Looking for some help with a Wi-Fi connection issue on your BlackBerry 10 device? Follow the troubleshooting tips below, and if you need more assistance, there are several great options for additional help that can be found at the end of this post.

1. Verify that you’re in a Wi-Fi coverage area. If you’re connecting to a home network, check and see if other wireless devices are able to connect. If other devices can’t connect, you might need to reset your router (if you do not run the Wi-Fi network, contact the owner before resetting the wireless router). If you’re connecting to a work Wi-Fi network or a hotspot, talk to your administrator or an employee at the hotspot to ensure you are using correct login details.
2. Verify that your smartphones Wi-Fi connection is turned on, and review the wireless connection status bar icons to determine your current connection. To learn more about the various icons, check out the Wireless Connections icons section found within the BlackBerry Z10 user guide.
3. If the Wi-Fi network that you want to connect to doesn’t appear on the Wi-Fi settings screen, it might be hidden. If you know the network name, try connecting to the Wi-Fi network manually. For assistance connecting to a Wi-Fi network manually, check out our blog post on how to connect Wi-Fi networks while using a BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
4. Verify that Mobile Hotspot mode is turned off. If Mobile Hotspot mode is on, your smartphone can’t connect to a Wi-Fi network. To check, tap Settings on your home screen followed by Network Connections
5. Your connection might have timed out so try connecting to the Wi-Fi network again.

If none of the suggestions above help solve the connection issue you are encountering, here are two more things you should check:

1. Verify that the time on your BlackBerry smartphone is synchronized with the network time. If the times are different, it could prevent your smartphone from connecting (for example, if connecting to the network requires you to have a certificate on your smartphone, and the certificate has an expiration date). To review time settings on your smartphone, tap Settings on your home screen followed by Date and Time
2. If your email account is a work account, your smartphone might prevent connections to certain wireless access points. For more information, contact your administrator.

Still not connected? Here are a few more things you can try:

1. Verify that the settings for the Wi-Fi network are correct. To find out which settings to use, for a home network, refer to the information that came with your router; for a work Wi-Fi network, talk to your administrator; for a public hotspot, refer to any information provided for the hotspot or talk to an employee at the hotspot who might have details about how to connect.
2. If you use the Press WPS Button on Router setting in Wi-Fi Protected Setup, check that the Wi-Fi router uses Wi-Fi Protected Setup, and that it is set to send its profile. Verify that another device is not also attempting to connect at the same time, and that not more than one Wi-Fi router within range is set to send its profile. For more information, review the information that came with your router or contact the person who runs the Wi-Fi network
3. If you use PEAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-FAST, or EAP-TTLS to connect to a Wi-Fi network, verify that you installed the root certificate for the certificate authority server that created the certificate for the authentication server. The root certificate must be installed on your smartphone before you can connect to the network. For more information, talk to your administrator.
4. If you use EAP-TLS to connect to a Wi-Fi network, verify that you installed your authentication certificate on the smartphone. The authentication certificate must be installed on your smartphone before you can connect to the network. For more information, talk to your administrator.
5. If you need to contact a support representative, you can access diagnostic information by tapping Advanced on the Wi-Fi settings screen. To copy the log information to send to your support representative, in the Diagnostic Information drop-down list, tap Logs followed by tapping Copy Logs.

To learn about a feature on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone or troubleshoot an issue, there are several great options available to help. Visit http://www.blackberry.com/support for access to product manuals, how-to demos, tips and tricks, YouTube videos, support forums, knowledge base articles Twitter support, and contact information for your region.

To help you get started, here’s some useful information that can help you connect and manage Wi-Fi networks on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

Connecting to Wi-Fi networks

1. On the Home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen and tap Wi-Fi
2. If the Wi-Fi switch is Off, set it to On
3. When the listing appears, tap on the network you would like to connect to
4. Depending on the Wi-Fi network, if the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) screen appears, complete one the following steps:
   • If you have access to the Wi-Fi router and it uses WPS, tap Press WPS Button on Router or Enter PIN into Router and follow the instructions. If you do not know which option, contact the person who manages the Wi-Fi network or review your Wi-Fi router user guide for assistance.
   • If you don’t have access to the Wi-Fi router or it doesn’t use Wi-Fi Protected Setup, tap Don’t use WPS.
5. If necessary, enter the username and/or password for the Wi-Fi network
6. Tap Connect.

Manually connecting to a Wi-Fi network

If you want to connect to a hidden Wi-Fi network or if you are having trouble connecting to a Wi-Fi network, complete the following steps:

1. On the Home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen
2. Tap Wi-Fi followed by tapping Add
3. In the SSID field, enter the name of the network
4. Select the network’s security type and specify any additional information
5. Tap Connect.

Editing and Deleting Saved Wi-Fi networks

If you need to change settings for a Wi-Fi network you’ve previously connected to, or tidy up your saved Wi-Fi networks, complete the following steps.

1. On the Home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen
2. Tap Wi-Fi and verify it’s turned On
3. Tap on Saved, then tap on the network you would like to modify
   • To edit the network details, make any required changes, hide the keyboard and tap Back.
   • To delete the saved Wi-Fi network entry, hide the keyboard and tap Delete.

Tip: To hide the keyboard, swipe down from the top of the keyboard using two fingers or hold the spacebar.

