Paul McFedries - iPad Portable Genius

Open your iPad’s Control Center; then long press inside the section that includes the Wi-Fi icon. This expands the section, and you then long press the Wi-Fi icon.

Open Settings and tap Wi-Fi.

Either way, iPadOS displays a list of available Wi-Fi networks, as shown in Figure 2.1. This list shows you the network name, a lock icon if the network requires a password, and the network’s signal strength (the more bars there are, the stronger the signal).

2.1The first step for making a Wi-Fi connection is to see which networks are available.

Here are the steps to follow to connect to a Wi-Fi network:

1 In the list of Wi-Fi networks, tap the network you want to join. iPadOS prompts you to enter the network’s password (if it requires one, as almost all networks do).

2 Type the password. Note that iPadOS will remember the password, which enables your iPad to join the same network automatically in the future (unless the password changes).

3 Tap Join. iPadOS connects to the network. You now see the Wi-Fi icon in your iPad’s status bar, which shows you the network’s signal strength.

4 (Optional) For a commercial Wi-Fi network — such as one you might access in a hotel or airport — enter your credit card data when prompted (which might not occur until you attempt to access a website or check your email).

Displaying the list of nearby networks as I describe in the previous section isn’t hard, but if you’re on the move, you might prefer that iPadOS let you know when a network comes within range. You can configure this by following these steps:

1 Open the Settings app.

2 Tap Wi-Fi. iPadOS displays the Wi-Fi settings.

3 Tap Ask to Join Networks. iPadOS displays the Ask to Join Networks settings.

4 Tap one of the following:Ask. iPadOS displays a list of nearby networks whenever a new network comes within range of your iPad. You can then select the network you want to join.Notify. iPadOS looks for nearby networks that are being accessed by many people. When one of these popular networks comes within range of your tablet, iPadOS lets you know. In the notification that appears, tap Join to connect to the network.Off. iPadOS doesn’t alert you when nearby networks are available.

When you display the list of nearby Wi-Fi networks, as I describe earlier in this section, what you see is all the networks that have opted to broadcast their availability. However, a network administrator might choose to not broadcast the network’s availability, so even though the network is within range of your iPad, the network’s name doesn’t appear in the list of nearby networks. Why would a network admin do this? It’s a common Wi-Fi security precaution, the rationale being that a network that can’t be seen can’t be hacked. (Sadly, this measure provides only a marginally more secure network because it’s easy for a savvy hacker to still see the network when authorized users connect to it.)

Fortunately, if you know the network’s name, its security info, and its password, you can still connect to it manually by following these steps:

1 Open the Settings app.

2 Tap Wi-Fi. iPadOS displays the Wi-Fi settings.

3 At the bottom of the list of available networks, tap Other. iPadOS displays the Other Network dialog, shown in Figure 2.2.

4 Use the Name box to enter the network’s name.

5 Tap Security. iPadOS displays the Security dialog.

6 Tap the security type the Wi-Fi network uses. If you’re not sure which security type the network uses, select WPA2/WPA3 because that’s the most common type.

7 Tap Back (<). iPadOS returns you to the Other Network dialog.

8 Use the Password text box to enter the network password. Note that if you selected None in Step 6, then you won’t see the Password text box.

9 Tap Join. iPadOS connects your iPad to the network.

2.2You can connect to a hidden Wi-Fi network using the Other Network dialog.

Wi-Fi is often a set-it-and-forget-it experience because, as I mention earlier, iPadOS remembers the password for a network you join and then connects to that network automatically the next time the network comes within range of your tablet. However, there are a few other Wi-Fi tricks and techniques you should know about, and the next few sections provide the details.

Since Wi-Fi signals can be easily picked up outside your home or office, you need to protect your network with a strong password and a strong security type. For the security type, iPadOS can let you know whether your network is secure. Open Settings, tap Wi-Fi, join your network if you haven’t done so already, then tap the network’s More Info icon (the circled i ). If your network is using a weak security type, then you see a Weak Security message like the one shown in Figure 2.3. You (or your network administrator) should configure the network to use the recommended security type. When that’s done, tap Forget This Network and then reconnect to your network to take advantage of the enhanced security.

2.3If your Wi-Fi network isn’t using the optimal security type, you see a Weak Security message like the one shown here.

If your Mac and iPad are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, you can use AirDrop to transfer a file from your Mac to your tablet. Here are the steps to follow:

1 On your Mac, open the Finder app and then click AirDrop in the sidebar. You can also click Go ⇒ AirDrop or press ⌘ +Shift+R. An icon for your iPad appears in the AirDrop window.To check that your iPad has AirDrop turned on, launch Settings, tap General, tap AirDrop and then make sure the Contacts Only option is selected. (If, after a few seconds, you don’t see your iPad on your Mac, select Everyone instead.) When the transfer is complete, tap Receiving Off to prevent any unauthorized user from sending you files.

2 Open another Finder window (choose File ⇒ New Finder Window) and use the new window to locate the file you want to transfer to your iPad.

3 Drag the file from the second Finder window; then drop it on the iPad icon in the AirDrop window. iPadOS either opens the file or asks you to select an app to open the file.

4 Tap the app you want to use to open the file. To save the file to the cloud instead of opening it, tap Save to iCloud Drive instead.

If you disable a network’s Auto-Join feature, as I describe in the previous section, iPadOS still remembers the network’s connection data. This means that if you tap the network in the list of available networks, iPadOS will join the network automatically. That’s great for a network you might want to join every now and then, but sometimes you never want to join a remembered network. Perhaps the network is too slow or has poor security. Whatever the reason, it’s best to tell iPadOS to forget the network by following these steps: