How can a non-Wi-Fi capable phone be made Wi-Fi capable?

**raiku** · 04-24-2012, 03:59 PM

Assuming a phone is advanced enough that it can connect to the internet via communication with call towers and has Bluetooth capability, is there any way for it to be made Wi-Fi capable (i.e., is there any software out there that can enable the Bluetooth or call tower communication devices to transmit and receive data on Wi-Fi frequencies?; are there any antennas that can be purchased for this purpose?)?

Also, out of curiosity, does a phone with Bluetooth usually have separate input and output components for it or is it capable of just using the components for communicating with call towers?

**xtachx** · 06-11-2012, 02:54 PM

Mod Edit: Moved from wiki to the main thread.

Please look which forum you are posting in before you post!

**quickinferno** · 06-11-2012, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by raiku

Assuming a phone is advanced enough that it can connect to the internet via communication with call towers and has Bluetooth capability, is there any way for it to be made Wi-Fi capable (i.e., is there any software out there that can enable the Bluetooth or call tower communication devices to transmit and receive data on Wi-Fi frequencies?; are there any antennas that can be purchased for this purpose?)?

Also, out of curiosity, does a phone with Bluetooth usually have separate input and output components for it or is it capable of just using the components for communicating with call towers?

a non wifi capable phone can be made wifi capable by being replaced by a wifi capable phone.

**ijcy** · 06-11-2012, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by quickinferno

a non wifi capable phone can be made wifi capable by being replaced by a wifi capable phone.

Lol you guys are so funny man! Which phone do you have that is not wifi capable!?

**sirtate** · 06-12-2012, 07:57 AM

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9630/5.0.0.732 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/126)

Couldn't you solder a wifi dongle onto the back of it?

**cmstlist** · 06-12-2012, 09:43 AM

If it supports USB reverse tethering, you could attach an entire laptop to it, and use the laptop to connect to wifi

**mGeek** · 06-12-2012, 11:25 AM

Why do you even need wifi? I fyou're trying to tether, many phones can do that via BlueTooth. Even the old flip phones can do that.

**xtachx** · 06-12-2012, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by sirtate

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9630/5.0.0.732 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/126)

Couldn't you solder a wifi dongle onto the back of it?

Yes but then you need to write / compile drivers for it. I don't know how hard it is for ARM but I have experiance with ATMEL and it's not too bad if the platform has good documentation.

Or wifi capable phones are $100. Buy one

Sent from my Nexus One using HowardForums

**Big Ang** · 06-13-2012, 08:53 AM

There are very few, if any, smartphones that have been sold in the past 3 years that don't have both WiFi and 3G data. In fact, I doubt there are ANY smartphones that work on Mobi's network that do not do both. The closest thing to a non-WiFi smartphone that Mobi sells is the Samsung Gravity Touch, and that's NOT a smartphone. For the same price you can buy a Nokia 500 on sale, which has WiFi and can do a lot more than the Gravity Touch.

The easiest way to do what you want is to get a new phone. That's why there are few, if any, hardware solutions that you can buy. I'd be surprised if there is even one, and if one does exist, then the price will probably cost you as much as a low-end smartphone.

Sure, it may be possible to do it yourself, if you are technically inclined it might be a nice hobby. It won't be easy, and it won't be cheap, but I guess it MIGHT be possible.

**cmstlist** · 06-13-2012, 09:29 AM

The Nokia 5230 that both Wind and Mobi put out was missing Wi-Fi. Now it's been superseded by similar models that do, and by the fact that Symbian is a dinosaur OS.

**Fortissimo** · 01-11-2013, 09:21 AM

I found this thread when searching for anything related to Nokia 5230. I think everyone here is taking OP's post way too seriously because if I read it right, the OP doesn't really understand how things work. He thinks Bluetooth and WiFi are communicating to the cell towers!

But the OP has given me a good retrospect though. In today's devices, it is WYSIWYG! But in the old days, PDAs have PCMCIA slots, CF slots, SDIO slots, and thus you can plug WiFi card, BT card, GPS card, storage card, serial I/O card, bar code scanner card, webcam on a card, etc. Very versatile and flexible. Although a little bulky.

Nowadays, only storage card is left, nothing else. Moreover, USB Host Mode and USB OTG are very limited and device dependent, not to mention it will stick out and not convenient even if doable. (And USB Host Mode was available on some, but not all PDAs back when, including various Toshiba PocketPC models).

For example, I have a WiFi 802.11b/g card on SDIO, which I used to use on the Toshiba e805 PDA. If you have a certain smartphone, for example, The Palm Treo 600 (I once used) has Bluetooth but no WiFi (and yes, it is a smartphone!), but it has SDIO and with some hacks, can use Palm's WiFi SDIO card. The card was rather expensive so I didn't buy it at the time, but it was doable.

And cmslist was right, Nokia 5230 is a smartphone and yet doesn't have WiFi. And again, I own 2 so I know for sure.