How to activate and configure the mobile Internet on your Android phone.
There is no point in arguing: humanity has not yet invented a more versatile tool than the mobile phone. Communication, work, games, computing and much more fit in a small device the size of the palm of your hand. But, as you know, a phone is as powerful as the Internet, without it, it’s just a “caller”. We tell you what to do if you don’t have internet and how to enable it on your Android.
How to turn on the Internet
This in itself is not a particularly difficult action. Some people manage to turn the Internet on and off on their mobile device ten or even twenty times. Sometimes it is necessary, especially if the capacity and condition of the battery leave much to be desired.
By the way, Wi-Fi and mobile Internet are the main consumers of the energy of your device. That is why it is advisable to connect them only when necessary. Although some developers have taken care of this and added a Wi-Fi auto-off feature. If the methods described below do not help, please check if you have this feature enabled. Let us now turn to the methods themselves.
Through the notification curtain
The most popular method since it is done in two steps, regardless of the model and version of Android. Just follow the steps below to activate it:
- Unlock the device. Sometimes this step can be skipped, but not always.
- Swipe up and down the screen to open the notification shade.
- Click the Wi-Fi or Mobile Internet button. The difference between the two is described below.
- Close the curtain by sliding your finger up.
Done. Some apps, like MIUI, have two curtains. When you release the left one, only notifications appear without any function buttons. In this case, you have to swipe to the top right of the screen. Skip to the next method.
through the settings
This approach has more steps, but gives you more flexibility in configuring your Internet connection. The first thing to do (after unlocking the device) is to go to settings. The direct access to the settings is usually found on the home screen or in the notification bar (already commented). After opening the settings, the user will see two sections among other settings: “Wi-Fi” and “SIMs and mobile networks”. Let’s look at each of them separately.
In the mobile networks section, the user can:
- turn the Internet on or off;
- select your preferred network type. Help: 3G is less fast, but has better coverage. 4G is faster but has almost no coverage outside of city limits;
- choose a SIM card to access the Internet;
- specify additional settings for roaming and poor connectivity.
If you are a novice user, we recommend that you do not change these settings without the supervision of a more experienced person.
The second section is the Wi-Fi section. Here we are not so much interested in the number of functions and switches, but rather in the connection characteristics. Some available networks may be open (do not have a lock icon or are marked “Open”) and others are password protected. When you click on the name of a protected network, a window will appear in which you must enter the password. Must be at least 8 characters. This is the value you should know from the beginning.
In “Advanced Settings”, the user can configure automatic disconnection and switching between access points and delete saved networks.
It is also recommended not to change the setting values yourself if you are doing it for the first time. Yes and the default settings are correct.
Deactivation of flight mode
Sometimes it happens that the above two modes cannot be activated manually. When opening the settings, the switch becomes inactive, causing owner confusion. It’s actually simple, the phone is in flight mode. In it, all communication modules are automatically disconnected. It’s not just about Wi-Fi, but even calls and SMS. To disable the mode, just follow the steps below:
- Go to “Connection and sharing”.
- Uncheck the “Flight mode” option.
In some models, it is enough to release the notification center and press the airplane icon. A third way to disable the throttling feature (it doesn’t work everywhere) is to press the power button until the disable menu appears. In this menu, select Airplane mode. This is indicated by the appearance of the white sticks (signal indicators) at the top of the screen and the disappearance of the airplane icon.
How is mobile internet different from Wi-Fi?
Now let’s talk about the difference between mobile Internet and a Wi-Fi connection. Mobile data is a way of connecting to the world wide web using a SIM card inserted in the phone. You pay a monthly fee for this type of connection (unless, of course, you want all the money in your number to disappear after the first page you open). You can use this method anywhere there is a mobile phone connection.
Wi-Fi is an access point to a global network. Each Wi-Fi point is located in a specific place and has its own coverage radius, it does not move with the phone user (as it happens with mobile Internet). When connecting to the Wi-Fi network, it is necessary to know the network name and password, otherwise access to the global network will be denied. You also have to pay it, but not over the phone, but through the Internet service provider’s page.
Posible problems
The Internet is quite a finicky technology, so various problems can arise when configuring it.
Next we will see the main problems associated with the Internet installation:
- The network is on and nothing works. There are two possibilities: either you haven’t paid for internet, or your device time is very slow. In the first case, the problem will be signaled by the “Online registration” bar in the notification bar.
- Can’t connect to Wi-Fi. Delete the network from the saved, restart the phone and try again. Also try restarting the router.
- The mobile network is slow. Open the settings and specify automatic selection under “Preferred network type”.
We hope we have been able to help. Thank you for reading.