Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

Newbie so pardon the abundance of questions lately :)

1. How come I can't use my WiFi connection when I turn off data services
2. When BIS and WiFi are ON, how do I know which connection I am using
3. When I download apps from AppWorld or use BBM, FB, Email or YM, what connection am I using if both ore turned ON

I would like to use my WiFi connection when at home and not use BIS traffic.

Thanks a lot !

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

1- Wifi should work if set up properly, it should show at the top of your home screen on the device as Vodafone - (wifi network name)
2- with the Torch's 6.0 OS it should automatically switch over when wifi is enabled, providing you have it set to wifi prefered under thye mobile network options, in manage conenctions
3- most of the apps will need to have the provisioning but will operate with wifi if properly provisioned.

to make sure that it is running properly make sure that under mobile network options it is set to wifi prefered

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

1 - When you turn off data services, you turn off data services.

Your BlackBerry accesses the voice "network" and the data "network" (leaving aside bluetooth device pairing). Data (internet and BlackBerry services) can be accessed through the mobile network or through a wifi connection. You can turn off mobile, or wifi, or both in manage connections. (When you turn of mobile, you turn off voice, too, unless you have UMA and wifi is on). When you turn off data services in option, you turn off ALL data.

2 - Generally speaking, if mobile network and wifi are enabled, the device will use wifi. If you have UMA (look it up) there will be a "preferred connection" option in which you can set wifi preferred. However, some user's have reported that the BlackBerry will sometimes "drop" some data onto the mobile network even when wifi is enabled. The only way to be sure all data goes through wifi is to disable mobile network.

3 - See #2.

Turn wifi on when you want to use it, or leave it on all the time and the device will switch to wifi automatically when you are in range of a saved wifi profile. If you wander into a hotspot zone, the BlackBerry will prompt you if wifi is on and you have set the BlackBerry to prompt you that it detects a hotspot.

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

I tried to look up "Preferred" under Manage Connections but I can't seem to find it, maybe I don't have it ?

What I meant by "turning data off" was turning only "packet data off" 3G still shows top right (can make calls, receive calls) but can not use WiFi (even though it's connected).

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

And, if you have UMA, the setting will be in device options, not in manage connections.

Look up UMA.

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Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

Do i need to ask my carried about UMA ?

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

Look up, read.....

But UMA depends on the carrier supporting it and the device supporting it. I don't know about Vodafone. If when you connect to wifi and if you see UMA in the signal icon region, then you have it, and you can do voice over wifi. If you don't see the UMA indicator, then you probably don't have UMA.
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Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

Then I don't have it. Oh things were so much easier with my Samsung Galaxy S and a regular data plan :))

Anyways, this is all I have under Mobile Network:

Data Services On & Off
While Roaming: On & Off
Mobile Network: Vodafone RO
Network Sellection Mode: Automatic & Manual
Network Mode: 3G & 2G

I still can't understang why I can't use my WiFi connection on 3G only. Even if I pull the SIM card out and try to use the browser on the phone it still won't work.

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

I came across the TCP IP APN setting an they were all from Cingular/ATT ...is this a problem since i use Vodafone now ?

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

I don't know what you mean by using wifi on 3G only.

On the TCP/IP APN, you need to find out if carrier APN data is included in your plan or priced separately.

Here's the deal. If you have app(s) that require the carrier APN, you need that info present for the app to work, and it needs to be the APN information for your carrier. If you don't have app(s) that need it, then you can clear all the fields and save.
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Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

Ok, let me try to explain...

When i have BIS (Data services) turned ON, i get the BB logo and the 3G logo next to the signal indicator. When these are on, i receive FB notifications, emails, etc.

When i turn data off, I only get the 3G logo and receive only calls, no more notificatins, no emails, etc. This is where data shoud only work over wifi (on any other phone it dors this).

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

Answered that question above. When you turn data services off, you do just what it says, you turn ALL data off, and only voice is enabled. May not make sense to you, but that is the way it is.
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Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

A Blackberry isn't like a Galaxy S.
You can't just turn off mobile data.

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

from what i've just read there, it looks like your WIFI isn't set up.

Vodafone dont support UMA, from what i've read, none of the GSM900 (O2, Vodafone etc) networks support UMA.

Under 'Manage Connections' there will be Mobile Network, WiFi and Bluetooth

From what i can pick up your looking to have all data go through WiFi, correct?
With Vodafone this isn't possible as they they dont support UMA (see above)

you will need to have both Mobile Network and WiFi turned on if you want to be able to make phone calls and have a decent network connection for internet access etc

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

I know now VO doesn't support UMA. All I wanted to do was use my home WiFi for FB, YM, Email traffic and save my BIS data for when I'm not at home (something you can easily do with any other phone). And the second thing I'm not clear about is how do I know if I am using WiFi or BIS data ? They are both connected and I want to know which ones provide data when using the internet.

What do you mean by my WiFi isn't set up ?

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

With both MN and wifi turned on your bb will use which ever has the better connection
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Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

That was the point I was trying to make above: If you have mobile network and wifi enabled, you can't know for sure that ALL data is going out and coming in exclusively through wifi. If may be, but you don't know. The only way to be sure, is to disable the mobile network.

Or, you can test for a month, leaving both mobile network and wifi on, and see what you see.

One other idea, as I'm thinking about it just now, there are some apps that track your data for you. I don't anything about them, and don't know if they break out wifi and mobile separately, and if they can be used in a test to determine at any moment in time, or even in some discreet time period, whether data is going and coming on the mobile network. Might be worth looking into if this is a serious concern for you.

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

PoddyMcQ makes a good point. On a home wifi network, you may not notice it, unless you have other users consuming all the bandwidth. But in hotspots -- hotels can be bad about this -- wifi signal will ebb and flow, or too many users will suck up all the bandwidth. In that case, even if you had UMA, the BlackBerry is going to find a connection where it can find it, and drop the data onto the mobile network until the wifi comes back.

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

I told you before, if I disable mobile networks nothing will work (FB, email,etc) even though wifi is on, signal strenght is full. It's like all data will only work through BIS. If so I find the wifi option pointless on my device.

Re: Please explain BIS and WiFi to me
 

We are going in circles. Let me try and make sure we are both talking about the same things.

In device options under mobile network (not manage connections), you have an option to disable data services, right? If you disable data services there, then, as I and others have said, you turn off ALL data. Voice will still work. Just no data. No data on the mobile network. No data on wifi.

In manage connections you have settings to enable/disable mobile network, enable/disable wifi, enable/disable bluetooth, and other things. If you disable mobile network and enable wifi, your data will work provided you are connecting to the wifi router, connecting to the network, and getting data throughput.

So, are you saying data services is on in options, wifi is on in manage connections, mobile network is off in manage connections, and you do not have data service?