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YOUR CONNECTIONS TO THE WEB AND WIRELESS DEVICES
CONNECTING TO A WI-FI NETWORK
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8
CHAPTER
to automatically download new satellite
information, and whether to perform an
automatic download when your
smartphone is connected to your computer
using the USB cable.
Connecting to a Wi-Fi
network
Many environments, such as corporate
offices, coffee shops, airports, and libraries,
offer access to a Wi-Fi network. A Wi-Fi
network is a wireless local area network
(WLAN) based on the 802.11 standard.
When you’re within range of an accessible
Wi-Fi network, you can use your
smartphone’s Wi-Fi feature to connect to
that network and access the web.
Why use a Wi-Fi connection?
A Wi-Fi connection is especially helpful in
the following situations:
• You’re outside a coverage area and you
want to access the web.
• Your your wireless service provider’s
plan incurs additional charges for data
services and you want to minimize data
service charges by using a Wi-Fi
connection instead.
• You’re inside a coverage area, but
outside your wireless service provider’s
UMTS (3G or HSDPA) coverage area. (A
Wi-Fi connection may provide faster
throughput than a GPRS or EDGE data
connection.)
• You want to maintain a web connection
while talking on the phone.
Are there different types of Wi-Fi
networks?
There are two types of Wi-Fi networks:
Open networks: These networks
broadcast their name (SSID) and do not
require you to enter a password or other
settings. To learn how to connect to an
KEY
TERM
Wi-Fi access point Also called a
hotspot. A network device with an antenna
that provides wireless connections to a larger
network.