Chapter 1. Connecting to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and VPNs
In this chapter, you learn about your HTC One’s connectivity capabilities, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, VPN, and NFC. Topics include the following:
→ Pairing with Bluetooth devices
→ Connecting to Wi-Fi networks
→ Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
→ Using your HTC One as a Wi-Fi Hotspot
→ Using Near Field Communications (NFC) and Beaming
→ Wi-Fi Calling (some models)
Your HTC One can connect to Bluetooth devices such as headsets, computers, and car in-dash systems, as well as to Wi-Fi networks, and 2G, 3G, and 4G cellular networks. It has all the connectivity you should expect on a great smartphone. Your HTC One can also connect to virtual private networks (VPN) for access to secure networks. Your HTC One can even share its cellular data connection with other devices over Wi-Fi, and depending on your cellular provider, make calls over Wi-Fi.
Connecting to Bluetooth Devices
Bluetooth is a great personal area network (PAN) technology that allows for short distance wireless access to all sorts of devices such as headsets, SmartWatches, computers, and even car in-dash systems for hands-free calling. The following tasks walk you through pairing your HTC One to your device and configuring options.
Pairing with a New Bluetooth Device
Before you can take advantage of Bluetooth, you need to connect your HTC One with that device, a process called pairing. After you pair your HTC One with a Bluetooth device, they can connect to each other automatically in the future.
Put the Bluetooth Device into Pairing Mode First
Before you pair a Bluetooth device to your HTC One, you must first put it into Pairing mode. If you are pairing with a Bluetooth headset, this normally involves holding the button on the headset for a certain period of time. Please consult your Bluetooth device’s manual on how to put that device into Pairing mode.
1. Pull down the Notification bar and touch the Settings icon.
2. Touch Bluetooth under the Wireless & Networks section.
3. Touch Scan for Devices if you don’t see the device you want to connect to in the list of discovered devices.
4. Touch the Bluetooth device you want to connect to. In this case, we are going to connect to the Metawatch.
5. Touch Device Name to change the name that your HTC One uses when it broadcasts on the Bluetooth network. In this example, we will be pairing with a MetaWatch SmartWatch.
6. If all went well, your HTC One should now be paired with the new Bluetooth device.
Bluetooth Passkey
If you are pairing with a device that requires a passkey, such as a car in-dash system or a computer, the screen shows a passkey. Make sure the passkey is the same on your HTC One and on the device you are pairing with. Touch Pair on your HTC One, and confirm the passkey on the device you are pairing with.
All Zeros
If you are pairing with an older Bluetooth headset, you might be prompted to enter the passkey. Try using four zeros as the passkey. It usually works. If the zeros don’t work, refer to the headset’s manual.
The steps in this section describe how to pair your HTC One with a Bluetooth device that is in Pairing mode, listening for an incoming pairing command. You can pair Bluetooth the other way, where you put your HTC One in Discovery mode. To do this, touch the Bluetooth name of your HTC One on the screen. Your HTC One will go into Pairing mode for two minutes.
Changing Bluetooth Settings
You can change the name your HTC One uses when pairing over Bluetooth, and change the amount of time it remains visible when pairing. Here is how.
1. Touch the Menu button.
2. Touch to rename your HTC One phone. Change it from the obscure HTC model number to something more friendly like “Craig’s HTC One.”
3. Touch to enable or disable Bluetooth FTP Server (when people want to send you files over Bluetooth) and Message access (aka Messaging Access Protocol, which allows access by car in-dash Bluetooth systems).
4. Touch to change how long your HTC One stays visible when pairing.
5. Touch to see any files people have sent you over the Bluetooth network.
Changing Bluetooth Device Options
After a Bluetooth device is paired, you can change a few options for some of them. The number of options depends on the Bluetooth device you are connecting to. Some have more features than others.
1. Touch the Settings icon to the right of the Bluetooth device.
2. Touch to rename the Bluetooth device to something more friendly.
3. Touch to disconnect and unpair from the Bluetooth device. If you do this, you won’t be able to use the device until you redo the pairing as described in the previous task.
Bluetooth Profiles
Each Bluetooth device can have one or more Bluetooth profiles. Each Bluetooth profile describes certain features of the device. This tells your HTC One what it can do when connected to it. A Bluetooth headset normally has only one profile, such as Phone Audio. This tells your HTC One that it can use the device only for phone call audio. Some devices might have this profile, but provide other features such as Phone Book Access profile, which would allow it to synchronize your HTC One’s address book. The latter is typical for car in-dash Bluetooth. For an explanation of all Bluetooth profiles, visit this URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_profile.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) networks are wireless networks that run within free radio bands around the world. Your local coffee shop probably has free Wi-Fi, and so do many other places, such as airports, train stations, malls, and other public areas. Your HTC One can connect to any Wi-Fi network and provide you with higher Internet access speeds than the cellular network.
Connecting to Wi-Fi
The following steps explain how to find and connect to Wi-Fi networks. After you have connected your HTC One to a Wi-Fi network, you automatically are connected to it the next time you are in range of that network.
1. Pull down the Notification bar and touch the Settings icon.
2. Touch Wi-Fi under the Wireless & Networks section.
3. Touch to turn Wi-Fi On if the slider is in the Off position.
4. Touch the name of the Wi-Fi network you want to connect to. If the network does not use any security, you can skip to step 7.
5. Enter the Wi-Fi network password.
6. Touch to connect to the Wi-Fi network.
If the network you want to connect to is not listed on the screen, it may be purposely hidden. If it is hidden, it does not broadcast its name, which is also known as its SSID. You will need to touch the Menu icon, Add Network, then type in the SSID and choose the type of security that the network uses. You should get this information from the network administrator ahead of time.
7. If all goes well, you see the Wi-Fi network in the list with the word Connected under it.
Wi-Fi Network Options
1. Touch a Wi-Fi network to reveal a pop-up that shows information about your connection to that network.
2. Touch Disconnect to tell your HTC One to not connect to this network in the future.
3. Touch and hold on a Wi-Fi network to reveal two actions.
4. Touch to forget the Wi-Fi network, its connection settings, and no longer connect to it. This is the same as the previous step 2.
5. Touch to change the Wi-Fi network password or encryption key that your HTC One uses to connect to the network.
Advanced Wi-Fi Options
Your HTC One allows you to configure a few advanced Wi-Fi settings that can help preserve your battery life.
1. Touch the Menu button.
2. Touch Advanced.
3. Touch to enable or disable the capability for your HTC One to automatically notify you when it detects a new Wi-Fi network.
4. Touch to manage which open Wi-Fi networks you have previously blocked.
5. Touch to change the Wi-Fi sleep policy. This allows you to choose whether your HTC One should keep its connection to Wi-Fi when it goes to sleep.
Should You Keep Wi-Fi on During Sleep?
In step 5, you can choose how your HTC One handles its connection to Wi-Fi when it goes to sleep. Because Wi-Fi is much faster, more efficient than 3G or 4G, and is free, you should keep this set to Always. However, battery usage can be impacted by keeping the Wi-Fi connection always connected; you may want to set this to Only When Plugged In, which means that if your HTC One is not charging, and it goes to sleep, it will switch to the cellular network for data, but when it is charging and it goes to sleep, it will stay connected to Wi-Fi. If you set this setting to Never, it means that when your HTC One goes to sleep, it will switch to using the cellular network for all data. This can lead to more data being used out of your cellular data bundle, which may cost you extra, so be careful.
6. Touch to choose which Wi-Fi frequency bands your HTC One should use. You can leave it on Auto or manually choose between 5GHz and 2.4GHz.
7. Touch to enable or disable Best Wi-Fi Performance. When disabled, the Wi-Fi performance is not very good in some environments, so if you are having Wi-Fi coverage issues, try enabling this.
8. Scroll down for more options.
9. Check to set your HTC One to automatically log in using your Wireless Internet Service Provider roaming (WISPr) credentials when it connects to a WISPr-enabled Wi-Fi hotspot.
What Is WISPr?
Wireless Internet Service Provider roaming (WISPr), pronounced “whisper,” is a protocol that allows devices to roam between Wi-Fi Internet service providers. For example, you may have an account on Boingo, which provides Wi-Fi coverage at airports in the United States. While you are in another country, a Wi-Fi Internet service provider there may have a roaming agreement with Boingo, and if your HTC One is set up correctly, it will automatically log in to the Wi-Fi login page, allowing you to gain Internet access seamlessly.
10. Touch to manage your WISPr accounts.
11. Touch to use Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) to pick your own IP address on a network where Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is not being used (very uncommon).
12. Touch to save your settings and return to the previous screen.
What Is DLNA?
DLNA, or Digital Living Network Alliance, is a protocol that allows devices on a network to connect to and play each other’s media content. This is an attempt to provide an alternative to Apple’s very successful AirPlay protocol. DLNA is not standard on Android devices; however, on some HTC Android devices like your HTC One, it has been added as a standard feature. DLNA allows any device that supports the DLNA protocol to play content from other DLNA devices, and allows content to be played from it. On networks that do not use DHCP, DLNA can use its own internal mechanism to choose an IP address for your device (see the previous step 11).
