Wifi Questions from a Noob

[wpbrian]

Hi all,

I just connected my Focus S to my home network, but I'm unsure of the following:

Does the phone automatically connect to wifi networks I've added (it looks like it, but not sure)?

Will the phone default to a wifi connection for data use or will it keep using my ATT data plan unless I turn the data off?

Does wifi drain the battery?

Anything else I should know (never used wifi with a phone before)?

Thanks!

 

[paoarchi15]

Hi all,

I just connected my Focus S to my home network, but I'm unsure of the following:

Does the phone automatically connect to wifi networks I've added (it looks like it, but not sure)?

Will the phone default to a wifi connection for data use or will it keep using my ATT data plan unless I turn the data off?

Does wifi drain the battery?

Anything else I should know (never used wifi with a phone before)?

Thanks!

answers base on personal experience.

1. Yes the wi-fi do connect automatically when you get in range of the network.

2. Yes it will redirect all data usage to wi-fi.

3. for battery issue im not sure since i usually switch back and forth from cellular to wi-fi and vice versa.

 

[enahs555]

So, as for battery usage.

Having another data connection going will use up more battery. But, the WiFi is much faster then the ATT network (in most cases anyway!), so the data you transfer will be transferred more efficiently.

So the answer is, it really depends on your usage, and how good of a data and wifi signal you are getting.

 

[jimski]

When your screen is on, WiFi will be active, but when your screen turns off (except for streaming music that you started with screen on) your data connection will take over for background activities. Before I turned on WiFi 24/7, I was using about 1.8-2.2GB/month of cellular data. With WiFi always on I average 200-250MB of cell data (no way to check WiFi usage).

I have WiFi on 24/7 (have not turned it off in a month) and compared to a few months ago, when I might have used it occasionally, no noticeable difference in battery drain. WiFi and Bluetooth radios have gotten very energy efficient. You should have no worries.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[Blacklac]

Really? Apps that refresh or get pushed wont use Wifi if its in "sleep mode"??

 

[jeremyshaw]

Really? Apps that refresh or get pushed wont use Wifi if its in "sleep mode"??

I want to know more. Because it should be a lot more energy efficient to find a familiar SSID/WiFi AP and refresh data from there, rather than get it over HSDPA/EVDO.

 

[wpbrian]

Thanks for all the answers everyone--very helpful!

 

[PG2G]

I believe the Wifi turns off when the screen is locked unless you are plugged in to external power.

 

[thed]

I want to know more. Because it should be a lot more energy efficient to find a familiar SSID/WiFi AP and refresh data from there, rather than get it over HSDPA/EVDO.

Wifi uses more power, so it's more efficient to use cell data, especially for small data transfers like notifications, emails, etc.

 

[selfcreation]

WIFI will hurt your battery , connected or not , how much will it drain , that deppends on usige and if your connected or not.

 

[Blacklac]

WIFI will hurt your battery , connected or not , how much will it drain , that deppends on usige and if your connected or not.

Maybe it something RIM does, but from my experience and from what other people say on Crackberry, Blackberries do not drain faster with Wifi on (assuming its a strong signal), some people actually claim Wifi improves battery life over cell signal only. Also I'm pretty sure Wifi never disconnects unless the phone is totally powered down.

 

[paoarchi15]

Answers base on personal experience again.

when I'm at home my cellular is always off, and wi-fi always on.
So I can assume that wi-fi doesn't really turn off when screen is off because I still receive my Facebook chat messages / email / and any other notification that relies on net connection.

 

[aubreyq]

Answers base on personal experience again.

when I'm at home my cellular is always off, and wi-fi always on.
So I can assume that wi-fi doesn't really turn off when screen is off because I still receive my Facebook chat messages / email / and any other notification that relies on net connection.

We also need to take into account whether or not the OP has enabled Battery Saver, which will stop email and background tasks.

 

[thed]

Answers base on personal experience again.

when I'm at home my cellular is always off, and wi-fi always on.
So I can assume that wi-fi doesn't really turn off when screen is off because I still receive my Facebook chat messages / email / and any other notification that relies on net connection.

Interesting. Maybe it's smart enough to realize that it should never turn wifi off if cell data is off? Maybe one of these days if I'm feeling ambitious I'll fire up Wireshark and see what's really happening.

 

[mkr10001]

If I'm at home and wifi is available I can't see why on earth it would decide to use network data just because the screen is off. Unless I've misunderstood?

 

[Forgewizard]

Concerns about battery drain can be addressed too with Connectivity Shortcuts app which allows you to turn on/off various signals according to your needs. While my device finds the work WI-fi we aren't privy to logging on to it also cellular signals are notoriously weak there - so I end up putting it in airplane mode most of the time. But even if I forget and let it stay on my HTC arrive will still have 30% battery left after a 12hour day!

I haveWP7 battery saver enabled.
While at the house I use WiFI mostly - and the phone radio stays on usually too. Connectivity shortcuts allows me to turn on/off all the different radios on my device as well as pin each tile button. Bluetooth, Phone, wifi, or all as Airplane. Very handy!

Out and about I've connected to various Wi-FIs and have noticed that the phone will automatically pick them up (if WiFi is enabled) and request if I want to sign on - so while it automatically scans for them when the WiFi radio is on - it doesn't connect unless you tell it to.

 

[martin_strahilovski]

Does wifi drain the battery?

WiFi drains the battery, but when your screen is locked, the WiFi turns it's self off, and after unlocking your phone, turns it's self on. That's done for saving battery life and it's done automatically by the phone it self.

 

[mkr10001]

WiFi drains the battery, but when your screen is locked, the WiFi turns it's self off, and after unlocking your phone, turns it's self on. That's done for saving battery life and it's done automatically by the phone it self.

If you have data turned on will it start using data though instead? That's what I don't understand. Why would anyone think that's a good idea