Use Wi-Fi Sense to get connected

Wi-Fi Sense automatically connects you to nearby Wi-Fi networks, helping you save your cellular data for when you really need it and giving you more Internet connectivity options. Wi-Fi Sense can do a lot of things for you to get you connected to the Internet using Wi-Fi, so you don't have to do them on your own. These include:

Automatically connecting you to crowdsourced open Wi-Fi networks it knows about.
Accepting a Wi-Fi network's terms of use on your behalf and providing additional info for you to networks that require it.
Letting you exchange password-protected Wi-Fi network access with your contacts to give and get Internet access without seeing each other's Wi-Fi network passwords.

You can have it do all of these things, some of them, or none at all. That's up to you.

To learn how to use Wi-Fi Sense and get going, read on. If you want more detailed info before you get started, check out the Wi-Fi Sense FAQ.

Get connected to Wi-Fi hotspots automatically

Wi-Fi Sense can automatically connect you to open Wi-Fi networks that other Windows Phone users have crowdsourced by connecting to them. These are typically open Wi-Fi hotspots you see when you're out and about. When one of these crowdsourced hotspots is in range, Wi-Fi Sense can connect you to it automatically to give you Internet access. When you first set up your phone, you can determine if you want Wi-Fi Sense to do this, and you can change this setting any time you want.

To learn more about how Wi-Fi Sense finds open Wi-Fi hotspots, what information is sent when you connect to one, and things to consider when you're connected to an open Wi-Fi hotspot, check out the Wi-Fi Sense FAQ.

To automatically connect to open Wi-Fi hotspots

In the App list, go to Settings > Wi-Fi > Wi-Fi Sense.
Turn on Connect to Wi-Fi hotspots .
When an open Wi-Fi hotspot that Wi-Fi Sense knows about is in range, your phone will automatically connect to it to give you Internet access.

To have Wi-Fi Sense accept terms of use and provide additional info when required

Some Wi-Fi hotspots ask you to accept the terms of use in a web browser, provide additional information, or do both before you can connect. Wi-Fi Sense can do these things on your behalf to get you connected quickly. You can determine what information does or doesn't get provided and change your settings at any time.

In the App list, go to Settings > Wi-Fi > Wi-Fi Sense. If you want Wi-Fi Sense to accept the network's terms of use on your behalf in order to connect, select the Accept terms of use for me when required check box.

If you don't want Wi-Fi Sense to accept the terms of use or provide additional info on your behalf, clear the check box. You can still connect to the open network if you want, but first you'll need to go to your web browser and accept the terms of use and provide any additional info manually.
Select or clear the Provide a name, email, or phone number when required check box.
When selected, Wi-Fi Sense will provide the info you specify when a network asks for it in order to connect. (The network operator's use of this info is subject to their own privacy practices.) You can choose which info gets provided or not by tapping Edit info, and then editing the info there. Go to the next step for more info.
If you clear the check box, your phone won't automatically connect to hotspots that require additional information. You can still connect, but you'll need to go to your web browser and enter the information there manually.
To edit the info that gets provided to a network that asks for it, under Edit info, select or clear any of the check boxes—Phone number, Name, or Email address—depending on what info you do or don't want to provide.
To change the info Wi-Fi Sense provides, tap the corresponding box and type a new phone number, name, or email address if you want, and then tap Done.

Exchange Wi-Fi network access with contacts

You can share access to password-protected Wi-Fi networks to give your Facebook friends, Outlook.com contacts, or Skype contacts Internet access without seeing each other's Wi-Fi network passwords. Your contacts and friends then get automatically connected to the Wi-Fi network you share if they're using Wi-Fi Sense on their Windows Phone. Likewise, your phone will automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks they share with you to give you Internet access.

Some other important things to know beforehand—you choose if you want to share when you first connect to a Wi-Fi network, and you and your contacts give and get Internet access only. For more detailed info about how it works and what's shared, see the Wi-Fi Sense FAQ.

To share Wi-Fi network access with your contacts

In the App list, go to Settings > Wi-Fi > Wi-Fi Sense, and then turn on Share Wi-Fi networks I select .

When this is turned on, you'll also get connected to password-protected Wi-Fi networks that your contacts using Wi-Fi Sense share with you to give you Internet access.
Select one or more of these check boxes—Outlook.com contacts, Skype contacts, or Facebook friends—depending on which groups of contacts you want to share networks with.
When you connect to a password-protected Wi-Fi network later on, select the Share network with my contacts check box if you want to share that network.
For contacts in the group or groups you chose, Microsoft will share access to that network if they're using Wi-Fi Sense on their Windows Phones. It can be a few days between the time you share the network and the time your contacts can connect to it. For more detailed info about sharing Wi-Fi network access, see the Wi-Fi Sense FAQ.

Friday, February 5, 2016