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Welcome to the "Android tablet: Connecting to Wi-Fi and exploring network settings" course. You'll learn how to connect your tablet to a Wi-Fi network and discover some other network connection options.
There are many types of Android tablets. If your Android tablet is a different model to the one shown in this demonstration, the steps might be slightly different, but you can still follow along.
Most of the things you do on your tablet require an internet connection. You'll need to be connected to the internet to install apps, search the web, receive notifications, send and receive messages and emails, and many other things. Some models of tablet use a SIM and the mobile data network to connect to the internet just like a mobile phone. But all tablets let you connect to a Wi-Fi network, so we'll focus on that in this demonstration. To check whether your tablet is already connected to a Wi-Fi network, look closely at the top right of your screen. If you can see the Wi-Fi symbol here, your tablet is already connected to a Wi-Fi network. The steps in this video might still come in handy if you ever need to connect to a different Wi-Fi, such as at your local library or café, so you might still want to follow along. If you can't see a Wi-Fi symbol in the top right of your screen, you'll need to connect to a Wi-Fi network.
Let's do that now. Wi-Fi is part of your tablet's connection settings. To find these, swipe up from the bottom of the home screen to go to the app screen. Then find the settings app. It's the icon that looks like a cog wheel. Now, tap on it. On the left of the screen, the Connections option will be highlighted, and a list of settings will display on the right. Right at the top, you can see Wi-Fi. If the switch is grey, you won't be able to connect to a Wi-Fi network, so tap it to turn Wi-Fi on. Once turned on, the switch will move to the right and turn blue. To see a list of Wi-Fi networks, tap on Wi-Fi. Even if you're at home, you might see several networks listed. These might be your neighbour's Wi-Fi or nearby public networks such as a library, café, or shopping centre.
Let's look at some of the icons that appear to the left of a network's name. The padlock icon means a Wi-Fi network is protected by a password. This is known as a secure network. If you don't see a padlock, the Wi-Fi network is not protected by a password. This is known as an unsecure network.
[eSafety tip] Some free public Wi-Fi networks don't require passwords, so they're not secure. You shouldn't use any public Wi-Fi for online banking and other tasks that involve your personal details even if the network requires a password.
Find the name of your home Wi-Fi network in the list and tap it. A window pops up and asks you to enter the Wi-Fi password. Take care when doing this, because you need to match the capital and lowercase letters in the password exactly, or it won't work. If you tap the icon that looks like an eye with a stroke through it, the password is displayed as you type it in, which can make things a bit easier.
An important feature is Auto reconnect, and it should be turned on already. It means your tablet will automatically try to reconnect to the Wi-Fi network instead of you needing to enter the password every time.
When you've added your password and confirmed Auto reconnect, tap Connect. Your tablet will then connect to Wi-Fi. This can take a few moments and you'll know it's finished connecting when the word Connected appears under your home Wi-Fi name in the list. Look for the Wi-Fi symbol in the top right of the screen. This symbol will remain visible no matter what you're doing on your tablet.
If the icon shows three solid curves, it means you have a full-strength connection. If some of the curved lines in the Wi-Fi symbol are grey, the connection is weaker. Your internet connection will still work with a weaker connection, but some content, especially movies and TV shows might not play smoothly. You might need to take the tablet closer to the Wi-Fi router to try and get a stronger connection.
You can always turn Wi-Fi on and off from the switch at the top right of the Wi-Fi setting screen. But we are going to show you another faster way to do this using the Quick Settings menu. You can open Quick Settings at any time, regardless of which app you have open.
To open Quick Settings on your tablet, swipe down from the top of the screen. The swipe should always begin with your finger in the bezel, which is the area that surrounds the screen. At the top left of Quick Settings, you'll see a row of icons that control some common settings. The Wi-Fi icon is on the left of this group. When the icon is blue, the Wi-Fi setting is switched on and the tablet is connected to a Wi-Fi network. To switch off Wi-Fi and disconnect from this network, simply tap the icon. The Wi-Fi icon is now grey, which means that the Wi-Fi setting is switched off and the tablet is not connected to Wi-Fi. To turn Wi-Fi back on, simply tap the icon once more. When the icon is blue, the tablet has automatically reconnected to the Wi-Fi network.
Let's look at a few other wireless connection settings. in Quick Settings.
The Bluetooth icon is marked with the Bluetooth symbol. If you have connected a Bluetooth device to your tablet such as wireless headphones, you can tap this icon to switch your Bluetooth connection off and on.
The icon that looks like a plane represents Flight mode or Aeroplane mode. Tap this icon to turn this setting on and your tablet will disconnect from all wireless connections, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Tap anywhere outside the group of icons to close Quick Settings. To connect your tablet to a different Wi-Fi such as a network at a café or library, simply find the name of the network in the list and tap it. You might need to enter the café's Wi-Fi password if they have one. And tap Connect to join the new network.
Your tablet will remember every Wi-Fi network you join and will automatically join that network whenever you're in range. It will even remember the password of a secure network, so you don't have to re-enter your password each time you join. This can be handy for your home Wi-Fi, but you might not want to automatically re-join a café's Wi-Fi each time you're in range.
Let's look at how to forget a Wi-Fi network. Find the Wi-Fi network name near the top of the screen under Current network. This is the network that the tablet is currently connected to. Tap the cog wheel to see some options. At the bottom of the screen is a bin icon and the word "Forget". Tap on it. Your tablet has now disconnected from the network and will not automatically reconnect to it when you are within range. If you want to reconnect to the Wi-Fi network, you'll need to tap its name in the list and follow the steps presented earlier to manually reconnect to it. For now, we'll tap the Home button to return to the Home screen.
You've now completed the course and learned all about your tablet's Wi-Fi network connection. If you are unsure about any steps, you can rewind the video or click the chapter headings to jump to the start of a chapter.
If you're ready to move on, there are many other courses to explore on Be Connected.