Wifi - (Samsung) phone to laptop

[ChrisR]

I have a couple of newish laptops on Win7 and a Samsung S2. If I'm away from any wifi can I wirelessly connect the phone and laptop? (One's a Samsung, as it happens).

I have a mix of computers on XP and 7 in the house so the way they're connected is compatible with XP, which doesn't have the same number of options as Win 7, I think. It's a wpa type router.

The S2 can "see" the laptop - (eg "Samsunglaptop")shows an OK signal strength. But when I enter the password I use to use the laptop, it comes back "authorisation failure". That was probably wrong but I can't see a way to change the password in the phone.
As soon as you select the laptop in the wifi panel on the phone it tries to connect - there's no edit option.

 

[rjm2k]

Do it the other way around, connect the laptop to the phone. On the phone you should find a portable hotspot option in settings, enable it and set a password then it will appear as a wifi network on your laptop which you can connect to.

 

[ChrisR]

Thanks I'll try again later. It says it needs a SIM to do that & Vodaphone haven't sent me one ...
Can't see why it needs one, I can connect to the home network.
New to a smartphone so there's all sorts of
"What the .... do they mean by that ,"
etc

 

[rjm2k]

Are you not wanting to use your phones data connection on your laptops? just connect and transfer files or something? If you want to use data then you will need a sim, can you actually make calls on the phone?

 

[ChrisR]

Well the Sim is on its merrie way - allegedly...

You're right, I will in due course want to be able to access the net through the phone's Data service,

but what I thought might work without the sim is eg transfer of photos , from the phone to the laptop.
I can at the moment do that and fill in the phonebook from the home network, using a Samsung thing "Kies".

This will become particularly relevant soon while abroad - I'll be taking the SIM out.

 

[rjm2k]

If you press and hold on the laptop name on the phones wifi list you may get an edit option.

 

[JohnD]

it needs a SIM

what, the phone hasn't got a SIM?

... want to be able to access the net through the phone's Data service,

but what I thought might work without the sim is eg transfer of photos , from the phone to the laptop....

I find it quicker with a USB cable phone/PC. I also synchronise Address Book on phone and PC. They usually have a "PC to share phone's internet connection" setting and sometimes the cable is more trouble free that the wireless.

If the phone has WiFi and the PC doesn't you can use that, it works better with a cable.

 

[Diyisfun]

Cant you trasnsfer using bluetooth or a data cable.

 

[ChrisR]

what, the phone hasn't got a SIM?

No yet, Vodaphone screwed up, on two phones at the same time...

Can confirm that for hotspot thing to work even beween 2 in-range devices, you need a sim.

If you press and hold on the laptop name on the phones wifi list you may get an edit option.

Yes that works - thanks. ( I haven't seen that in the manual so I've been double tapping things...) WHat would the password be though? The home net has a password (which the laptop uses), but it's not that, and I tried the password which is specific to use the laptop . Both = Authentication Failure.

No idea how you get anything bluetooth working!

I'll try a cable - it's one more thing to have to rummage to find when you're travelling that's all. But I have just bought a little external battery thingy which comes with a cable. I can see that being a very useful item.

Old git mode ON :

- you need two hour's lessons with these things. All the shops have, apart from a few, is a plastic model of the phone which doesn't actually work, yet they expect you to spend £700 or so a year on it. There doesn't seem to be a working Operating Manual download on the Samsung site - others have hacked it and put it on theirs. WHy isn't it on the phone ffs?
How do I get a pdf onto the phone so I can read it anyway - I have no idea?

WHat do you Synchronise with, on your pc? Do you use google email client online, or something resident on the pc?
I've never used google much so that's another curve to go up.

They usually have a "PC to share phone's internet connection" setting and sometimes the cable is more trouble free that the wireless.

um, where's that going to be?


V have been helpful after their initial cockups over deliveries. They say there's loads of model-specific help on their site and free tech support if needed on cust service phone, but that's not a patch on a decent paper manual.

Old git mode - still bloody ON!

 

[opps]

The lead that came with your phone will have micro USB (plugs into phone) and USB at the other. Unplug this lead from the 3 pin connector and plug it into your pc. The Samsung Kies software should fire up automatically, it contains the drivers that allow the 2 to communicate. No need to carry any other leads...

If however you just want to drag and drop files on the phone/pc then put the phone into the correct usb mode. I don't have a droid but used to do this years ago on windows mobile (long before apple claimed to have invented the smartphone)

The link will show you how to do this, at the moment your phone is programmed to only allow the transfer of certain file types, the link will show you how to make the file structure visible

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/SupportOwnersFAQPopup.do?faq_id=FAQ00003340&fm_seq=3508

NB- this will let you see the SD card if you want to see the whole of the phone's file structure you will need to root it.

If ever you want to be able to access the pcs when away from home you will need some kind of remote descktop software/app

 

[ChrisR]

Thanks for that, I'll check it out.

Still going through layers of perplexions with the things. (Wife has a new S3 so it's doubled..)

We found Bluetooth works, though it takes a bit of sorting out.