WLAN technology
Depending on your BlackBerry® device model, the WLAN feature might not be supported.
About connecting to a WLAN
With WLAN technology, your BlackBerry® device can access the Internet by connecting to a wireless router or wireless access
point at your home, work, or in a hotspot area. Your device uses the WLAN instead of the mobile network to visit web pages,
send and receive email messages, and so on. When you connect to the Internet with a WLAN, you might avoid data charges
that are associated with using your mobile network, and, in many cases, the connection speed is faster.
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Hotspots are available in many public places, such as libraries, airports, hotels, coffee shops, and so on. Some hotspots are free
to use, while others require payment. Your wireless service provider might provide an application for your device that allows
you to log in to a hotspot. If you do not have an application on your device, you might have to set up your own account online
and log in manually.
When you connect to a WLAN, your device saves the connection information so that the next time that you are within range of
that WLAN, your device connects to it automatically.
Connect to a WLAN
1. On the Home screen, click the connections area at the top of the screen, or click the Manage Connections icon.
2. Click Set Up WLAN Network.
3. If you want to connect to a public hotspot or to a WLAN that does not require authentication, select the Show Open
networks only check box.
4. Click the WLAN that you want to connect to.
5. If the WLAN requires authentication, type a password for the WLAN.
The name of the WLAN appears at the top of the Home screen.
Connect to a WLAN manually
If you know the name of the WLAN that you want to connect to, you can manually connect to the WLAN.
1. On the Home screen, click the connections area at the top of the screen, or click the Manage Connections icon.
2. Click Set Up WLAN Network > Other Ways to Connect > Manually Connect to Network.
3. In the SSID field, type the name of the WLAN.
4. Click Next.
5. In the Security Type field, click the WLAN security type and specify any requested information.
6. Click Save and Connect.
Related information
Options for saved WLANs, 244
Change, move, or delete a saved WLAN
1. On the Home screen, click the connections area at the top of the screen, or click the Manage Connections icon.
2. Click Set Up WLAN Network > Saved WLAN Networks.
3. Highlight a saved WLAN.
4. Press the
key.
• To change options for the saved network, click Edit. Change the options. Click Save.
• To move the saved network and change the order that your BlackBerry® device tries to connect to your saved
networks, click Move. Click a new location.
• To delete the saved network, click Delete.
Related information
Options for saved WLANs, 244
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Prevent your device from connecting to a saved WLAN
1. On the Home screen, click the connections area at the top of the screen, or click the Manage Connections icon.
2. Click Set Up WLAN Network > Saved WLAN Networks.
3. Highlight a saved WLAN.
4. Press the
key > Disable.
Turn on the prompt that appears for hotspots
By default, your BlackBerry® prompts you if you are within range of a saved WLAN that appears to be a hotspot. If you turn off
these prompts, you can turn them on again.
1. On the Home screen, click the connections area at the top of the screen, or click the Manage Connections icon.
2. Click Set Up WLAN Network.
3. Press the
key > Options.
4. Select the Prompt me when a saved hotspot is found nearby check box.
5. Press the
key > Save.
Options for saved WLANs
Common options
Option
Description
Name
Type a display name for the WLAN.
SSID
Type the WLAN name.
Security Type
Set the security type that the WLAN supports.
Band type
Set the WLAN type. If you do not know the WLAN type, do not change this field.
SSID broadcasted
Set whether the WLAN broadcasts its SSID.
Automatically obtain
IP address and DNS
Set whether your BlackBerry® device receives a routable IP address, a subnet mask, DNS settings, and
a gateway address from the WLAN.
Allow inter-access
point handover
Set whether your device remains connected to the WLAN when you move between wireless access
points.
VPN profile
If necessary, set a VPN profile to use with the saved WLAN.
IP Address
Type the IP address for your device.
Subnet mask
Type the subnet mask for the wireless access point that your device should connect to.
Primary DNS
Type the primary DNS that your device should connect to.
Secondary DNS
Type the secondary DNS that your device should connect to.
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Option
Description
Default gateway
address
Type the default gateway IP address that your device should connect to.
