi Manager 2x1. You'll have a very clear reminder of when you are and aren't connected to Wi-Fi. The widget is shown in the image at the top of this story.
If you aren't connected but should be, tap the "Not Connected" part of the Wi-Fi widget. You'll get a colorful list of nearby networks. Either pick an open one (marked with a star) or a password-protected one (marked with a shield.) If the network is password-protected, enter the password.
Once you've connected to a network once, your phone should automatically reconnect to that same network. Sometimes it won't. If it doesn't, reconnect by hand. Remember, every byte you use of Wi-Fi is a byte you're saving from your mobile data plan. You might even be able to drop to a cheaper data plan, if you use enough Wi-Fi.
Once you've told your phone how to connect to your Wi-Fi networks at home, work, and school, you'll have covered a lot of your day.

Advanced Wi-Fi for Android users

Two third-party apps take things a step farther: DeviceScape's DataBooster and Boingo Wi-Finder, both of which are available for free from Google Play. They purport to automatically connect you to free Wi-Fi hotspots around the world.
I walked around for an hour with first one, then the other running on a T-Mobile Galaxy S Blaze 4G Android phone. Neither picked up the vast majority of free hotspots that I could find on my own. DataBooster did automatically connect in a Staples, though.
But both apps have other reasons to install them. DataBooster does a good job of showing how much data you've used on 3G/4G as opposed to Wi-Fi, using a flashy home screen widget. The Boingo app works best with Boingo's $8 per month Boingo Mobile subscription, which gets you access in a slew of paid hotspots in hotels and airports.
You can easily connect to public hotspots just with a standard Wi-Fi widget, of course. Just remember to open your Web browser after connecting to a public hotspot, because the hotspot will usually want you to agree to some legalese disclaimer before it lets you surf freely.
If that seems too complicated, you can still save a lot of data just by using Wi-Fi where it's most common: at home, work and school. Leave the mobile network for when you're mobile.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1Rhpkc...2402566,00.asp

thanks!

Good info.

One thing that keeps me from leaving my Wi-Fi service open and scanning is the impact on the battery level.

Seems like it's a popular topic on the Android forums.

I haven't yet, but have you looked into what workarounds are out there?

Workarounds? Are you talking Aussie slang now? :D

I came up with it on my last job. I told 'em I didn't want to workaround them anymore.


:lol:

Its funny this came up. I just recently had my data service slowed down by the geniuses at T-Mobile because I apparently am using too much data. Yet I pay for an Unlimited Data Plan that I've had for the last 2-3 years. There is a 5GB max usage for this so called "unlimited plan" I've been paying for. So I called and asked about my plan being "unlimited" and they told me it is "unlimited", up to 5GB. WTF you idiots, thats not unlimited then. What data plans are some of you using? Thinking of changing carriers. I know this is their excuse to get me to pay more for a new Unlimited (10GB max usage) plan but I'm not having it. I think its a crock of ****.

Sorry for the rant, I'm just a little annoyed with BIG CORPS screwing us and getting away with it.

From what I've read most carriers put a limit on the unlimited plans.

lol, that's pretty funny stuff right there.

I'm on Sprint.. It's a true unlimited plan AFAIK.

I switched from ATT, they can kiss my :censored:

So what part of the word "unlimited" means theres a "limit"?

Its BS, Unlimited plans early on were just that, UNLIMITED. Now with the rampant use of smart phones and data, the companies want to do away with them and put a LIMIT to your unlimited plan. When I upgraded my G1 to the G2 the clowns at T-Mobile tried everything they could to get me to switch my data plan. I wasn't falling for it, but now they are just forcing you to switch by slowing down your phone service. Its like I went from Wi-Fi back to dial-up. I will try connecting my phone to outside Wi-Fi sources and see if that does the trick.