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Take Control of iPhone and iPod touch Networking & Security, iOS 4 Edition
Connect with confidence with Wi-Fi, 3G, and Bluetooth!
Basic network connections from an iPhone or iPod touch are simple to make, but sometimes you need to go beyond the basics, whether to make unusual connections or to establish connections that are private and secure. In this ebook, you'll learn how networking expert Glenn Fleishman thinks about networking, and profit from his explanations and advice on key networking topics, such as the ins and outs of how you can create secure Wi-Fi connections, exploit alternative 3G data plans, set up your iPhone as a personal hotspot, conserve 3G data, connect Bluetooth devices, access files stored on local computers and in the cloud, protect personal data on your mobile device, and use Find My iPhone and other remote tracking software.
Which devices are discussed? If you are using an iPhone 3G or 2nd-generation iPod touch, this ebook is for you. Those devices cannot be upgraded past iOS 4. Note that the data plans and third-party apps described in this ebook may have changed over time.
- More Info
- Contents & Intro
- What’s New
- FAQ
- