Do You Wi-Fi on Your Phone?
It wasn’t that long ago that phones did what they were designed to do, connect to phone networks. Having Wi-Fi on a phone was a pipe dream, and why would you even want that? Then phones started to appear with integrated Wi-Fi, and everyone took notice. Formerly the domain of laptop users while on the run, Wi-Fi was quickly noticed to be not only desirable on phones, but mandatory. With Wi-Fi onboard almost all smartphones on the market, it is not surprising that over half of the connections to Wi-Fi hotspots are made by phones and other handheld devices, not laptops.
Mobile ad distributor JiWire has reported that 56 percent of all ads served over its Wi-Fi networks are dished up by handheld devices — phones in particular. The JiWire network consists of hotspots in hotels, coffee shops and airports, normally the domain of laptop users.
I suspect a couple of things are at play with this wide-spread usage of Wi-Fi on phones. Cost is likely one factor, as phone data plans are still expensive and many have monthly data caps that must be respected. Then there is raw speed — Wi-Fi networks are almost always faster than even the best 3G phone networks. When faced with a limited amount of time, the faster the network, the more that can be done.
I admit that when phones first started getting Wi-Fi capability, I kept it turned off most of the time. I was concerned about unnecessary battery drain, so I only turned it on when needed and quickly disabled it when I didn’t. Now I don’t think about it, Wi-Fi is usually on most of the time as I find it is actually gentler on the battery than 3G data connections. How about you? Do you use Wi-Fi on your phone or other handheld device? If so, what drives that usage?
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I have a Palm Pre+ and I use WiFi a lot because it is faster than any 3G network.
I have a great data plan, so that’s not really an issue, but I do like to use the WiFi because of speed. I have WiFi at home, in some places at work, and a lot of places around my home because of Optimum WiFi so it’s nice.
Dave
http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com
Yes I do, and on the Nexus One, it’s a joy.
I used to, but for some reason when i enable wifi on my palm pre it blocks all other wireless devices from connecting to my router. Thought it was the router at first, but after messing around with it the only common factor is the phone =(
Brett, I’ve noticed some odd Wi-Fi problems as well. In my case I tried setting up my main router for g only. I thought that the Pre should connect just fine and maybe go faster, and it does sometimes. But mostly it tries to connect to my secondary b-only network which is a weak signal coming from the other end of the house, or one of my neighbors. No matter how many times I tried resetting the phone and the router I couldn’t get reliable connections until I switched the router back to b/g and now the Pre works great. (This is a Belkin router.)
I use wifi with my Droid whenever it’s available. The speed difference between EVDO and wifi is usually noticeable.
no phone wifi in public areas. 3g connection is available everywhere, worldwide, paid for, and fast enough for phone browsing. wifi is faster but is tied to a location, needs logging in everytime i change location/hotspot and is often not free. and if it is free, many people share the router so speed drops to 3G levels anyway (never mind timeouts). moving often around, 3G is the only “always on, always there” internet access. i only use phone wifi at home/at work when it really is needed.
i only use wifi on the phone at home, every where else just seems like a chore as you have to enter username and password etc in most UK places every time, by the time ive faffed around doing that, i could have done what i needed to do on 3g. i suppose those without unlimited data plans would use the wifi hotspots all the time seeing as MC Donalds and some other chains have had free wifi for the past few years over here in the UK
I use my home and some other familiar wi-fi networks on my Blackberry, but have essentially given up on hotspots (like at Starbucks) because the need to swap to HotSpot Browser and the challenges of signing-on to these sites via the device leaves a LOT to be desired.
Yes all the time. For faster browsing, downloading apps, and streaming video mostly.
I’m with the “mostly at home” crowd but not so much away from home. I’m not usually doing anything with the phone that requires a faster connection than the integrated 3G. The only exception is when my 3G signal strength is less than optimal and there’s Wi-Fi available.
I use WiFi at home primarily. WiFi has come in handy on my Palm Pre when traveling to Canada, since roaming data access is expensive.
WiFi all the time… And I’m in hotspots most of the time so 3G seems slow to me and Edge makes me wonder if I really want to do whatever now or just wait until I’m back at my computer or in wifi (probably faster to wait right? ;)
For me wifi is indispensable when traveling outside of the US with my Pre. I can check email, browse the web, chat, etc. Also, with Google voice I can send and receive SMS, forward calls to a local number, and check my voice mail messages without incurring roaming charges. Really saves me a ton of money.
I use wifi on my iphone whenever it is available. I leave wifi turned on all the time.
Yes, I use WiFi with my Nokia N800 at home and at my local library and coffee shop.
On and off – mainly at home. With ATT I have wifi access at many public places, but if 3G is good I don’t bother. One thing though, since I am paying for data every month, I feel compelled to use it – even when my home wifi is faster!
Die-hard wifi jockey. I’ve actually been playing with this for 6 years. Back then free wifi was scarce, but today I can pretty much get a signal anywhere. I’ve noticed that broadband plans are capped at 5GB while phone data plans are unlimited. I find myself on 3G when tethering but will look for wifi when on the smartphone. At home I’m on wifi all the time with my handhelds.
I do use wifi on my phone. I use the iPhone through at&t, and I also live in a rural area, so being able to use wifi in places where I do not have service with any provider is really awesome.
As far as draining the battery, I use data all day long whether its through the network or with a wifi hotspot and I do not notice a difference with the battery. The iphone is really good about the battery usage.
I notice that the battery on my phone is drained much faster when using at&t’s 3G network compared to using any wifi hotspot.
Wi-Fi on my Pre is turned on all the time, unless I’m spending an extended time (hours) away from any obvious hotspot, which really means that it’s always on since there are so many hotspots now.
Initially I worried about battery drain, but it doesn’t seem to have much impact. Not sure I could handle long, boring conference calls anymore without being about to browse Web sites, read news, etc. on the phone while listening to the call.
I don’t use wi-fi. I would if there were one system that would provide access anywhere. Anything more complex is too much effort compared to 3G.
Almost always off, unless I’m going to be transferring a lot of big files or am having bluetooth tethering issues.
I thought I’d use it a lot, but every time I change from 3g to wifi, it disconnects all of my chat connections, then reconnects them. ;) Plus, at places like Starbucks, I have to go to an authentication page that never remembers my login information as well.
It might be different if I didn’t live in a city with fast and plentiful 3g for Sprint and T-Mobile, but I do. :)
Since Nov.2009 I have my on Mobile WiFi Hotspots. With UNLIMITED talk, text, internet, data transfer and aircard for your laptop!! Yes, I or (you) can turn this phone into an Internet hotspot for multiple laptops! No more need for air cards! NOW!!!This is Incredible…
Palm has explicitly said that battery consumption is better pulling data over wifi than it is over 3G!
I’m new to using WiFi on phones, so bear with me. When travelling out of the country (U.S. for me), can I use a smartphone’s WiFi without incurring international fees from my cell phone carrier for minutes used? The other posts seem to imply this and I’ve not had the chance to try it yet. But if I’m reading this correctly, I can use the phone’s WiFi capability to connect to the free hotel lobby WiFi when I’m travelling in Europe, for example, and then like any computer, check my email, browse the internet, etc without being charged for international phone calls or use up my minutes on my plan. Correct?
Correct. But keep in mind that you won’t be able to make phone calls through wifi (unless you have something like an iphone or ipod touch with skype installed). I recommend putting the phone in airplane mode when you are overseas and then just turn on wifi while at the hotel. That way you can be double sure you do not incur roaming charges if your phone happens to connect to the cell network.
Thanks for that tip! Keeping the phone in airplane mode is the best advice I’ve read in days.
I leave 3G on for my Nexus One most of the time just because the 12gb data plan never runs out. Battery life takes a plunge though but I have a charger in the office and another at home.
despite the fact i’m tied to the Nextel sluggish iDen network (because of the PPT) i usually don’t turn WiFi on. WiFi sucks a lot of power from my BB8350i battery, so i use it only when some client send me a vital file to be checked on-the-go.
Not my exprience with that phone at all. I recently spent some time with a friend and couldnt get a wifi signal so I turned wifi off. The battery would drain out in less than 8 hours to the point it couldnt be trusted to stay on. Here at home it stays on and the need for charging can be measured in days. I wouldnt use iDen for anything online unless wifi was unavailable and I couldnt call for the needed info. Just my exprience with the BB8350i.
Also I frequent the same hotspots often enough that I have set the phone to auto connect (with passwords etc.) so most of the time I’ll have a connection that is ready for me when I need it.
Since Nov.2009 I have my on Mobile WiFi Hotspots. With UNLIMITED talk, text, internet, data transfer and aircard for your laptop!!
Yes, I or (you) can turn this phone into an Internet hotspot for multiple laptops! No more need for air cards!
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Thank you Mr.James Kendrick for this important article. I’ve a question and I hope it’s not a stupid one. well my Mobile phone is SAMSUNG STAR GT-S5233A. and there’s no a Wi-Fi integrated. is there any software which could turn this mobile to Wi-Fi?
I’ll appreciate your replay
Raphael – there is no software solution for wifi – it is hardware dependent.
I have an HTC HD2, which I use for social networking A LOT. I use it with wi-fi as much as possible as I rarely get a 3G signal here in the UK. I have an unlimited-data plan so having wi-fi on all day is no problem (except for battery usage of course).
I find the wifi on my Blackberry Bold 9000 to be slower than the 3G connection, so I typically use the 3G connection. (And slow performance over wifi isn’t the only issue I have the Bold.) However, if I was downloading or streaming enough to exceed my DL limit with AT&T, this wouldn’t be the case. I plan to switch to an iPhone this year however, and expect that I’ll use wifi more afterwards. I currently use an iPod Touch and it performs very well over the wifi; I expect similar wifi performance on the iPhone.
i want a phone with wifi but i cant get a data plan, by the way im 13, any help?
From what it says on this site, it would appear that a data plan is not a requirement. As long as your phone is capable of connecting with wifi you only need to find a wifi hotspot and use the phone in exactly the same way as you would use a laptop.
I have a HTC Hero and connect my phone to the web, phone calls etc with no problem. What is the use of wi-fi and why should I use it ?