Samsung Galaxy Phones Have a Secret Wifi Menu Packed With Useful Options
Having spent more than two decades writing on gadgets and technology in general, it is not often that I meet a functionality that I have never seen or heard before – but Samsung surprised me. It turns out that the manufacturer of devices has hidden a fairly useful WiFi menu in its UI software which offers you a whole bunch of useful options. It’s really new for me, and it could be new to you too.
I am indebted to the beautiful people of Android Authority to spot it; They discovered it in turn via a thread on Reddit, which joined a Tiktok video. The functionality is called Connectivity Labs, and it seems to have been added at one point in 2023.
How to activate connectivity laboratories
Here is how to activate it: open the settings of your Galaxy phone, then press Connections> Wi-Fi. Press the three points in the upper right corner, then choose Smart wi-fi. Here you will see practical options to change WiFi networks, connect to hotspots, detect suspicious networks and prioritize data in real time.
Credit: Lifehacker
To find the hidden menu, you must Press smart Wi-Fi at the bottom of the screen seven times to allow Connectivity laboratories (When you get closer, you will see a message indicating that the functionality is about to be activated). This then gives you an additional connectivity menu option on this screen. The menu button describes the function as “for internal test purposes”.
What you can do with connectivity laboratories
Tab Connectivity Labs and you will first see a stack of statistics on the WiFi connection of your phone during last week, including the amount of data you used, the time you connected, and even the strips and the WiFi standards that you have used (this can help you make sure that you fully use your new Wi-Fi 7 Tri-Band Roter).
Further on, you will find a range of options and rocking switches. A note parameter is Switch to mobile data fasterThis should mean that your phone is faster to abandon a trembling wifi network for cellular data, and may be preferable if you have an unlimited data plan for your handset.
Then there is Automatically reconnect to the transporter Wi-Fiwhich apparently automates the connection process to public WiFi spots provided by your operator. Whether you want it to happen or not, it will really be personal preferences and how you want your phone to work, but it is useful to have the option.
Faucet Customize Wi-Fi list settings And you can make improvements to the list of available WiFi networks that you see on your phone. You can modify the signal resistance threshold which determines whether a WiFi network is displayed or not as available, for example, and configure more filters to control the networks you see (maybe you only want to see secure networks, 5 GHz, for example).
Credit: Lifehacker
Choose Wi-Fi developer options for even more statistics, including a Nearby Wi-Fi information Screen that classifies the networks around you according to the quality of their signal force, from the worst to the best. This can be useful for troubleshooting problems and ensuring that devices are connected to the network with the best signal.
Speaking of checking the signal force, if you open the Home Wi-Fi inspection Option from the Connectivity Labs page, you are made step by step in the process of seeing how good wifi is at different times in your home. You choose the network you want to analyze, then walk with your phone to check its strength at different times. Again, it is practical to understand why your laptop could lose the connection in the room or find the best place to install your new security camera.
Together, all Connectivity Labs tools are so useful, it is a surprise that Samsung has placed them in a hidden menu that you cannot see by default. I am having discovered it.