Domain suffix
Type the domain that your device uses to resolve host names into IP addresses.
WEP options
These options appear if you choose the WEP security type.
Option
Description
Select WEP key
Set the type of WEP key for the WLAN.
WEP key
Type the WEP key for the WLAN in hexadecimal format.
WPA/WPA2 Personal options
These options appear if you choose the WPA/WPA2 Personal security type.
Option
Description
Passphrase
If necessary, type the WPA™ or WPA2™-Personal passphrase to connect to the WLAN.
WPA/WPA2 Enterprise options
These options appear if you choose the WPA/WPA2 Enterprise security type.
Option
Description
Enterprise Sub-Type
If necessary, set the enterprise security method for the WLAN.
Username
If necessary, type the user name that you use to connect to the WLAN.
Password
If necessary, type the password that you use to connect to the WLAN.
CA certificate
Set the root certificate that your device should use to verify that it is connecting to the correct WLAN.
Client certificate
Set the authentication certificate that your device should use to connect to the WLAN.
Inner link security
If necessary, set the security protocol that the WLAN supports for its inner authentication method.
Token
Set whether you use a hardware token to connect to the WLAN.
Server subject
If necessary, type the server subject name that your device should use to verify that it is connecting
to the correct WLAN.
Server SAN
If necessary, type the server SAN that your device should use to verify that it is connecting to the
correct WLAN.
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Install a root certificate on your device
You might not be able to connect to some WLANs until you install a root certificate on your BlackBerry® device. You can install
the root certificate on your computer, and then use the certificate synchronization tool of the BlackBerry® Desktop Software to
synchronize the root certificate between your device and your computer. For more information, see the Help for the
BlackBerry Desktop Software, or contact your administrator.
About using WLAN with VPN and software tokens
If you have a WLAN enabled BlackBerry® device and if your organization uses a VPN to control access to its network, you might
be able to log in to the VPN and access your organization's network using a WLAN. If you have a WLAN enabled device, you
might also need a software token to connect to your organization's network using a WLAN.
Submit a diagnostic report
1. On the Home screen or in a folder, click the Options icon.
2. Click Networks and Connections > WLAN Network.
3. Press the
key > Troubleshoot > WLAN Diagnostics.
4. Press the
key > Email Report or PIN Report.
Set options for WLAN diagnostic reports
If you set a default recipient, each time that you submit a WLAN diagnostic report, your BlackBerry® device sends the report to
that recipient. If you want to specify a recipient each time that you submit a report, do not set a default recipient.
1. On the Home screen or in a folder, click the Options icon.
2. Click Networks and Connections > WLAN Network.
3. Press the
key > Troubleshoot > WLAN Diagnostics.
4. Press the
key > Options.
• To include advanced data in WLAN diagnostic reports, change the Display Mode field to Advanced.
• To set a default recipient for WLAN diagnostic reports, type the contact information.
5. Press the
key > Save.
WLAN technology troubleshooting
I cannot connect to a WLAN
Depending on your BlackBerry® device model, the WLAN feature might not be supported.
Try the following actions:
• Verify that you have turned on the connection to the WLAN.
• Verify that you are in a WLAN coverage area.
• Verify that the time on your device is synchronized with the network time.
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• If the WLAN does not appear in the Set Up WLAN application, it might be hidden. If you know the WLAN name, try
connecting to the WLAN manually.
• In the Set Up WLAN application, verify that the options for the WLAN are correct.
• If you switched WLANs manually, switch to another WLAN or set your BlackBerry device to scan for available WLANs.
• If your email account uses a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, your device might prevent you from connecting to certain
wireless access points. For more information, contact your administrator.
• If you use PEAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-FAST, EAP-TTLS, or EAP-SIM to connect to a WLAN, verify that you have installed the root
certificate for the certificate authority server that created the certificate for the authentication server.
• If you use EAP-TLS to connect to a WLAN, verify that you have added your authentication certificate to your device.
Related information
Turn on or turn off a network connection, 223
Connect to a WLAN manually, 243
Connect to a WLAN, 243
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