Making Wi-Fi work on your Samsung Galaxy tablet requires two steps. First, you must activate Wi-Fi, by turning on the tablet’s wireless radio. The second step is connecting to a specific wireless network.
How to activate and deactivate Wi-Fi on your Samsung Galaxy tablet
Follow these carefully written directions to activate Wi-Fi networking on your tablet:
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Touch the Apps icon.
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Open the Settings app.
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If necessary, select the Connections tab.
Not every version of the Settings app features tabs across the top.
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Ensure that the button by the Wi-Fi setting is green.
Green is on.
The tablet’s Wi-Fi radio is activated. If you’ve already configured your tablet to connect to an available wireless network, it’s connected automatically. Otherwise, you have to connect to an available network.
To turn off Wi-Fi, repeat the steps but turn the Wi-Fi setting off. Turning off Wi-Fi disconnects the tablet from any wireless networks.
And now, the shortcut: Pull down the notifications shade and use the Wi-Fi Quick Setting to turn Wi-Fi on or off. If the button is green, Wi-Fi is on.
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Using Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet doesn’t incur data usage charges.
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Wi-Fi does place an extra drain on the battery, but it’s truly negligible. If you want to save a modicum of juice, especially if you’re out and about and don’t plan to be near a Wi-Fi access point for any length of time, turn off the Wi-Fi radio.
How to connect to a Wi-Fi network on your Samsung Galaxy tablet
After you’ve activated the tablet’s Wi-Fi radio, you can connect to an available wireless network. Heed these steps:
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Touch the Apps icon on the Home screen.
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Open the Settings app.
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If necessary, select the Connections tab.
The Connections tab is shown. If you don’t see it, just continue with Step 4.
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Choose Wi-Fi.
The Wi-Fi radio must be on for you to find a network. If the button isn’t green, touch it.
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Choose a wireless network from the list.
Available Wi-Fi networks appear on the right side of the screen. When no wireless networks are listed, you’re sort of out of luck regarding wireless access from your current location.
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If the network requires a password, type it.
Touch the Password text box to see the onscreen keyboard.
Touch the Show Password check box so that you can see what you’re typing; some of those network passwords can be long.
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Touch the Connect button.
You should be immediately connected to the network. If not, try the password again.
When the tablet is connected to a wireless network, you see the following Wi-Fi status icon. This icon means that the tablet’s Wi-Fi is on, connected, and communicating with a Wi-Fi network.
Some wireless networks don’t broadcast their names, which adds security but also makes connecting more difficult. In these cases, select the Add Wi-Fi Network option to manually add the network. You need to type the network name, or SSID, and choose the type of security.
You also need the password if one is used. You can obtain this information from the girl with the pink hair who sold you coffee or from the person in charge of the wireless network at your location.
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Not every wireless network has a password. They should!
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Some public networks are open to anyone, but you have to use the Internet app to find a login page that lets you access the network: Simply browse to any page on the Internet, and the login page shows up.
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Your tablet automatically remembers every Wi-Fi network it has ever been connected to and automatically reconnects upon finding the same network again.
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To disconnect from a Wi-Fi network, simply turn off Wi-Fi.
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Unlike a cellular data network, a Wi-Fi network’s broadcast signal goes only so far. Use Wi-Fi whenever you plan to remain in one location for a while. If you wander too far, your tablet loses the signal and is disconnected.