To learn about a feature on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone or troubleshoot an issue, there are several great options available to help. Visit www.blackberry.com/support for access to product manuals, how-to demos, tips and tricks, YouTube videos, support forums, knowledge base articles, Twitter support, and contact information for your region.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Need Internet on the go, but you’re not near a Wi-Fi® hotspot? When there’s no other way to access the Internet, you can tether your BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet to a Bluetooth®-enabled smartphone.

Here’s an overview of how to get Internet Tethering set up on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet!

In order to use Internet Tethering, you must pair a BlackBerry smartphone that supports the Dial Up Networking (DUN) Bluetooth profile with a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet using BlackBerry® Bridge™ or using a standard Bluetooth pairing connection. You can also use another type of smartphone provided it is able to make a successful Bluetooth pairing connection with the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

If you are using a BlackBerry smartphone and you plan on using BlackBerry Bridge, please check out our article and on How to set up BlackBerry Bridge If you plan on using a standard Bluetooth pairing connection with a BlackBerry smartphone or another type of smartphone, check out the smartphone’s user guide for instructions on making a Bluetooth pairing connection, as well as KB26141, which provides an overview of how to pair the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with a Bluetooth device. For BlackBerry smartphone user guides, visit http://docs.blackberry.com.

You must also ensure you have a data plan that supports tethering and your wireless service provider must allow tethering as well. For more information about any of these requirements, contact your wireless service provider or administrator, check your wireless service plan, and consult the documentation that came with your smartphone.

Another thing to keep in mind when you attempt to setup Internet Tethering is that if you are using a BlackBerry smartphone and it is activated on a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, contact your BlackBerry administrator to make sure that the appropriate IT policy is enabled on your BlackBerry smartphone so you can use Internet Tethering.

With that being said, here’s how to set up Internet Tethering provided you’ve set up BlackBerry Bridge, or have made a Bluetooth connection with a smartphone:

1. From the Home screen, select the “Settings” icon
2. From the Settings screen, select “Internet Tethering”
3. Select a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone from the list an do any of the following:
a. Select the Carrier from the list of pre-configured Wireless Service Profiles.

b. Click on the “Add” button to create a customer Internet Tethering profile and enter all the required information. Contact your wireless provider for this information if needed.

4. Tap “Connect”.

After completing the steps above, Internet Tethering is set up! To verify your connection details, just tap on the Bluetooth icon that appears on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet home screen.

When you are not using the Internet Tethering connection, you should disconnect the session. To do this, tap on the Bluetooth icon and select “Disconnect” as per the screenshot above.

Got a question about Internet Tethering on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? Leave a comment and let me know!

One of the great features with the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet is the variety of connections you can use to browse the Internet, access your email and stay connected with friends and colleagues while on the go!

With a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, you’ll of course be able to connect to Wi-Fi® networks where available, but with the innovative BlackBerry® Bridge™ application,  you can also amplify your BlackBerry smartphone experience and access your messages, calendar, contacts, memopad, tasks and BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™).  Plus, the Bridge Browser allows you to take advantage of your BlackBerry smartphone’s network connection when you’re out of Wi-Fi range!

Today, I’d like to provide an overview of the various ways you can connect your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and where you can learn more about them.

Wi-Fi

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet uses Wi-Fi technology to connect to the Internet or your organization’s intranet. You can connect through a personal network at home, or through a wireless network at your office, favorite coffee shop or other public venue (which is referred to as Wireless HotSpot).

With a Wi-Fi network connection, the BlackBerry PlayBook will also allow you to copy files such as music and videos wirelessly using Wi-Fi Sharing.  In addition to browsing, a Wi-Fi network connection will also allow other apps on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to access the Internet or intranet.

To learn more about the Wi-Fi functionality of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, such as how to set up  a Wi-Fi connection, click here for an interactive demonstration. I would also recommend checking out this post for an overview of how to copy files to and from a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet wirelessly using Wi-Fi Sharing.

BlackBerry Bridge

One of the reasons I love my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is because I can connect my BlackBerry smartphone to my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet using the BlackBerry Bridge app over a secure Bluetooth® connection. When you set up the BlackBerry Bridge app, you’ll notice that you have a new view on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet home screen called BlackBerry Bridge. Within this view, you’ll see several icons which will allow you to access messages, contacts, calendar, BBM, the BlackBerry Bridge Browser and more.

If your BlackBerry smartphone is activated on a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server and corporate intranet browsing has been enabled by your IT administrator, you can also browse your organization’s intranet.

NOTE: Bridge Browser functionality may require a BlackBerry service plan that includes tethering. Please contact your wireless service provider for more information.

To learn more about the BlackBerry Bridge app, including how to set it up, click here. If you’ve already set up BlackBerry Bridge, click here to take a look at some tips I put together

Internet Tethering

On top of being able to use a Wi-Fi connection and the BlackBerry Bridge app, you also have the option of  tethering your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with a BlackBerry smartphone or another Bluetooth® enabled phone. After doing this, you’ll be able to setup Internet Tethering, which will allow your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to leverage the Internet connection offered by the wireless device that is paired.

To learn more about Internet Tethering and how to set it up, click here for a video tutorial.

Do you have any questions about the connection types offered by the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? Leave a comment and let me know, as I’d love to hear from you!

Don’t forget to stop by the BlackBerry Community Support Forums and say hi!