What Is WISPr?
Wireless Internet Service Provider roaming (WISPr), pronounced “whisper,” is a protocol that allows devices to roam between Wi-Fi Internet service providers. For example, you may have an account on Boingo, which provides Wi-Fi coverage at airports in the United States. While you are in another country, a Wi-Fi Internet service provider there may have a roaming agreement with Boingo, and if your HTC One is set up correctly, it will automatically log in to the Wi-Fi login page, allowing you to gain Internet access seamlessly.
Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi Direct is a feature that allows two Android devices running version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) or later to connect to each other using Wi-Fi and exchange files. Because Wi-Fi is much faster than Bluetooth, if you are sending large files, using Wi-Fi Direct makes sense. Although Wi-Fi Direct is built in to Jelly Bean Android devices, because of some bugs, it does not currently work on the HTC One. This means that any apps that attempt to use Wi-Fi Direct will fail. Next, we cover how Wi-Fi Direct should work in the event that HTC fixes the bugs. We are using a Samsung Galaxy Note II for the screenshots.
Setting Up Wi-Fi Direct
In this section, we cover how to use Wi-Fi Direct. As we said earlier, Wi-Fi Direct doesn’t work right now, but if this is corrected in the future, these steps should be followed to set it up.
1. Pull down the Notification bar and touch the Settings icon.
2. Touch Wi-Fi under the Wireless & Networks section.
4. Touch the Menu button.
5. Touch Rename Device to rename your HTC One from its generic name (in this example, Android_d592) to something more meaningful.
6. Type a new name for your HTC One as it will appear to others using Wi-Fi Direct.
7. Touch OK.
Using Wi-Fi Direct (the Official Way)
These are the steps that must be followed to connect two Android devices running version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) or later via Wi-Fi Direct. After they are connected, you should theoretically be able to send files between them, but as of the writing of this book, it does not work.
1. Ask the other person to enable Wi-Fi Direct on his or her Android device, and it should appear on your screen under Available Devices.
2. Touch the device to invite it to connect with your HTC One via Wi-Fi Direct.
3. On the device you are inviting, touch Accept.
4. The device will show as Connected.
After You Are Connected, Then What?
After you are connected with another device via Wi-Fi Direct, theoretically you should be able to open a picture, video, or music file, touch the Share icon, and share it via Wi-Fi Direct. When you touch to share it via Wi-Fi Direct, you will see a list of devices connected via Wi-Fi Direct. Touch to choose the device you want to share it with. This, however, does not work at all (or at least it didn’t during the writing of this book).
Wi-Fi Direct (Using the WiFi Shoot App)
Because the official method of using Wi-Fi Direct doesn’t work, you can download an app called WiFi Shoot from Google Play (see Chapter 11, “Working with Android Applications,” for more on how to use Google Play). WiFi Shoot, although not perfect, should allow you to send files via Wi-Fi Direct. To use WiFi Shoot, you and the person you want to share files with must both install and open WiFi Shoot.
1. Ask the other person to run WiFi Shoot on his or her Android device before you start.
2. Find a picture, music file, or video file you want to share, and touch the Share icon.
3. Touch WiFi Shoot.
4. Touch the device you want to send the file to.
5. The user of the other device must accept the connection.
6. Touch Shoot and the file will be sent.
Near Field Communications (NFC)
Your HTC One has the capability to swap data via its Near Field Communications (NFC) radio with other phones that use NFC, or read data that is stored on NFC tags. NFC can also be used for paying for items you have purchased or by apps to inject information. Android Beam uses NFC to send files between Android devices by setting up the sending process automatically via NFC and continuing it via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct.
Enabling NFC and Android Beam
To get the full benefit from NFC, you need to enable the NFC radio, and we should enable Android Beam.
1. Pull down the Notification bar and touch the Settings icon.
2. Touch More.
4. Touch to save your changes.
Using Android Beam
All Android devices running version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or later have a feature called Android Beam. This feature sends small bits of data via NFC (such as links to YouTube videos or links to apps in Google Play), which allows you to effectively share content, but also automates sending actual files between devices, such as pictures and videos via Bluetooth.
Using Android Beam to Send Links to Content
Android Beam can be used to send links to content such as apps, music, and video in the Google Play store and website links. Android Beam will work only between devices running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or later.
1. Open a website that you’d like to share the link to.
2. Put the back of your HTC One about one inch from the back of another NFC-enabled phone. You will know if the two devices have successfully connected when the web page zooms out.
