Who Needs WiFi?

[Jerry Raia]

I have noticed from time to time people complaining about the lack of WiFi on some Smartphones. My question is this: Do you really need it? Data plans are getting cheaper and most of the time you need to subscribe to someone like T-Mobile to get WiFi in places like Starbucks. The Samsung i607 (http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=78045) resurrected this issue again. Granted WiFi can be much faster but I find myself never missing it. None of the devices I currently own have WiFi. Even at home when I had the 8125 (Pocket PC Phone) which had WiFi I almost never used it. I would enjoy hearing some feedback on this issue.

[Mike Temporale]

I'm guilty of this myself. Back before WiFi was an option, it was a must have for me and I bought the very first phone to hit the streets that offered it. At first, I used it all the time. But after a while I my usage started to drop, and now, I can't even recall the last time I used it.

It's not that I don't like it. I sure do. I wish it was faster and easier to turn on and connect to a hotspot. I also noticed that it would drain my battery pretty quick if I had it on for any length of time.

I voted for nice to have, because I would like the option, but it's not as big a deal as it once was. :?

[palmsolo]

I picked up a SP5m last year that had WiFi and swore I wouldn't get another converged device without it again. While it is cool to have and can be useful at times, after honestly looking at my usage patterns over the last year I rarely use the WiFi radio on the SP5m or my Nokia E61. The only time I use it a log is on the Nokia N91 to download lots of podcasts using their podcatching application for later listening in the vanpool.

I have been using the Samsung i320 for a week now and really don't miss WiFi. If I am going to be at home where I have WiFi then I am going to use my MacBook or my UMPC to surf, email, etc. rather than draining my Smarthones battery.

And now as 3G continues to roll out I seriously think that WiFi can be left out of these phones and more emphasis can be placed on improving battery life.

[HalM]

+1 what Palmsolo said.

I was really excited about having WiFi when I got my SP5. Set it up at home but quickly ask "why?". I had my laptop there. Well then certainly I will use it at clients. There I discovered they may, or may not, want to add my device to their security lists and / or give me a WEP key. WiFi became a real PITA. Keep in mind that I am a business user. All I really want is voice, my Exchange email and some light surfing. Everything else is gravy.

So, given my choice between WiFi and 3G, 3G will win every time.

[qyv42]

One thing overlooked by all posters so far: what if you want data access but have no reception? My house has poor reception with all four major US cellular carriers (yes, I tried them all in the past year), and my workplace has lots of dead zones as well. So WiFi for me isn't about the speed, though that's nice, it's about actually getting connected!

[Jerry Raia]

One thing overlooked by all posters so far: what if you want data access but have no reception? My house has poor reception with all four major US cellular carriers (yes, I tried them all in the past year), and my workplace has lots of dead zones as well. So WiFi for me isn't about the speed, though that's nice, it's about actually getting connected!

Great point. I wonder how many fit into this category.

[MitchellO]

I had the KJAM and SP5, and I loved WiFi in both of them. The main reason behind that is that I didn't have a reasonable GPRS rate, or any kind of data plan, so WiFi was the only way I could do any medium to heavy surfing on my phone. Admittedly, I used WiFi a lot more on my KJAM (and XDA II Mini with SD WiFi) than on the SP5 because of the larger and touchable screen.

I now have a Sony M600i which is good, but I find I am still missing WiFi. Fortunately, my new service provider, 3, offer free email with unlimited number of messages and MB of download (only for email though), which covers the majority of my usage. For surfing mobile PPCT, Gadgeteer or Slashdot, I have a small 10MB data addon for my account ($5 for 10MB, as opposed to pay per kb, which worked out at $40 for 10MB) which suits me fine for the moment.

But I am still looking forward to getting a Windows Mobile Phone (I am hoping on the Hermes atm) with builtin WiFi for the times where I can use it.

[bshpmark]

I thought Wi-Fi would be great. I could connect my in-car laptop to the Internet through it with my SDA. Wrong! I didn't realize until after I bought it that the modem feature would only work over GPRS and EDGE. Plus, I discovered that in many instances, EDGE was actually faster for me than Wi-Fi. So Wi-Fi has become a nice toy to play with when there is nothing else to do. I can take it or leave it.

But for those who actually need it for the connectivity as mentioned above, I can see the need for it.

[HalM]

One thing overlooked by all posters so far: what if you want data access but have no reception? My house has poor reception with all four major US cellular carriers (yes, I tried them all in the past year), and my workplace has lots of dead zones as well. So WiFi for me isn't about the speed, though that's nice, it's about actually getting connected!
I kind of / sort of understand but I look at this differently. WiFi isn't going to get your voice to your phone at home and, I bet, you don't sit around surfing on your phone with WiFi. 3G will be different frequences so hopefully they will improve data reception everywhere.

[cromdubh]

I would miss my wifi....coming in from work very early in the morning its easier to pick up my email from my pda, without having to turn on my pc. Plus I use it for watching movies streamed over my home network....so no wifi...no buy

[Pete Paxton]

I won't buy a device without wifi. We have wifi at work and at home and I use it often. Looking forward to the excalibur/dash specifically because it's a qwerty keyboard with wifi.

[Macguy59]

Great point. I wonder how many fit into this category.

What's the likelyhood that at work or home, the smartphone is your only internet option? I love my Q but I'll take my Macbook Pro over it everyday for browsing.

