Sharing, streaming, gaming. Almost everything that we do on our smartphones is better with the internet. It's so important that one of the first things you'll be asked to do after opening a new Samsung device is connect to Wi-Fi.
Find out how to set up a Wi-Fi connection, connect to Wi-Fi enabled devices using Wi-Fi connect and how to share your connection with a mobile hotspot.
Setting up a Wi-Fi connection
1Swipe up from the home screen, to access your apps
2Tap Settings
3Tap Connections
4Tap Wi-Fi
5Tap on the Wi-Fi network that you want to join
Please note: the name of your Wi-Fi network will have been decided when your network was set up. For many wireless networks, the name is printed on the router itself. If you're are having difficulty remembering the name of your network, you may need to contact your Wi-Fi network provider for more assistance
6If the network is password protected, enter the password
Please note: the password for your Wi-Fi network will have been decided when the network was set up. For many wireless networks, the password is printed on the router itself. If you're having difficulty remembering your password you may need to contact your Wi-Fi network provider for more assistance
7If you don't want your device to reconnect to this network automatically in the future, tap the switch
8Tap Connect
Removing a Wi-Fi network
Removing the network you're connected to
1Swipe up from the home screen, to access your apps
2Tap Settings
3Tap Connections
4Tap Wi-Fi
5Tap the settings cog
6Tap Forget
Removing previously connected to networks
1Swipe up from the home screen, to access your apps
2Tap Settings
3Tap Connections
4Tap Wi-Fi
6Tap Advanced
7Tap Manage networks
8Tap Delete
9Tap each of the networks you want to remove
10Tap Delete
Troubleshooting
We rely on the internet everyday to help us get things done, so it can be incredibly frustrating when it isn't working as we need it too. If you are having problems connecting to a Wi-Fi network, there are a number of possible causes and solutions.
Find out more about troubleshooting Wi-Fi network issues.
Wi-Fi Direct
When you connect to the internet, you're typically using a Wi-Fi signal to connect to a router that's linked to the internet. Wi-Fi direct allows you to connect to other Wi-Fi enabled devices directly, without ever having to connect to a router. After your devices have connected, they can transfer information to one another, opening up loads of possibilities.
Connecting to other devices with Wi-Fi Direct
1Swipe up from the home screen, to access your apps
2Tap Settings
3Tap Connections
4Tap Wi-Fi
5Tap Wi-Fi Direct
6Tap the device that you want to connect to
Please note: to connect, both devices must have Wi-Fi Direct enabled
7A connection request will appear on the device you are connecting to. Tap Accept
8Your device will now be connected. What you can do with Wi-Fi Direct will depend on the devices you have connected. Once finished, tap the connection on either device to disconnect
Wi-Fi MAC address
If you think about your mobile device as your passport to the internet, your Wi-Fi MAC address would be similar to your passport number. Wi-Fi MAC addresses are unique 12-character codes, assigned to your device by Samsung that tell the internet who is connecting to it.
What is my Wi-Fi mac address
1Swipe up from your home screen, to access your apps
2Tap Settings
3Tap About phone
4Tap Status
5Your Wi-Fi MAC address will be displayed
Mobile hotspots and tethering
Mobile hotspots or tethering allow you to share your internet connection with other devices you own. You can share Wi-Fi signals and mobile data connections, keeping you connected while on the move. You can share your internet connection through a hotspot, USB or Bluetooth.
Setting up a mobile hotspot
1Swipe up from your home screen, to access your apps
2Tap Settings
3Tap Connections
4Tap Mobile Hotspot and Tethering
5Tap Mobile Hotspot
6Tap the switch to turn mobile hotspot on
7By default, the name of your mobile hotspot will be the same as the name of your device. Tap your device name if you want to change it
8Give your mobile hotspot a new name, then tap Save
9Your mobile hotspot will be randomly assigned a password. Tap Password if you'd like to create your own
10Enter a new password then tap Save
11To save battery, your mobile hotspot will automatically be turned off if no devices are connected for a specified amount of time. To change how long this is, tap the options icon
12Tap Timeout settings
13Tap how long you would like Mobile Hotspot to wait before turning off
14Once finished using the Mobile Hotspot, tap the switch to turn it off
Activating Mobile Hotspot from the quick settings
1Swipe down from two places at the top of the screen to see your quick settings
2Tap Mobile Hotspot to turn it on or off
Setting up USB tethering
Please note: to setup USB tethering you will need a USB cable that can connect your two devices together
1Swipe up from your home screen, to access your apps
2Tap Settings
3Tap Connections
4Tap Mobile Hotspot and Tethering
5The USB tethering option will be greyed out. Connect your smartphone to another device with a USB cable
Please note: not all devices will support USB tethering. For example, MAC computers are unable to share Wi-Fi from Samsung smartphones via USB cable. If you're having issues, consult the user manual for your device for more information
6Once connected, tap the switch next to USB tethering
7An icon will appear in your notifications bar to show you that USB tethering is active
8Once finished using USB tethering, tap the switch again to turn it off. You can also disconnect the USB cable
Setting up Bluetooth tethering
Please note: to setup USB tethering you will need a USB cable that can connect your two devices together
1Swipe up from your home screen, to access your apps
2Tap Settings
3Tap Connections
4Tap Bluetooth
5Tap the device you want to connect to
Please note: for your device to appear it will need to be in pairing mode. This is usually activated by opening up the Bluetooth settings on your device. For more information please see the user guide for your specific device
6Tap OK on both devices to accept the connection
7Tap the back icon
8Tap Mobile Hotspot and Tethering
9Tap the switch next to Bluetooth tethering to turn it on
10Tap Bluetooth tethering
11Tap the settings cog on your connected device
12Tap Internet access
13An icon will appear in your notifications bar to show you that Bluetooth tethering is active
14Once finished, tap the switch to turn Bluetooth tethering off. You can also turn off Bluetooth on your device
If you're experiencing unusual behaviour on Samsung mobiles, tablets or wearables, you can send us an error report or ask us a question in the Samsung Members app.
This allows us to take a closer look at what is happening. The data is anonymised and only held for the duration of the investigation. Find out more about sending an error report through the Samsung Members app.
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