You’ll probably use your NOOK Tablet in more than one place—your home, a public WiFi hotspot in a café or airport, or at a Barnes & Noble location, to name just a few. In those cases, you need to connect to a WiFi network other than the initial one you used when you set up your tablet.
It’s simple. Just follow these steps:
With your NOOK Tablet turned on, press the NOOK button. The Quick Nav bar appears.
Tap the Settings icon and select Wireless. From the screen that appears, make sure that the button at the top right is On, rather than Off.
Tap the WiFi hotspot you want to connect to.
Type the password, if the hotspot requires one, and then tap Connect.
That’s all it takes; you’re connected.
The vast majority of the time, you should have no problems making a WiFi connection. But wireless technology can be finicky sometimes, and when that happens, you might need some help. The technology is confusing enough that you may feel the need to consult a local witch doctor or magician to help, but this book is really all you need. Don’t go looking for your wizard hat yet.
One problem you may come across when making a connection to your home network is that your network name doesn’t show up on the NOOK Tablet’s WiFi list. If that’s the case, the likely hitch is that your home network is set up to be a hidden network; that is, it doesn’t broadcast its presence to the world.
Tip
Are you the techie type who has a burning desire to know all there is to know about the WiFi network to which you’re connected? It’s easy to do. On the Wireless connection screen, tap the network’s name. A screen appears with details that will warm the cockles of any geek’s heart, including the signal strength, exact speed of connection, type of security being used, and even the IP address your NOOK Tablet is currently using.
One way to solve the problem is to unhide your network; check your router’s documentation for details. But there’s another way to solve it as well. When you get to the Wireless connection screen, as outlined in the previous section, tap Other Network. On the screen that appears, type the network name (called a service set identifier or SSID) and tap Save. (You’ll of course first need to know the name of the hidden network to do this.) From then on, that network will show up on your network list. If the network requires security, tap the down arrow in the Security box, and choose the type of security the network uses. (If you’re at a hotspot, ask for the security type and password; if you’re at home, check your router or its manual for details.) After you select the security method, type a password, tap Save, and you’re all set.
You may come across other WiFi problems that need solving as well. Here’s a quick rundown on how to fix some of them:
If a WiFi network shows up but you can’t connect to it, try turning off your NOOK Tablet, and then turning it back on. That often solves the problem.
If you keep having problems connecting to a WiFi network, on the Wireless connection screen, tap the network name, and then tap Forget from the screen that appears. Back on the Wireless connection screen, try connecting to it again.
If all else fails, call the NOOK technical support line at 1-800-THE-BOOK. You’ll be able to get help from a technical wizard who can help troubleshoot whatever ails your NOOK Tablet.
