[boristhespie]

Okay, don't laugh, yes I know I'm a muppet but cant' find any mention of wifi in the manual only Wlan. I guess that this is it? Can someone with one brain cell, unlike myself please explain so that my feebly noggin is informed. Ta in advance.

[flatbatn80]

Yep ... different name but the same thing !

Gaz

[petrib]

WiFi = WLAN

WLAN = Wireless Local Area Network based on networking standards with names like 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, etc.

Years ago some manufacturers decided that consumers would need an easier "brand" to recognize tested WLAN devices that are known to work together. They came up with WiFi (as in "Wireless Fidelity" that has its origins in Hi-Fi as in High-Fidelity in stereos).

[boristhespie]

I assume that if you have an internet account at home then you can set this phone up with your home settings to get access to the internet at hotspots without having to pay the operator, such as orange for its use and if so maybe use skype or something similar (i guess thats the n80i?

[taffytafftaf]

Yeah you can set it up to use your wireless modem. The screen is a bit small but ok to check mail and the likes.

[dmitryl]

Nokia use old term - WLAN. Russian prefer more exact term - Wi-Fi. The matter is that Wi-Fi, Bluetoth, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, 3G (or WCDMA 2100) - all of them kinds of WLAN, because they are "without wires". WLAN - a historical term era first Centrino Notebooks, when BT was weak etc. Now, at home, I use 2 access points - Wi-Fi G+ and BT 2.0. But if you read "WLAN" in User Manual, you should understand "Wi-Fi". By the way, in Russia Wi-MAX is more progressive network then Wi-Fi.

[petrib]

Not so, dmitryl, I'm afraid.

WiFi (or Wi-Fi, really) is no more or less exact than WLAN.

As I said earlier, Wi-Fi is just a marketing/branding name (certificate) for specific equipment conforming to certain WLAN standards (such as those I mentioned above; IEEE 802.11g and others).

Cellular network standards like GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, etc., have nothing to do with WLAN. You could call them WWAN, Wireless Wide Area Network.

More about Wi-Fi here: http://www.wi-fi.org/

[dmitryl]

Of course, you are right. But when beginner (who learn at school NORMAL English) read "Wireless LAN" he think about all wireless. In User Manuals Nokia should put Appendix to explain various standards. Can you say that my BT Home Network is not "Wireless LAN"?

Message Edited by dmitryl on 10-Sep-2006
08:33 PM

[petrib]

Bluetooth is just a wireless "cable replacement" technology, and not originally intended for any kind of LAN access.

However, of course, since it was invented, additional Bluetooth Profiles like the LAN access profile and PAN (Personal Area Networking) profile have also been created and they do easily confuse the uninitiated.

But if you start going in that direction, then infrared/IrDA could thought of to be in the same category, but it really isn't.

So, a non-technical user can surely be confused, but it is still easier to think of Bluetooth as Bluetooth, infrared as infrared, Wi-Fi as the same as WLAN, and cellular mobile networks as something different.

Where things like WiMAX, OFMD, etc., end up, is a different thing (too soon for that as they're not really very widely in use yet; mostly just trials).

[boristhespie]

Okay, Okay techies. So how would I set my N80 up to use hotspots? Bearing in mind I am zero techie!

[sysinit]

Hi,

I'm assuming that you're trying to access a free hot-spot.

1. Launch the S60 Browser (the Web in Active Standby and in My Own folder) or the MobileBrowser (the Internet key and the Services in main menu).
2. Select Options, Navigation options, Go to web address, and then enter the desired address. Or select one of the available bookmarks.
3. Assuming that you have set Access point to 'Always ask', which is under Options, Settings, the browser should now ask 'Connection to server needed. Connect?' Select Yes, and wait for N80 to verify available access points.
4. You should now reach a list containing the list of available access points. Select 'Search fo WLAN'.
5. Now, you should be presented with a list of available WLAN within range. Select one that is not encrypted (encypted ones will have a lock icon on it)(unless you have access, e.g. password, to the encrypted ones) and has a signal strength of medium and above and start browsing.

Hope this helps. Good luck and cheers. ^_^;

Message Edited by sysinit on 11-Sep-2006
07:12 PM

[boristhespie]

Thanks, Will this be free? Or do I need to use my existing web settings as on the computer at home or will I be charged by my operator for downloading stuff?

Simple questions but I'm new to this.

[sysinit]

Hi,

It depends.

If you're doing it at an open free hotspot, it will be free and shouldn't need any settings.

If you're piggy-backing, and that person didn't set up anything special, you shouldn't need any settings as well.

If you use the services provided by your operator, e.g. 3G or GPRS, you may be charged depending on your contract. E.g. certain plans for certain operators at where I am allows unlimted Internet access via 3G or GPRS. Of course the plans is very expensive, costing as high as 150 Euros in some cases, if my memory serves me well.

Specifically for your computer, how are you actually connecting up?

Cheers. ^_^

[boristhespie]

Just Aol Broadband via ADSL modem

[sysinit]

Hmmm,

Sorry, you got me. I use cable access, and am not familiar with DSL. (Anyone who can help him/her?)

