How and Why You Should Connect Your Phone to Wifi

Most smartphones are able to connect to Wi-Fi in order to avoid using cellular data. If you are already paying for home internet, then you absolutely should take advantage of this feature.

Home vs. Mobile Internet

More than 85% of Americans have a smartphone. More than 77% have internet provider for their home internet connection. But surveys suggest that far less people are connecting their cell phones to home networks than should be based on these numbers. As a general rule, if you are paying for home internet, then this is the internet access that you should be using whenever possible. The reason for this is that the vast majority of home internet plans provide unlimited data for a flat fee and provide a faster connection to boot. Cellular plans tend to have data caps. When you reach the cap, you will at the very least be throttled down to a lower tier of services, and in some cases, you will actually pay more based on your overage!

Understanding Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi does not stand for anything despite a popular misconception. It was a marketing term developed to make a then-new technology catchy and recognizable. Wi-Fi is a collection of networking protocols that allow devices to communicate via radio waves. If you have home internet, then you likely have a wireless router and a modem or potentially a combo unit. The wireless router is responsible for managing all of the communication between the devices in your home and your modem.

The Reasons to Connect Your Phone Via Your Home Internet

Your smartphone uses radio waves to communicate as well, and when it is connecting to your cell network, it sends those waves to a nearby cell tower. In most cases, your cell network will be slower than your home network, and as mentioned earlier, it often costs more too.

Perhaps the best reason to connect your phone via your home network is to preserve your available cellular data for when you actually need it. Another reason is that you will enjoy better download and upload speeds. Better download speeds will allow you to stream video content at a higher quality and with less issues, and upload speeds are important when the communication goes both ways, such as when using FaceTime, Zoom or some other form of video conferencing. Connecting to your home router also lets you access wireless printers and other resources that are connected to that network.

Connecting Your Smartphone to Wi-Fi

If you have ever connected a laptop or tablet to your home network via Wi-Fi, then you probably already know how to connect your phone. The exact steps can vary based on your specific device but are the same for the most part across devices. On Android phones, swipe down and tap the Wi-Fi symbol. Under Wireless Networks, toggle Wi-Fi on if it is not already. Choose your Wi-Fi network, and enter a password if that information is not already stored. On iOS devices, tap the Settings icon. Tap the Wi-Fi row atop the screen. Ensure that the Wi-Fi toggle is on. Select a Wi-Fi network, and enter a password if necessary.

Connect to Wi-Fi Automatically

Most smartphones have a feature that let them connect to Wi-Fi automatically. As long as your device is able to poll for nearby Wi-Fi networks, it will identify them when accessible and connect to them if known. You may need to enter the password the first time. Most devices also give you the option to prioritize wireless networks so that it can connect to your preferred networks when it has access. Automatic connection is preferable so that you use your cellular data as little as possible.