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Connecting to a WiFi network

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

To connect to a WiFi network

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

When it's on, your phone will search for available WiFi 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 WiFi networks are available in your area. You can tap these notifications when they appear at the top of the screen, then choose a network to connect to. If you don't want these notifications to appear, go to Settings > WiFi, tap Advanced, then untick the Notify me when new networks are found checkbox. When notifications are turned off, you can still check for WiFi networks in Settings > WiFi.
If there aren't any WiFi networks listed when you're somewhere that you expect one or more to appear, turn WiFi networking off, then turn it back on.
If you're out and looking for WiFi hotspots, tap Find nearby WiFi in WiFi settings. The Data Sense WiFi Guide shows you a map with nearby WiFi hotspots. Data Sense is not currently available for all mobile operators.
You can help other Windows Phone users discover nearby WiFi hotspots by opting to automatically send public WiFi connection data to Microsoft. When you participate, your phone will send the network name, service quality, bandwidth, authentication type and other details of public WiFi networks you connect to. This info is used to identify and increase the visibility of WiFi hotspots near you. If you don't want to participate and send this connection info, in WiFi settings, tap Advanced, then untick the Send information about WiFi connections to help discover nearby WiFi checkbox. 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 username and a password. If so, tap Done when you're finished.
Before connecting to an enterprise WiFi network, you can have your phone check that 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 username and password are sent to the authentication server, so your phone can connect to the WiFi 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, then tap Done.
Some WiFi networks, such as ones you might find in cafes, pubs, hotels or elsewhere, may require you to enter a password in your web browser before you can connect.
If you want your WiFi connection to stay on even when your screen times out, in WiFi settings, tap Advanced, then select the Keep WiFi on when the screen times out checkbox. Your phone can then use a WiFi connection even when the screen is off. This uses battery power, though, so your battery life can be shorter compared to when WiFi turns off when the screen times out. To keep WiFi 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 WiFi settings, tap and hold the network name, then tap Delete.
Depending on your mobile operator and how your phone is set up, your phone might automatically connect to WiFi hotspots that are provided by the mobile operator. If you don't want your phone to automatically connect to these kinds of WiFi hotspots, in WiFi settings, tap Advanced, then untick the Automatically connect to WiFi hotspots checkbox. (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 WiFi settings, tap and hold the network name, then tap Disconnect. When you do this, the Automatically connect to WiFi hotspots checkbox will be cleared, so your phone won't automatically connect to these hotspots anymore.

To connect to a hidden WiFi network

A WiFi 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 WiFi settings screen, and a notification won't appear when the network is in range. To connect to a hidden WiFi network when it's in range, you'll need to enter the network name and password.

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

Note

The network name and password are case sensitive.

To find the MAC address for your phone

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

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

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