• Home
• Subscribe
• Feedback
• Update Your Profile
• Archives

Tips & Tricks: Wi-Fi On Your BlackBerry Smartphone

Like most people you probably check your BlackBerry® smartphone from more than one location—work, home, even your favorite coffee shop. Depending on your wireless service provider or organization, with your Wi-Fi enabled BlackBerry smartphone, you might be able to send and receive email messages and visit web pages using different Wi-Fi® networks. You can connect to a Wi-Fi network without saving the connection information, or you can save the connection information in a Wi-Fi profile. To connect to a Wi-Fi network at home or from a hotspot, you might need to use a VPN connection. Read on for more tips on preparing your smartphone to quickly connect in each of these places:

Connect to a Wi-Fi network
Note: Your smartphone tries to connect to Wi-Fi networks based on the order in which they appear in your Wi-Fi profile list. By default, new Wi-Fi profiles appear at the bottom of your Wi-Fi profile list.

1. On the Home screen or in the application list, click Set Up Wi-Fi.
2. Perform one of the following actions:
   • Click Scan for Networks. Click a network.
   • Click Manually Add Network. Type the network name. Click Add.
3. Complete the instructions on the screen.
4. On the Wi-Fi Setup Complete screen, perform any of the following actions:
   • To change the order of Wi-Fi profiles, click Prioritize Wi-Fi Profiles. To return to the Wi-Fi Setup Complete screen, press the Escape key.
   • To specify registration information, click Wi-Fi Hotspot Login. To return to the Wi-Fi Setup Complete screen, press the Escape key.
5. Click Finish.
6. Create and save profiles for each network where you regularly connect so you can easily select them.

Change the order of Wi-Fi profiles

1. In the device options, click Wi-Fi Connections.
2. Highlight a Wi-Fi profile.
3. Press the Menu key.
4. Click Move.
5. Roll the trackball to the new location.
6. Click the trackball.

Switch Wi-Fi networks manually
By default, your BlackBerry smartphone switches to an appropriate Wi-Fi network automatically when you move between Wi-Fi coverage areas.

1. In the device options, click Wi-Fi Connections.
2. Set the Wi-Fi Selection Mode field to Manual.
3. Click a Wi-Fi profile.
4. Press the Menu key.
5. Click Save.

To connect to the first available Wi-Fi network in your Wi-Fi profile list automatically, set the Wi-Fi Selection Mode field to Automatic.

Prevent your smartphone from connecting to a Wi-Fi network

1. In the device options, click Wi-Fi Connections.
2. Highlight a Wi-Fi profile.
3. Click a Wi-Fi profile.
4. Press the Menu key.
5. Click Disable.

To allow your BlackBerry smartphone to connect to the Wi-Fi network again, press the Menu key. Click Enable.

Delete a Wi-Fi profile

1. In the device options, click Wi-Fi Connections.
2. Highlight a Wi-Fi profile.
3. Press the Menu key.
4. Click Delete.

Install a root certificate on your computer
Depending on the Wi-Fi network that you want to connect to, you might need to install the root certificate for the certificate authority server that created the certificate for the authentication server. For more information, contact your system administrator.

1. Download the root certificate from the certificate authority server to your computer.
2. On your computer, right-click the root certificate. Click Install certificate.
3. Click Next.
4. Click Place all certificates in the following store.
5. Click Browse.
6. Click Trusted Root Certification Authorities.
7. Click OK.
8. Click Finish.
9. In the Security Warning dialog box, click Yes.

If the root certificate contains multiple certificates, all the certificates are installed on your computer. To install the root certificate on your BlackBerry smartphone, use the certificate synchronization tool of the BlackBerry Desktop Manager to synchronize the root certificate between your smartphone and your computer.

Wi-Fi profile security options

• Security Type: Set the security type that the Wi-Fi network supports.
• Select WEP key: Set the type of WEP key for the Wi-Fi network.
• WEP key: Type the WEP key for the Wi-Fi network in hexadecimal format.
• Pre-Shared Key: Type the WPA™ Personal pass phrase for the Wi-Fi network.
• User name: If necessary, type the user name that you use to connect to the Wi-Fi network.
• User password: If necessary, type the user password that you use to connect to the Wi-Fi network.
• CA certificate: Set the root certificate that your BlackBerry smartphone should use to verify that it is connecting to the correct Wi-Fi network.
• Client certificate: Set the authentication certificate that your smartphone should use to connect to the Wi-Fi network.
• Inner link security: If necessary, set the security protocol that the Wi-Fi network supports for its inner authentication method.
• Use hard token: Set whether you use a hardware token to connect to the Wi-Fi network.
• Token serial number: If you use a software token to connect to the Wi-Fi network, set the token serial number.
• Server subject for certificate validation: If necessary, type the server subject name your smartphone should use to verify that it is connecting to the correct Wi-Fi network.
• Server SAN for certificate validation: If necessary, type the server subject alternative name your smartphone should use to verify that it is connecting to the correct Wi-Fi network.
• IMSI: If your SIM card has more than one IMSI, set the IMSI that you use to connect to the Wi-Fi network.

• Home
• Subscribe
• Feedback
• Update Your Profile
• Archives

• BlackBerry.com
• |
• About Us
• |
• Careers
• |
• Legal
• |
• Purchasing Information

* Offers subject to change without notice. Please check offer details for more information. Void where prohibited. Check with service provider for availability, roaming arrangements and service plans. Certain features outlined in this document require a minimum version of BlackBerry Enterprise Server software, BlackBerry Desktop Software, BlackBerry Device Software and/or BlackBerry devices and may require additional development or third party products and/or services for access to corporate applications. Prior to subscribing to or implementing any third party products and services, it is your responsibility to ensure that the airtime service provider you are working with has agreed to support all of the features of the third party products and services. Installation and use of third party products and services with Research In Motion's ("RIM") products and services may require one or more patent, trademark or copyright licenses in order to avoid infringement of the intellectual property rights of others. You are solely responsible for determining whether such third party licenses are required and are responsible for acquiring any such licenses. To the extent that such intellectual property licenses may be required, RIM expressly recommends that you do not install or use these products and services until all such applicable licenses have been acquired by you or on your behalf. Your use of third party software shall be governed by and subject to you agreeing to the terms of separate software licenses, if any, for those products or services. Any third party products or services that are provided with RIM products and services are provided "as is." RIM makes no representation, warranty or guarantee whatsoever in relation to the third party products or services and RIM assumes no liability whatsoever in relation to the third party products and services, even if RIM has been advised of the possibility of such damages or can anticipate such damages.

The above information regarding third party products and services is provided in BlackBerry Connection for your information. Since third parties provide the information to Research In Motion Limited ("RIM") and RIM relies on the information without performing any independent investigations, RIM makes no warranty or guarantee concerning the features, reliability, or pricing of the third party products or services, or their compatibility with any RIM products.

© 2008 Research In Motion Limited. All Rights Reserved. BlackBerry®, RIM®, Research In Motion®, SureType® and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world.