question about WiFi - from someone very new to 3G & WiFi!

[SLilyBelle1]

I hope that my question isn't one that all of you who are very familiar with WiFi & 3G phones don't roll your eyes at! It's a question I've had for a while.

When my phone is on, it is always using its own wifi, right? It's not linking off my work WiFi....right?

The reason I'm wondering is that we have WiFi at work, and my phone is always sounding the little notification that I have new emails. I occasionally want to show someone a picture from my Facebook collection, and I'm able to get to my Facebook. (Our internet connection at work is very limited as to what we can get to online; they block nearly everything - especially social networking and/or gaming sites.)

My workplace is very strict about what you can access on the computers there, and I don't worry about ever accidentally getting on a prohibited site (Facebook, etc) because it won't let us. However, we all got an email last week saying that people had figured out how to go around the block (I personally wouldn't have a clue how!) and that it was slowing down our connection speed dramatically. It warned us (again) not to access any of their list of prohibited sites or types of sites.

My main question is this: is my phone using the workplace WiFi & "going around" the blocks to get to my Facebook during those once-in-a-blue-moon peeks I take? Or is it its own connection? Will the computer geeks at work see that "for one and a half minutes on last Thursday, SLilyBelle1 accessed Facebook?"

Please don't roll your eyes at my question.... I seriously don't know the answer and need to know -- I don't want to get into trouble at work. If my phone is going through the work WiFi, I need to know how to disconnect it while I'm at work!!! I can't afford to lose my job!

Thanks!

 

[vonfink13]

odds are pretty good that you are not using the work wifi connection.assumng that it is a locked wifi connection, did you ever put the password for the work wifi into your droid? if not, then you are not using it.
the way to tell whether you are on wifi or 3G is in your notifications bar at the top of your screen. if you are on 3G, it says 3G and shows the status bars right next to it. for wifi you get a little series of bars kinda like an upside down pyramid.
is your phone set to automatically search for a wifi signal? the safest thing to do would be to make sure that you turn off the wifi entirely in your settings menu under wireless and networks while at work.
dont worry about your questions being too basic for the forum. this place is very newbie friendly.

 

[born2golf]

It would appear you need to better understand wifi versus 3g. The 3g network is the data connection to your mobile phone provider. Wifi is a connection to a wireless netowrking accesspoint like you would find in your home; your office or a Starbucks. Both wifi and 3g allow you to connect to the Internet and things like facebook. However if you didn't choose to connect to you office work then it is pretty doubtful that you are using it. Wifi rarely, if ever, connects to a new accesspoint by itself and more than likely if your company is as security concience as you say they would require some form of authentication or validation of anyone or anything connecting to the wifi network. So you are most Likely just using the 3g network while you are at work. In which case you are using your phone company to connect to the internet. Assuming you have an unlimited data plan, have a ball.

Sent from my DROID2 using DroidForums App

 

[hookbill]

odds are pretty good that you are not using the work wifi connection.assumng that it is a locked wifi connection, did you ever put the password for the work wifi into your droid? if not, then you are not using it.
the way to tell whether you are on wifi or 3G is in your notifications bar at the top of your screen. if you are on 3G, it says 3G and shows the status bars right next to it. for wifi you get a little series of bars kinda like an upside down pyramid.
is your phone set to automatically search for a wifi signal? the safest thing to do would be to make sure that you turn off the wifi entirely in your settings menu under wireless and networks while at work.
dont worry about your questions being too basic for the forum. this place is very newbie friendly.

I agree, just don't leave your wifi on all the time. There are widgets you can get to turn wifi on and off without having to go into the settings.

 

[vonfink13]

i'm with you on that one. beautiful widgets just came out with some nice round toggle widgets that i love. makes turning stuff on and off a real breeze....and they look cool too.