WiFi management

[Arvind Kandaswamy]

Sometimes when the WiFi signal is weak I tend to turn off the WiFi so I can continue to use the phone using the cellphone data connection. But then I forget to turn on the WiFi once I reach a good connection area. Is there an app that let's me manage the WiFi connection wisely? Say the connection is prioritized based on WiFi strength?

 

[SpookDroid]

You can turn Smart Network Switch ON and that should do the trick. Whenever the phone 'senses' the WiFi connection isn't up to par, it'll switch to mobile data, and when it thinks WiFi is reliable again, it falls back to that.

Please note that if you have a carrier-branded phone, the carrier might have opted to disable/remove this feature from the phone and you might not see it in the settings.

 

[Arvind Kandaswamy]

I have Verizon. Of course it's blocked.

 

[Arvind Kandaswamy]

Thanks anyway.

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

I'm on Sprint and this feature is available. This should come in handy when I'm outside and 4G is better.

 

[bweave17]

I am on Verizon and it is enabled.

 

[bhameyedoc]

I have Verizon. Of course it's blocked.

I have Verizon, and it is enabled. Settings - Wifi - More - Advanced - Smart Network Switch

 

[Arvind Kandaswamy]

I stand corrected. I do see it. First I searched for this option under settings and I could not find it. Now I am able to see it by going into Advanced as suggested above. Guess two things I learnt today. Thanks all!

 

[SpookDroid]

There you go! Thanks everyone who confirmed the Verizon option!

 

[acles003]

Isn't smart switch a battery drain and can cause you to go over your data limit if you think you are on WiFi but using your data instead?

 

[SpookDroid]

Not a battery drain unless you're constantly changing networks (in which case you really should be sticking to mobile data if WiFi is too spotty), and that's why they do give that very warning about mobile data when you turn it on. But if you're on an unlimited plan or just have to have a good connection, Smart Switch is the way to go.

 

[Arvind Kandaswamy]

Personally, I am not too concerned with battery. Note 5 battery is really amazing and it lasts almost a full day for me. I also have three fast chargers. One is plugged in my homeoffice, a wireless one by the bedside and the third one in my car. They charge superfast and I rarely have downtime due to charging. The tech advancements are really unbelievable!

Now the data limit can be tricky. In my case, last month I disabled wifi since the signal was weak. I forgot to turn back on when I reached home for few days in a row. Paid for 2 gigs at $15 each. I guess it is a trade off one way or other.

 

[SpookDroid]

Ouch!

Well, if data caps are an issue, I strongly suggest you set up a limit. You can either set up a warning level (your phone will continue to use data regardless, but at least you'll know you're approaching your quota) or set up a cut-off limit (your phone will disable mobile data automatically if you reach that amount of data used; you can set the cut-off date, too).

 

[Arvind Kandaswamy]

Verizon sends me an alert when it is at 90%. Somehow I missed it first time. Then second time I had to do a factory restore at the Verizon store and the restore was happening while I was coming back home so the whole restore happened on the data plan. A very expensive lesson learnt.