Introduction
Welcome all, welcome! This article will cover Wi-Fi, and how to use it on your smart braille display! This is useful if you wish to download books, or update your device on the fly, rather than downloading files from a computer. In this article, we will cover the easiest way to connect to a network, along with other methods you can use if you don’t wish to connect the traditional way. You’ll find the Wi-Fi options under the settings/options menu of your display.
Wi-Fi Settings
The first thing you will find is that the Wi-Fi radio will be turned off by default. Let’s press “Enter” on the Wi-Fi option to turn it on. You won’t need to do this any time you turn your unit on, since it saves this setting.
Connecting To A Network
There are a couple of ways to perform this. These options are accessible under the “New Connection” option. In here, you can do this the easy way by selecting “Scan for SSID” and finding the network that way. Once you press “Enter” on the name, depending how you have your network settings, You will either get, “Connection successful,” or you may have to enter a password. This being said, to enter passwords on your braille keyboard, you can enter it in literary braille, or, the way we recommend is to press “Backspace+G” to switch to the computer braille code. If you are familiar with this, then it will be MUCH easier than literary, since you won’t need to use number and letter signs before each number or letter. To enter a capital letter using this code, press “Backspace” with the letter. Make sure you also know to drop the numbers one dot, as if you were writing Nemeth. Once you have finished entering the password, just press “Enter.” Switch back to your regular braille grade by pressing a “Backspace+G Chord.” You only need to do this once, and only when you are using computer braille. If you are using a Mantis, just type in the password the usual way, using the keyboard. NOTE: you cannot connect to networks that require a web browser window such as hotel networks, only public networks that require a password, and not a username and agreeing to terms and conditions.
Using a Router Button
Remember the bluetooth connections? This is somewhat similar to that. Simply find “WPS Connection” option here. Once you press “Enter,” press the “WPS” button on your router, which will basically make the router find signals to connect to, and the braille display should then establish the connection.
Manually Connect
If you have a hidden network, you can go in here, and type everything manually. This being said, make sure you remember the name of your network, exactly as written. This also applies to passwords as well. Use computer braille on braille keyboard models if needed to make things easier if you perform this method.
Importing a Connection File
As mentioned above, you may have a hidden network. Some routers let you create configuration files for devices to be able to connect to your Wi-Fi network, and the braille displays support such files. Simply connect a thumb drive or SD card with this file on it, and find “Import Wi-fi Configuration” file from the main Wi-Fi settings. It should automatically do everything and have you connected straight away.
Connection Management
Assuming you have everything connected correctly, let’s take a look at what you can do with these connections. These options are all located in the main Wi-Fi settings menu.
Deleting a Connection
This is pretty straightforward. Simply locate the “Delete Connection” option, choose the one you want to delete and press “Enter.” This is similar to forgetting a network, and it can be useful if you know you don’t plan to be near the networks frequently, such as coffee shops.
Launching Connections
Normally, your braille display should connect automatically to any network you have saved when you’re near it, like any other device. However, sometimes this may not happen. Use the “Launch Connection option to force your braille display to connect to a network you have already configured.
Validate Connection
If you want to make sure you are connected properly, you can either use the “Connection Status” option or, you can have the braille display test a connection for you by finding, “Validate Connection.” If you choose “Validate,” you will see, “Internet Access.” This means you are ready to go! The status option tells you if it is connected, followed by the technical aspects like the IP address.
Network Settings
If you know you’re going to use a network such as in a school, most likely your IT staff will have you enter different parameters before launching a connection such as IP, Subnet Mask, Gateway, etcetera. You can enter all these by going into the “Network Settings” option, and changing the connection mode to “Web,” instead of “DHCP.” We recommend you leave that menu alone, unless you know what you are doing.
Conclusion
We hope that this article was helpful on connecting your braille display to a Wi-Fi network! It is pretty straightforward once you do this, but remember, you cannot surf the web with these devices. You can download books from certain libraries for the blind and read them on said devices. Thank you for joining us on this article, and we shall see you on the next one!