But if you are connecting to your DSL modem via a wireless router, you may want to create a connection profile. Assuming that you're going through a wireless router, you may want to furnish us with the following information:
1. Wireless Network Name (SSID)
2. Wireless SSID Broadcast status (enabled or disabled)
3. Wireless Security mode (Open, WEP, 802.1x, WPA, etc)
You should be able to get these from your wireless router.
4. DHCP status (enabled or disabled.

In addition, the following from your browser:
1. Proxy server and its port.

Let us know. Cheers. ^_^;

[dmitryl]

Ooh! What a complexity? I will explain by my own simple example.

1. Have a ADSL-router - better with integrated Wi-Fi access point and 4-port switch - like ZyXel Prestige 660 HW (may be very vary similar devices).

2. This should be a MAIN device for you home network. Settings - almost all are automatic. Router get automatic IP-address from ADSL-provider (WAN settings). It should be a DHCP-server (LAN settings).

3. All of your PC's, connected to it ports (theese are not obligatory Desktops - may be Notebooks, PDA's or Smartphone's WN/Symbyan connected via Wi-Fi) should get IP-addresses from DHCP automatically - only not change full automatic settings on your client devices.

3. If Router has no integrated WI-Fi AP, purchase it separately, connect to one of main ADSL-router port, and set in Configurator this (purchased) AP - like "To be a Client" or disable it's own DHCP (to get internal - home LAN IP from the main Router DHCP-server). Good example - ASUS WL HDD 2.5 with HDD.

4. Turn ON Wi-Fi in a main ADSL-router (or in additional Wi-Fi AP). Turn ON Wi-Fi on Smarnphone (i.e N80). Look at awalable WLAN Networks in N80 settings - you can see the name of your home Wi-Fi AP (SSID - on professional language ) . Define in N80 Options it - as AP for N80. Run Internet Browser (Mail client) on N80 and enjoy!

5. Very important! First test your AP shortly without WEP or MAC-filtering - to know that a simple configuration work. After success step-by-step add wireless protection to AP and your Smartphone - first via simmple MAC-filtering then full WEP-encryption. If you testing MAC-filtering protection, you shold put exact N80 WLAN MAC-address in MAC-filtering Tab of AP Configurator. You can get it via command *#62209526#. Note: this is correct for 4.*** firmware, in 3.*** firmware you can get a wrong N80 WLAN MAC-address. Inthis case you can get a right N80 MAC from Association List of AP.

[osamah]

what is the power and the sensetivity for that phones that support 802.11b\802.11g( in simple how far could a phone work from ap).?

[seraphim]

it would depend on where the ap was, the type of ap, the firmware it uses and how many other devices are connected.

typically, in an office may a 40m radius.

in the middle of a field in the country with no other networks, radios, microwaves etc - somewhere near 300m

[axel]

Could somebody help please?

I don't understand how to connect to the internet using WIFI in the N80.

My situation is this. When I got the phone, the first time I tried to use the WIFI feature was in my airport. There is a free wireless internet signal there and I tried to connect to the internet. The phone picked up the wireless signal. However, I didn't know where to go from there to open up a full internet page. I tried connecting to the internet from my own folder, but the phone kept giving me a message that a connection to the server was needed, and I thought that the phone might try to connect to the net through the vodafone network, so I cancelled the connection, because I was roaming.

When I eventually called Voda, they explained that there was no way for the phone to connect to the internet, because although the feature was present, a mobile phone did not have a recognizable address that would give permission to connect. Basically, as part of a security measure, every computer or wireless device capable of connecting to the internet had to have a verifiable "address/identity" of some sort, and a mobile phone did not have one, so the WIFI feature on the phone was great, but basically useless... I am paraphrasing here.

My questions are as follows: (a) I don't have wireless internet at my home, but I travel regularly, and am in airports and hotels with free wireless signals. Can an N80 be used to connect to such signals to surf the internet?

(b) If I have a wireless connection at my home, can I use the phone to surf the internet wirelessly, by which I mean, open web pages on the phone, surf them, as I would on a pc or laptop?

(c) If I can manage to connect to my own wireless home network, can I then use an N80 to connect to free wireless signals in other places?

(d) Assuming I can connect to these free signals, how can I be sure I am not actually connecting to the servers of my service providers, e.g. Vodafone, and get charged?

I would appreciate the simplest, least tech-jargon oriented answer someone could provide.

[petrib]

a) Yes. The Vodafone rep you talked to didn't understand what he/she was explaining, exactly (only in part).

b) Yes.

c) Yes.

d) When you use Wi-Fi/WLAN access point, the traffic is never going to any server of your mobile network service provider (unless that company is also providing Wi-Fi access, of course)

Open "Web", hit "Options", choose "Settings" and change "Access point" from whatever it is now to "Always ask". Then you can choose to connect either via Wi-Fi or your mobile network provider.

If you need to use Wi-Fi access points that are not open, then in the phone menu go to Tools > Settings > Connection > Access points and there hit "Options", choose "New access point", etc. For "Data bearer" there, choose "Wireless LAN", instead of "Packet data" (which is GPRS, EDGE or WCDMA/UMTS/3G packet data over the cellular mobile network and not Wi-Fi/WLAN).

Message Edited by petrib on 14-Sep-2006
10:48 AM