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Connect to a Wi-Fi network

Whether you're at home, work, or out and about, chances are you'll find Wi-Fi networks your phone can connect to. Some are open to everyone and some are secured, requiring a password to connect. Using a Wi-Fi connection can help reduce your cellular data usage to save on costs, and it's usually faster than a cellular connection.

To connect to a Wi-Fi network

In the App list, tap Settings > Wi-Fi.
Make sure that Wi-Fi networking is set to On .

When it's on, your phone will search for available Wi-Fi networks in the area. If a network is found, you'll see its name listed, along with whether it's an open or secured network.
Tap the network you want to connect to.

Tips

Depending on how your phone is set up by your phone manufacturer or mobile operator, you'll be notified periodically when Wi-Fi networks are available in your area. You can tap these notifications when they appear at the top of the screen, and then choose a network to connect to. If you don't want these notifications to appear, go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap Advanced, and then clear the Notify me when new networks are found check box. When notifications are turned off, you can still check for Wi-Fi networks in Settings > Wi-Fi.
If there aren't any Wi-Fi networks listed when you're somewhere that you expect one or more to appear, turn Wi-Fi networking off, and then turn it back on.
If you're out and looking for Wi-Fi hotspots, tap Find nearby Wi-Fi in Wi-Fi settings. The Data Sense Wi-Fi Guide shows you a map with Wi-Fi hotspots that are nearby. Data Sense is not currently available for all mobile operators.
You can help other Windows Phone users discover nearby Wi-Fi hotspots by opting to automatically send public Wi-Fi connection data to Microsoft. When you participate, your phone will send the network name, service quality, bandwidth, authentication type, and other details of public Wi-Fi networks you connect to. This info is used to identify and increase the visibility of Wi-Fi hotspots near you. If you don't want to participate and send this connection info, in Wi-Fi settings, tap Advanced, and then clear the Send information about Wi-Fi connections to help discover nearby Wi-Fi check box. For more info, see the Windows Phone 8 Privacy Statement.
If you want to connect to a secured network, you might have to enter a user name and a password. If so, tap Done when you're finished.
Before connecting to an enterprise Wi-Fi network, you can have your phone check to make sure the network is your company’s network, and not one that could be harmful that has the same name. Your phone can do this by validating a certificate that's on your company’s server. After validating the certificate, your user name and password are sent to the authentication server, so your phone can connect to the Wi-Fi network. (Before using this feature, you might need to contact your company's support person to find out how to get the right certificate on your phone.) To use this feature, turn on Validate server certificate, tap Choose a certificate, choose the certificate authority that your company uses, and then tap Done.
Some Wi-Fi networks, such as ones you might find in coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, or elsewhere, may require you to enter a password in your web browser before you can connect.
If you want your Wi-Fi connection to stay on even when your screen times out, in Wi-Fi settings, tap Advanced, and then select the Keep Wi-Fi on when the screen times out check box. Your phone can then use a Wi-Fi connection even when the screen is off. This uses battery power, though, so your battery life can be shorter compared to when Wi-Fi turns off when the screen times out. To keep Wi-Fi on when the screen times out, your phone must be running the latest version of the Windows Phone software (OS version 8.0.10211.204). See How do I update my phone software? for more information about how to update your phone.
To disconnect from a network and delete the network settings associated with it on your phone, in Wi-Fi settings, tap and hold the network name, and then tap Delete.
Depending on your mobile operator and how your phone is set up, your phone might automatically connect to Wi-Fi hotspots that are provided by the mobile operator. If you don't want your phone to automatically connect to these kinds of Wi-Fi hotspots, in Wi-Fi settings, tap Advanced, and then clear the Automatically connect to Wi-Fi hotspots check box. (This setting might have a different name depending on your mobile operator.) If you're connected to one of these hotspots and you want to disconnect from it, in Wi-Fi settings, tap and hold the network name, and then tap Disconnect. When you do this, the Automatically connect to Wi-Fi hotspots check box will be cleared, so your phone won't automatically connect to these hotspots anymore.

To connect to a hidden Wi-Fi network

A Wi-Fi network might be hidden, which means the network name isn't broadcasted. A hidden network won't appear in the list of available networks on the Wi-Fi settings screen, and a notification won't appear when the network is in range. To connect to a hidden Wi-Fi network when it's in range, you'll need to enter the network name and password.

In Settings > Wi-Fi, make sure that Wi-Fi networking is set to On , and then tap Advanced.
Tap Add , type the network name in the Network name box, and then tap Add.
On the Sign in screen, type the password in the Password box, and then tap Done.

Note

The network name and password are case-sensitive.

To find the MAC address for your phone

If your Wi-Fi network uses Media Access Control (MAC) address filtering for security, you'll need to know the MAC address for your phone, and then add it to the access list for that network before you can connect.

In the App list, tap Settings > About > More info, and then note the MAC address.

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