Wi-Fi access, it seems, is just about everywhere. If you recently purchased a Wi-Fi-enabled handset or plan to do so, you’ll be glad to know that hopping on the Internet via Wi-Fi doesn’t have to be difficult.

How It Works

Phone manufacturers enable Wi-Fi access in their devices the same way they enable cellular connectivity: They install a chip embedded with a radio that can send and receive a transmission over a particular type of network. (In this case, 802.11 or Wi-Fi.) In most consumer-grade Wi-Fi phones available in the U.S., the cellular and Wi-Fi radios in a device do not interact with each other, although some phones can transfer your Internet connection from Wi-Fi to cellular if the Wi-Fi connection’s signal drops. T-Mobile’s @Home service (www.theonlyphoneyouneed.com), which lets voice calls roam from Wi-Fi to cellular range and back again, is an exception to this rule.

This does not mean you cannot make calls using your Wi-Fi connection; you just need specialized VoWiFi (Voice over Wi-Fi) software, such as Skype for Windows Mobile (www.skype.com), to do it. Some Wi-Fi phones support simultaneous usage of voice and data connection; you can surf the Internet at a Wi-Fi hotspot while engaging in a phone call or downloading emails over your cellular connection, for example. If simultaneous voice and data is important to you and you haven’t purchased a Wi-Fi smartphone yet, make sure the device has this feature.

Where You’ll Find It

Most Wi-Fi phones can connect to any publicly accessible hotspot or, for that matter, to any private Wi-Fi network for which you have access privileges, within a range of approximately 300 feet. Users do not need to seek out hotspots supported by their particular carrier. However, if your carrier has a Wi-Fi network and offers an unlimited hotspot plan, you may find this is the least expensive means to connect securely on a regular basis. At one time, T-Mobile had the largest Wi-Fi network (close to 9,000 hotspots in the U.S.), but AT&T recently inked a deal with Starbucks that, by year-end, will give it some 17,000 U.S. hotspots.

Many restaurants, hotels, municipalities, airports, and other locations offer secure, fee-based Wi-Fi connections managed by service providers such as Wayport (www.wayport.com). Others offer free Wi-Fi using similar arrangements or over in-house Wi-Fi networks. Beware, though, unless you sign up and create a secure login to use a Wi-Fi service, free probably means unsecured. You can surf without a security net, but we don’t recommend it. For more about Wi-Fi hotspots and further assistance finding them, refer to “Where’s The Wi-Fi?” on page 24.

All Aboard

No matter what your plans for Wi-Fi, you need to learn how to enable the radio, find a hotspot, and then connect to that hotspot. We used a Windows Mobile 6 smartphone (a T-Mobile Dash) for the steps that follow, but steps should be similar for WM5 devices. (On the Dash, the WM5 interface was identical.) We also include alternate instructions for Pocket PC phones. No matter the model of your phone, the general principles we outline should apply. Some phones, such as Apple’s iPhone, have greatly simplified Wi-Fi features.

Turn on the Wi-Fi antenna. Your smartphone’s Wi-Fi antenna will likely be turned off by default. If the antenna is on all the time, you waste power and expose your device to prying eyes. When you are ready to turn on the antenna, press (or tap) Start (or Start and Programs) and scroll to (or tap) Comm Manager, Wireless Manager, or a similar option. Scroll to (or tap) Wi-Fi to highlight it. You will see a red X adjacent to the antenna icon. Press the Select button (or tap the icon). The X disappears, indicating that the antenna is on.

Connect to networks. Depending on your phone and settings, you may see a pop-up menu listing available networks. If so, choose a network, indicate whether it is a public (choose Internet) or private (choose Work) network, provide a key if needed, and connect. The next time this network is within range, your smartphone will connect automatically.

If you do not see a pop-up window (these are more common with Pocket PC phones), you can connect manually. With the Wi-Fi icon still highlighted, select Settings and Wi-Fi and then choose Wi-Fi Networks (or Start, Settings, Connections, Wi-Fi, and Wireless) to view available networks. Scroll to (or tap and hold) the desired network and select (or tap) Connect.

To connect to a secure network, which is indicated by a padlock icon, you will likely need to edit the settings. Scroll to the network and select Menu and Edit (or quickly tap the connection). Depending on the network, you may need to change the network type, adjust the authentication and encryption settings, and provide a network key.

To connect to a network that does not appear but for which you have the connection information, select New (Add New for Pocket PC). Provide the Network Name and other required network settings.

Establish settings. Many phones, especially Pocket PC models, are set by default to automatically scan for new networks. Smartphones may not be. If a smartphone device does not display networks, you can have it scan for available connections. From the Wi-Fi Networks display, select Menu and Wi-Fi Settings. Under Networks To Access, select All Available or Only Access Points. Under Available Network Notification, select On. To have the device continually scan for Wi-Fi networks, change the Turn Off Wi-Fi If Not Connected In setting to Never. (Remember to turn off your antenna manually.) Select Done and connect to an available network as described in the previous “Connect to networks” section. You should now be set to go.

Wi-Fi Walkabout

Using your phone for Wi-Fi access will open up a new world for you. When you become comfortable, explore your phone to see what other options it may have. For example, some phones can connect to LEAP (Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol; a type of user-level authentication) networks; many let you create digital certificates (which authenticate you when sending data).

by Jennifer Farwell