3. Touch the web page after it zooms out.
4. The other device will open its web browser and go straight to that link.
Beam Google Play Content and YouTube Videos
If you like a song, movie, book, or app that is in the Google Play store, you can beam it to someone. Open the song, movie, book, or app in Google Play, touch your devices together, and touch to beam. To beam a YouTube video, open the video in the YouTube app, touch the devices together, and touch to beam. The other device will open YouTube and jump directly to the video.
Using Android Beam to Send Real Files
Android Beam can also be used to send real content, such as pictures, music, and video stored on your HTC One. Sending real files using Android Beam will work only between devices running Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) or later. In this example, we beam a picture.
1. Open the picture you want to beam. Note that the picture must reside on your HTC One and not in the Google cloud.
2. Put the back of your HTC One about one inch from the back of another NFC-enabled phone. You will know if the two devices have successfully connected when the picture zooms out.
3. Touch the picture after it zooms out.
4. Your HTC One sends the picture to the other device. The file is sent using Bluetooth in the background.
5. Touch to open the beamed file on the other device after it completes receiving it.
Cellular Networks and Wi-Fi Calling
Your HTC One can connect to many different cellular networks around the world. The exact networks that it can connect to are determined by the varient of your HTC One because not all carriers use the same technology, and to complicate it further, many use different frequencies from one another. Some carriers provide Wi-Fi Calling, which allows Wi-Fi to augment the cellular data coverage and provide free calling.
Changing Mobile Settings
Your HTC One has a few options when it comes to how it connects to cellular (or mobile) networks.
1. Pull down the Notification bar and touch the Settings icon.
2. Touch to enable or disable cellular data. If this is set to off, your HTC One will be able to use only a Wi-Fi network for data.
3. Touch Mobile data to change more mobile data settings.
4. Touch to enable or disable cellular data roaming. If this is unchecked, your HTC One will not attempt to use data while you roam away from your home cellular network.
5. Touch to enable or disable playing a sound to alert you when you connect to a roaming network.
What Is an APN?
APN stands for Access Point Name. You normally don’t have to make changes to APNs, but sometimes you need to enter them manually to access certain features. For example, if you need to use tethering, which is where you connect your laptop to your HTC One and your HTC One provides Internet connectivity for your laptop, you might be asked by your carrier to use a specific APN. Think of an APN as a gateway to a service.
6. Touch to view, edit, and add APNs. It is unlikely that you will need to make any APN changes.
7. Touch to change the network mode. This setting allows you to choose to force your phone to connect to a slower 2G network (GSM) to save battery, or always to a faster 3G (WCDMA) or 4G (LTE) network for the best speed, or to leave it set to Auto mode and let your phone choose for you.
8. Touch to view and choose mobile operators to use manually.
9. Touch to save any changes and return to the previous screen.
Why Select Operators Manually?
When you are roaming in your home country, your HTC One automatically selects your home cellular provider. When you are roaming outside your home country, your HTC One will register on a cellular provider based on its name and how it scores alphabetically. The lowest score will always win. For example, a carrier whose name starts with a number will always be chosen over carriers whose names start with letters. A carrier whose name starts with the letter “A” will be chosen over a carrier whose name starts with the letter “B”, and so on. As you roam, your home carrier may not have a good roaming relationship with a carrier that your HTC One has chosen based on its name, so you should choose the carrier manually to ensure the best roaming rates—and many times, just basic connectivity. You will notice that sometimes carrier names will not be displayed, but rather their operator code (or PLNM). For example, 53024 is actually 2Degrees in New Zealand, and 53005 is Telecom New Zealand.
Changing Wi-Fi Calling Settings
Wi-Fi Calling is a feature provided by some carriers around the world. It is sometimes known by its technical name, Universal Mobile Access (UMA). On your HTC One, you can enable or disable Wi-Fi Calling, or set its connection preferences.
1. Pull down the Notification bar and touch the Settings icon.
2. Touch More.
3. Touch to enable or disable Wi-Fi Calling.
4. Touch to change Wi-Fi Calling connection preferences.
5. Touch Connection Preferences.
6. Choose how you would prefer Wi-Fi Calling to work.
7. Touch to save your changes and return to the previous screen.
What Is Wi-Fi Calling?
Wi-Fi Calling, also known as Universal Mobile Access (UMA), is provided by some cellular carriers to both augment their coverage and to provide free calls over Wi-Fi. This is not Voice over IP (VoIP) calling but a regular GSM voice call, routed via a Wi-Fi hotspot, over the Internet, to your carrier. Because the call is not using the cellular network infrastructure, the calls are free, and because of the speeds at which Wi-Fi networks operate, the call quality is much higher because much less compression is needed. To read more about UMA, try this online article: http://crackberry.com/saving-call-charges-recession-your-blackberry.
Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
Your HTC One can connect to virtual private networks (VPNs), which are normally used by companies to provide a secure connection to their inside networks or intranets.
Adding a VPN Profile
Before you add a VPN, you must first have all the information needed to set it up on your HTC One. Speak to your network administrator and get this information ahead of time to save frustration. This information includes the type of VPN protocol used, the type of encryption used, and the name of the host to which you are connecting.
1. Pull down the Notification bar and touch the Settings icon.
2. Touch More.
3. Touch VPN.
4. Touch OK to set up a Lock screen PIN, pattern, or password. If you already have a Lock screen PIN or password, you won’t be prompted at this point and you can proceed to step 6.
Why Do You Need to Set a PIN or Password?
If you don’t already have a screen unlock PIN, password, or pattern set up before you create your first VPN connection, you are prompted to create one. This is a security measure that ensures your HTC One must first be unlocked before anyone can access a stored VPN connection. Because VPN connections are usually used to access company data, this is a good idea.
5. Choose either Pattern, PIN, or Password to unlock your HTC One, and follow the steps to create it.
6. Touch Add VPN Profile.
7. Enter a name for your VPN network. You can call it anything you like; for example, “Work VPN” or the name of the provider, such as “Public VPN.”
8. Touch to choose the type of security the VPN network uses.
9. Enter the remaining parameters that your network administrator has provided.
10. Touch Save.
Connecting to a VPN
After you have created one or more VPN connections, you can connect to them when the need arises.
1. Pull down the Notification bar and touch the Settings icon.
2. Touch More under the Wireless & Networks section.
3. Touch VPN.
4. Touch a preconfigured VPN connection.
6. Enter the VPN password.
7. Touch Connect. After you’re connected to the VPN, you can use your HTC One’s web browser and other applications normally, but you now have access to resources at the other end of the VPN tunnel, such as company web servers or your company email.
>>>Go Further: How Can You Tell if You Are Connected?
After your HTC One successfully connects to a VPN network, you will see a Key icon in the Notification bar. This indicates that you are connected. If you pull down the Notification bar, you can touch the icon to see information about the connection and to disconnect from the VPN.
Disconnect, Edit, or Delete a VPN
You can edit an existing VPN or delete it by touching and holding the name of the VPN. A window will pop up with a list of options. To disconnect a VPN connection, touch the VPN Profile name once.
>>>Go Further: A Much Quicker Way to Start a VPN Connection
You can create a shortcut on your Home screen to take you straight to the VPN screen, which cuts down on the steps required to start a VPN. To do this, touch and hold on the Home screen in a free area where there are currently no widgets or shortcuts. Touch the selector and choose Shortcuts. Find the Settings Shortcut widget and touch it. Scroll down and select VPN. Now each time you touch the VPN shortcut on your Home screen, you will be taken directly to the VPN screen where you can launch your VPN connection.
Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot
Your HTC One has the capability to share its cellular data connection with up to five devices over Wi-Fi. Before you use this feature, you usually need to sign up for a tethering or hotspot plan with your cellular provider, which is typically an extra monthly cost.
2. Touch More.
3. Touch Mobile Network Sharing.
4. Touch Mobile Hotspot Settings.
5. Choose a Network name for your mobile hotspot. You can leave it set to the autogenerated name or change it to something more friendly. This is also known as the SSID, or Service Set Identifier.
6. Touch to choose the type of security to use for your mobile hotspot, or choose None to use no security.
7. Enter a password that people connecting must use if you chose to use a security method in step 6.
8. Touch the Menu icon.
9. Touch Advanced.
10. Touch to enable or disable hiding your Wi-Fi network name (or SSID).
11. Touch to change the Wi-Fi channel that your hotspot will use, or leave it to Auto and let your HTC One choose the best one.
12. Touch to make more advanced changes to the way in which your hotspot hands out network addresses to devices that connect, and the network address range that your hotspot uses.
13. Touch to set your hotspot to always remain on, no matter if there are periods of inactivity, or set it to turn itself off after either 5 or 10 minutes of inactivity.
14. Touch the Back button to return to the previous screen.
15. Touch to turn on your hotspot and let people connect.
Limiting Who Can Connect
People can connect to your hotspot only after you give them the connection information. However, you can further limit who can connect to your Mobile Hotspot by allowing only certain devices. The steps that follow must be performed before you turn on your hotspot.
1. Touch Manage Users.
2. Touch to check the box next to Allowed Users Only.
3. Touch Done.
4. Touch to start your hotspot and wait for connection requests.
5. Touch the Connection Requests Received alert.
6. Select to Allow or Block the requesting devices.
7. Touch Done.