[Macguy59]

I would miss my wifi....coming in from work very early in the morning its easier to pick up my email from my pda, without having to turn on my pc. Plus I use it for watching movies streamed over my home network....so no wifi...no buy

So the tiny screen of your smartphone is the preferred (only?) method of watching streamed video?

[Mike Temporale]

I would miss my wifi....coming in from work very early in the morning its easier to pick up my email from my pda, without having to turn on my pc. Plus I use it for watching movies streamed over my home network....so no wifi...no buy

So the tiny screen of your smartphone is the preferred (only?) method of watching streamed video?

Actually, that is a good point. If I'm looking to use my slingBox, then WiFi is a great extra. I can do Edge, but it's just not as nice as the higher bandwidth available on WiFi. Installing SlingPlayer on the companies computers may get you in trouble. But running it on your phone is another thing altogether.

[igreen]

Its a "must have" for me. In my previous job I used to travel to the far east on a regular basis. Skype saved me a fortune on calls back to the family in the US. FREE is a much better deal than the $1.29 per minute that T-Mobile wanted to charge me for international roaming.

[qyv42]

Great point. I wonder how many fit into this category.

What's the likelyhood that at work or home, the smartphone is your only internet option? I love my Q but I'll take my Macbook Pro over it everyday for browsing.

I do a lot of browsing and e-mail on my phone at home because it fits in my pocket. I never pull out my laptop and lug it around - way too much trouble for some quick work here and there. In fact, I'm doing this post at home, over WiFi, with my phone "searching...". :)

[alese]

For me it's definatelly nice to have.
I do have WiFi both at home and at work, but I don't use it with my mobile devices nearly as much as I expected. Maybe it's the battery drain but I mauch rather use my notebook.

On the other hand, I still won't buy a new device without WiFi it's just too nice to have it handy.

[Stinger]

I used to think it's important but now T-Mobile offer unlimited data (HSDPA/UMTS/GPRS) for $12 per month in the UK. With unlimited HSDPA, I have no need for WiFi.

[Pete Paxton]

I used to think it's important but now T-Mobile offer unlimited data (HSDPA/UMTS/GPRS) for $12 per month in the UK. With unlimited HSDPA, I have no need for WiFi.

If I could get that kind of speed for that price I would definitely not need wifi. I do use the wifi on my phone everyday. I use it at work to check my email sites that my company blocks. I also use it when my wife and I go to bed. She puts in her "I Love Lucy" dvd and I surf on my phone. If that's not marital bliss, I don't know what is? :D

[AdamaDBrown]

WiFi isn't going to get your voice to your phone at home

VoIP.

3G will be different frequences so hopefully they will improve data reception everywhere.

Unlikely. Frequencies get weaker in terms of range and penetration the higher they get. 3G is going to use 1700/2100. So it will probably have around the same range as a 1900 MHz tower like T-Mobile or Sprint.

Stinger; it would probably be less important to the rest of us, too, if only we had an option, any option, for 3G. :lol:

[zerowind]

WiFi is a must for me.

I will admit when I first got my tornado my first thought was "Wifi? Nice but I don't think I'll need it" That was however B.S. (Before Slingbox)

Once I starting using Slingplayer mobile, wifi became a blessing when it was available. For those who think watching TV on a small screen is unbearable, it really isn't once you've got the sound turned up loud (loud enough to fill a small room) It works great as a makeshift kitchen table TV when you're in the middle of watching a show and want to get something to eat. Just turn on slingplayer mobile and walk to the kitchen with the show playing in your hand. Set it on the counter while you get the food out of the fridge, bring it over to the table and prop it up while you eat. Convenient.

The other thing I use slingplayer mobile for is simply connecting to my DVR to record a program I forgot to schedule. Very handy.

In the US, even with 3G (which T-Mo of course doesnt have ready yet) there is the issue of coverage *and* reliablility. I get EDGE in most places I go during the week. However sometimes it's unbearably slow. And sometimes it's down completely. I expect we'll see similiar issues once 3G rolls out. In these situations, it is nice to have wifi as a backup.

I can understand if a phone is manufactured without wifi (like the Samsung i320) However when a phone *does* originally come with wifi and a carrier removes it, that's something I can't stomach. Like Cingular for instance and the upcoming i600. Reports so far are that Wifi has been removed. Carriers that cripple features on a phone like BT tethering and something as useful as wifi to get more revenue by encouraging (forcing) data plan signups will never get my business.

Thank goodness T-Mo USA doesn't do anything like that --yet. However with what they spent on recent AWS spectrum, I wouldn't be surprised if they try something like that to boost data plan sales...

I reallly hope not.

[Kris Kumar]

WiFi for data access is not the primary reason why I would like to have WiFi.

For me WiFi helps me connect with my home network, access files and especially on the work network, I can access Intranet sites and servers. This is something that the carrier's data network will not let me do, unless I open up the firewall.

[freemans]

Think of SkyPe, WIFI is nice. besides, you can get online much cheaper while you are in the hotel, airport, library,... think of that how much you are going to pay to for ringing China from London by direct dail and how much for GPRS internet connection. 8O

[JackmanL]

Like previous responders, I too find WiFi a necessity rather than an obscure sales gimmick. I am often in areas where cell coverage is poor or nonexistent where I travel. However, most of my clients have WiFi in their buildings and campuses. In addition, most hotels now provide WiFi as an amenity. The only difficulty or annoyance associated with using WiFi is having to continually reset the connection settings using the WM5 operating system on my Cingular 8125 phone. It would be nice if the powers to be made using WiFi an automated seamless feature.