iPad Portable Genius, 2nd Edition

Chapter 2How Do I Connect to a Network?

You can do plenty of things on your iPad or iPad mini without having to reach out and touch some remote website or service. You can jot some notes, add appointments, edit contacts, or just play around with the settings. However, I’m willing to bet you didn’t fork over the bucks for your tablet just so you could use the Notes app. Whether you want to go on a web surfin’ Safari, visit the App Store or iBookstore to grab some content, or use Maps to find your way, the iPad or iPad mini comes alive when it’s connected to a network.

Connecting to a Wi-Fi Network

As you see a bit later in this chapter, the cellular-enabled iPad or iPad mini automatically connects to cellular networks. However, things aren’t automatic when it comes to wireless network connections — which iOS refers to as Wi-Fi connections. As soon as you try to access something on the Internet — a website, your e-mail, a map, or whatever — your tablet scours the surrounding airwaves for Wi-Fi network signals. If you’ve never connected to a Wi-Fi network or if you’re in an area that doesn’t have any Wi-Fi networks you’ve used in the past, you see the Select a Wireless Network dialog, as shown in Figure 2.1.

2.1 If you’re just starting out on the Wi-Fi trail, your iPad or iPad mini ...