If you wish to play before setting up your google account, just push the home button to skip initial set up....
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Can't Activate without Wi-Fi?
- Thread starter bobvanjr
- Start date
Hichris, It would if I could find "WiFi Only" anywhere on the box or the packaging mine came in?
Where does it say that?
Cheers Jonrig
No, 99% of people have access to WiFi, most of them at home. You are in the minority apparently. Doesn't make Google morons. Makes you a bit behind the times is all.
You need to drop the attitude. You didn't do your homework before you bought your device. That's no one's fault but yours. Had you at least read the dang product description on the site or at the store you'd have seen it's a WiFi only device. Seriously, enough already.
Jonrig,
I had the same problem. I opened my gift from my SO and was immediately puzzled. He said he had looked at a number of tablets and picked this. What I really need is a smart phone so I didn't see much benefit in having a tablet with wifi only.
I had to work Christmas so I took it into work and plugged it in. It never showed any indication that it was charging and sat there in total black for half my shift. After 4 hours I finally guessed it had to be charged. I turned it on. It immediately began to search for a wifi that wasn't there, I don't have access at work. As soon as it couldn't find wifi, it shut off. This went on like this for another hour.
And, in fact, even when I got it home, this is all it did for days. We have wifi at home but I was never able to "find" it, and it would just shut down when it couldn't find it. I just wanted to look at "something" on it to see what it was like. Finally I just tossed it, it was taking too much of my time trying to use it.
After two weeks it "reappeared" again, my SO rescuing it from the bin, and he had somehow managed to get it into the wifi. But the next problem was that it wanted user name and password for Google and refused to budge from that screen. I setup a gmail account a long time ago but I have not been able to remember the password for at least a half year. All my attempts to get the password changed by Google or to get into my calendar have been futile. So I don't have access. It's not my primary email account. After wasting another couple of hours trying to set that up, I gave up. Google's help files can be cryptic and information is spread all over the place.
Now, nearly a month after Christmas I have wasted hours of my time trying to do "anything" with it. Last night I spent 2 hours to see if I could download an epub book from the library. The library guide said that I should download their app but didn't give a link or explain what I was looking for other than an "app." I use Adobe Digital Edition on my desktop, perhaps this is what I was looking for? Eventually I was looking at a book on the Nexus using an unnamed library app. The first thing I have been able to do since Christmas Day. The reader is screwed up and I have to keep dragging the page from side to side to read each line. At 3 am I had enough of being asked if I allow it to keep a check on every activity I do. I got sick of saying "no."
Finally today, after days of searching Google, (on my desktop computer) I found the 140 page user manual for the Nexus. (Really, searching the internet on this tablet is like trying to pick up little pieces of spilled rice on the countertop since I haven't found the instructions how to use the touch screen on the tablet yet.) I keep reading references to the "Welcome Screen." Gosh I would love to look at that. As far as I can tell, the only time you get to see this is the first time you actually can use the tablet and since my SO managed to finally unlock this, he probably saw it. It's like missing the first half hour of a Jason Bourne movie.
Honestly, I wish the authors had organized the material better. I can't tell what things I can do without using wifi. If it needs wifi, well I don't have it at work, not in the car, nor at my vacation home. Do the calendar, address book and the alarm work without wifi? Where are they, can't seem to find them anyway. Can it connect with my computer and share my calendar with it? How do I get books and music off my computer onto it? My life is so busy I just don't have time to read 140 pages of instructions. I can't remember when I last had time to sit in a coffee shop and drink a cup of coffee.
If it was intended to improve my productivity, well I just don't get it. Without 24/7 wifi access there doesn't seem to be an impelling use for this device. I think the Google instructions/manual are intentionally obtuse and don't take the least experienced users into consideration. There should be a simple way to replay the Welcome instructions. It seems that without viewing them a new user wouldn't know how to use the screen properly. There should be instructions what to do if it can't connect to a wifi instead of just shutting off. There should be options to help you if you don't have a working google account.
I remember when a new version of Word came out. It was frustrating trying to find all the essential menu items I was used to such as FILE, OPEN, SAVE AS, PRINT, etc. My SO told me to get over it. It took me quite a while to figure out it was all hidden under the Word logo in the upper left hand corner. He thought that was a hoot. That was until about 3 weeks later when he emailed frantically from work. Did I know how to change line spacing? Well, in fact I had spent a significant amount of time to find that just a few days before and I knew exactly where it was. He was befuddled at how complex they had made simple tasks. We are both certified in Microsoft server, network and email products. We have seen MS make busy work for the admin for years. It always filters down to the users making their workload complicated. This tablet reminds me of that engineering overconfidence in a product. If you can't get it turned on right out of the box, then something needs to be changed.
I had the same problem. I opened my gift from my SO and was immediately puzzled. He said he had looked at a number of tablets and picked this. What I really need is a smart phone so I didn't see much benefit in having a tablet with wifi only.
I had to work Christmas so I took it into work and plugged it in. It never showed any indication that it was charging and sat there in total black for half my shift. After 4 hours I finally guessed it had to be charged. I turned it on. It immediately began to search for a wifi that wasn't there, I don't have access at work. As soon as it couldn't find wifi, it shut off. This went on like this for another hour.
And, in fact, even when I got it home, this is all it did for days. We have wifi at home but I was never able to "find" it, and it would just shut down when it couldn't find it. I just wanted to look at "something" on it to see what it was like. Finally I just tossed it, it was taking too much of my time trying to use it.
After two weeks it "reappeared" again, my SO rescuing it from the bin, and he had somehow managed to get it into the wifi. But the next problem was that it wanted user name and password for Google and refused to budge from that screen. I setup a gmail account a long time ago but I have not been able to remember the password for at least a half year. All my attempts to get the password changed by Google or to get into my calendar have been futile. So I don't have access. It's not my primary email account. After wasting another couple of hours trying to set that up, I gave up. Google's help files can be cryptic and information is spread all over the place.
Now, nearly a month after Christmas I have wasted hours of my time trying to do "anything" with it. Last night I spent 2 hours to see if I could download an epub book from the library. The library guide said that I should download their app but didn't give a link or explain what I was looking for other than an "app." I use Adobe Digital Edition on my desktop, perhaps this is what I was looking for? Eventually I was looking at a book on the Nexus using an unnamed library app. The first thing I have been able to do since Christmas Day. The reader is screwed up and I have to keep dragging the page from side to side to read each line. At 3 am I had enough of being asked if I allow it to keep a check on every activity I do. I got sick of saying "no."
Finally today, after days of searching Google, (on my desktop computer) I found the 140 page user manual for the Nexus. (Really, searching the internet on this tablet is like trying to pick up little pieces of spilled rice on the countertop since I haven't found the instructions how to use the touch screen on the tablet yet.) I keep reading references to the "Welcome Screen." Gosh I would love to look at that. As far as I can tell, the only time you get to see this is the first time you actually can use the tablet and since my SO managed to finally unlock this, he probably saw it. It's like missing the first half hour of a Jason Bourne movie.
Honestly, I wish the authors had organized the material better. I can't tell what things I can do without using wifi. If it needs wifi, well I don't have it at work, not in the car, nor at my vacation home. Do the calendar, address book and the alarm work without wifi? Where are they, can't seem to find them anyway. Can it connect with my computer and share my calendar with it? How do I get books and music off my computer onto it? My life is so busy I just don't have time to read 140 pages of instructions. I can't remember when I last had time to sit in a coffee shop and drink a cup of coffee.
If it was intended to improve my productivity, well I just don't get it. Without 24/7 wifi access there doesn't seem to be an impelling use for this device. I think the Google instructions/manual are intentionally obtuse and don't take the least experienced users into consideration. There should be a simple way to replay the Welcome instructions. It seems that without viewing them a new user wouldn't know how to use the screen properly. There should be instructions what to do if it can't connect to a wifi instead of just shutting off. There should be options to help you if you don't have a working google account.
I remember when a new version of Word came out. It was frustrating trying to find all the essential menu items I was used to such as FILE, OPEN, SAVE AS, PRINT, etc. My SO told me to get over it. It took me quite a while to figure out it was all hidden under the Word logo in the upper left hand corner. He thought that was a hoot. That was until about 3 weeks later when he emailed frantically from work. Did I know how to change line spacing? Well, in fact I had spent a significant amount of time to find that just a few days before and I knew exactly where it was. He was befuddled at how complex they had made simple tasks. We are both certified in Microsoft server, network and email products. We have seen MS make busy work for the admin for years. It always filters down to the users making their workload complicated. This tablet reminds me of that engineering overconfidence in a product. If you can't get it turned on right out of the box, then something needs to be changed.
If you are having router troubles you are not alone. If you have a Win 7 or Win 8 machine with a wifi card or a recent laptop connected to internet you might be able to use Connectify which is a software program that generates a wifi hot spot. Will they let you do this at work? Or else get a cheap travel router. Of course you could trade it in on a N7 equipped with a phone card. Agree that the manual is tedious. Some help videos would be useful. Both Google and Amazon want you to be connected to their clouds so you can spend money. The N7 will allow you to do quite a bit off line. It allows you to use the USB port with the app Media Importer to read and play content off flash drives. It can't compete with a desktop for heavy lifting.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums
Last edited:
jpash549, Thank you for the quick response
I have read forums where people are discussing the N7 not being recognized on a home wireless. I think that is exactly the same problem we had but that is resolved now. I did ask early on about trading it in so I could use it with a phone plan but really the better thing to do is have a cell plan with a data add on, so I need to upgrade to a smart phone at this point. That's a lot more money every month so I am thinking it over carefully. There are many folks at work who would like to use the wifi in the building but management is not giving up that password because, honestly, they don't want people wasting time on their tablets. Our corporate broadband is so overloaded that it bogs down people who are actually working.
I commute an hour a day and I like the idea of having books on the tablet that I can play with Ivona (text to speech) while driving but then be able to continue reading off the tablet at home. To do this with library ePub books I need to find a way to remove the DRM restrictions so I can read the book in another reader that is compatible with Ivona. I've loaded Moon Reader in preparation. Now I am exploring Calibre which is supposed to be able to strip the DRM. But it seems that it may have to be loaded on the desktop and then the book, once stripped, is somehow added to the tablet and then opened in Moon Reader.
Thank you for the information about the usb and Media Importer, I will read up on that today.
I have read forums where people are discussing the N7 not being recognized on a home wireless. I think that is exactly the same problem we had but that is resolved now. I did ask early on about trading it in so I could use it with a phone plan but really the better thing to do is have a cell plan with a data add on, so I need to upgrade to a smart phone at this point. That's a lot more money every month so I am thinking it over carefully. There are many folks at work who would like to use the wifi in the building but management is not giving up that password because, honestly, they don't want people wasting time on their tablets. Our corporate broadband is so overloaded that it bogs down people who are actually working.
I commute an hour a day and I like the idea of having books on the tablet that I can play with Ivona (text to speech) while driving but then be able to continue reading off the tablet at home. To do this with library ePub books I need to find a way to remove the DRM restrictions so I can read the book in another reader that is compatible with Ivona. I've loaded Moon Reader in preparation. Now I am exploring Calibre which is supposed to be able to strip the DRM. But it seems that it may have to be loaded on the desktop and then the book, once stripped, is somehow added to the tablet and then opened in Moon Reader.
Thank you for the information about the usb and Media Importer, I will read up on that today.
I managed to work around this problem by using my mobile phone, HTC One X.
I'm not sure if this option is available to all the modern android smart-phones but the One X comes with an option to use the actual phone as a Wi-Fi Hotspot. You turn on your 3G Network and then turn on the phone as a Wi-Fi Hotspot, and by doing this I was actually able to connect my N7 to my phone and have an internet connection to get past all the infuriating set-up steps.
Once I was logged in I just shut down the 3G and Hotspot from my phone. Once the set-up was completed on the N7 I was actually able to use a wi-fi network that the set-up wouldn't let me use, which was incredibly weird. During set-up It just wouldn't connect to it, but after set-up it worked fine?.
Anyway, my phone gave me the solution, but that obviously assumes you have a pretty expensive smart phone.
I'm not sure if this option is available to all the modern android smart-phones but the One X comes with an option to use the actual phone as a Wi-Fi Hotspot. You turn on your 3G Network and then turn on the phone as a Wi-Fi Hotspot, and by doing this I was actually able to connect my N7 to my phone and have an internet connection to get past all the infuriating set-up steps.
Once I was logged in I just shut down the 3G and Hotspot from my phone. Once the set-up was completed on the N7 I was actually able to use a wi-fi network that the set-up wouldn't let me use, which was incredibly weird. During set-up It just wouldn't connect to it, but after set-up it worked fine?.
Anyway, my phone gave me the solution, but that obviously assumes you have a pretty expensive smart phone.
i signed up just to send this reply!
wifi only means no 3g / 4g B.S. ... wifi required is what we want printed on the box!
"only" and "required" are 2 different words, but if you can't tell the difference you might have trouble reading my post!
my network has wpa2 and mac filtering enabled... also i have several "decoy" network routers just randomly online... most are password protected varying from wep to wpa2 so if anyone wants to try hacking me, they will get allot of frustration in the process...
I also don't actively use my wifi as gigibit networking is superior... (soon to be 10 gigabit networking for all those making claims about 802.11ac/ad's superiority)
my friends sell me their "google / android" hand-me-downs (their old devices) so i never had to initially configure them but i almost never use them (except to show friends) and never put them online... for 20 dollars its not a bad deal... i keep them with the battery removed also, in case they randomly turn on and start demonically causing trouble like my tracphone does... (it randomly turns on from my pocket and dials emergency almost daily when i keep it on me, samsung btw... 3rd one, each of a different model, that does it)
i agree, the user experience is terrible / as bad as windows vista/7/8 another failure similar to ribbon/toolbar and active directory (which is not as active and instant as it claims to be) of microsofty...
it seems like no company will sit down and test out their products right anymore.. maybe they got so many newbees / right-outta-college techs they don't bother checking everything a user does before shipping...
or maybe they take valid concerns and take it as a "personal attack" (waahh, u dnt like my idea) or as someone "trying to hinder innovation"
how about this one then,
we can all just re-install our desktop's OS every startup so noone will get viruses and call customer support,
we can fire all them guys to save some cash, and if noone likes the changes, we will say they don't like innovation and always want to live in the past...
to bad windows xp wouldn't load on one of these androids without emulation bcuz i would be using these devices allot more if it did!
I can't believe I'm doing this...
I suppose it would be nice if you could get past the setup wizard without having to connect to wifi...though honestly, I'm not really sure what exactly the tablet would be good for without it. I believe Apple products are the same way. They used to require iTunes to activate, though I'm pretty sure they can now do it wirelessly, but you do have to activate the device before using (correct me if I'm wrong).
I tried to hack you for several hours last night, but failed miserably...you must be doing something right.
True...for connections *inside* your network. Once you need to get to anything outside of your network you're going to be throttled by the speed of your Internet connection...which probably isn't much better than 802.11g speeds anyway.
I just keep my phones in a lead-lined bin, you can never be too careful.
I don't think Active Directory is what you think it is.
I hear MS is now just cloning techs from some guy named Dave they hired in 90's and he wasn't that great to begin with...explains a lot.
Actually, a lot of companies do this using a virtual desktop environment
XP 4 Life!!!1!
I suppose it would be nice if you could get past the setup wizard without having to connect to wifi...though honestly, I'm not really sure what exactly the tablet would be good for without it. I believe Apple products are the same way. They used to require iTunes to activate, though I'm pretty sure they can now do it wirelessly, but you do have to activate the device before using (correct me if I'm wrong).
I tried to hack you for several hours last night, but failed miserably...you must be doing something right.
True...for connections *inside* your network. Once you need to get to anything outside of your network you're going to be throttled by the speed of your Internet connection...which probably isn't much better than 802.11g speeds anyway.
I just keep my phones in a lead-lined bin, you can never be too careful.
I don't think Active Directory is what you think it is.
I hear MS is now just cloning techs from some guy named Dave they hired in 90's and he wasn't that great to begin with...explains a lot.
Actually, a lot of companies do this using a virtual desktop environment
XP 4 Life!!!1!
Ntchwaidumela
Well-known member
I just looked at the manual and read this:
Set up your tablet
To turn on your Nexus 7, press the Power button on the right edge
near the top for a few seconds, then release it.
The first time you turn on the tablet, you?ll see a Welcome screen.
? To choose a different language, touch the menu.
? To continue, touch the Play icon and follow the instructions.
IMPORTANT: You must have a Wi-Fi connection to complete the setup process.
When prompted, you can sign in with your Google Account or create one at that time. You can also choose to skip this step and
create one later.
Set up your tablet
To turn on your Nexus 7, press the Power button on the right edge
near the top for a few seconds, then release it.
The first time you turn on the tablet, you?ll see a Welcome screen.
? To choose a different language, touch the menu.
? To continue, touch the Play icon and follow the instructions.
IMPORTANT: You must have a Wi-Fi connection to complete the setup process.
When prompted, you can sign in with your Google Account or create one at that time. You can also choose to skip this step and
create one later.
Even on my 3G capable N7, I had to setup first using WiFi and then create my account with T-Mobile.
I believe even if the OP had bought a WiFi only iPad, it would have needed to be connected to a computer and a WiFi connection to even activate.
I believe even if the OP had bought a WiFi only iPad, it would have needed to be connected to a computer and a WiFi connection to even activate.
Totally.
Why can't we use this device without wifi if we so choose?
It seems like a big-brother type pf thing.
I should just be able to use this device for local uses if I so choose.
Seems too fishy to me.
But where can we get a device that does not force us to be connected?
Apple and microsoft are the same.
I even had to connect to my facebook account to write this post.
Beware things to come, people.
DEMAND as the consumer that this device be able to be used without wifi.
It's a time-consuming and complicated process to get the wifi to work.
Also, once wifi is connected you can bypass, BUT a good computer-user can gain access whenever they want.
Also microphones and cameras can be remotely enabled without your knowing.
So what gives? Just when is the consumer in control of their own products?
Why can't we use this device without wifi if we so choose?
It seems like a big-brother type pf thing.
I should just be able to use this device for local uses if I so choose.
Seems too fishy to me.
But where can we get a device that does not force us to be connected?
Apple and microsoft are the same.
I even had to connect to my facebook account to write this post.
Beware things to come, people.
DEMAND as the consumer that this device be able to be used without wifi.
It's a time-consuming and complicated process to get the wifi to work.
Also, once wifi is connected you can bypass, BUT a good computer-user can gain access whenever they want.
Also microphones and cameras can be remotely enabled without your knowing.
So what gives? Just when is the consumer in control of their own products?
Mine works fine without WiFi. I have used it to read ebooks and play games in airplanes and at the beach with zero connection to the internet.
This behavior might not be so bad on a WiFi only tablet, but I bought my Nexus 7 with 3G just so I could use it without WiFi because I don't have access to WiFi. It is so retarded to have a working 3G connection active and still be forced to latch onto a WiFi network just to switch it on the first time.
I have a ZTE phone and it wont let me skip past the wifi thing and everytime i try to connect to the wifi no wifi names come up and i am super confused.
I haven't done much testing to see for sure what screens or OS versions this will work on but I just managed to find the BYPASS internet connection for the initial setup of Nougat 7.1.1. On one of the setup wizard screens (there are only two or three including WiFi), I began at the lower left corner of the screen and traced around the outside of the screen in a clockwise motion back to the lower left.... BAM!! I'm in!!
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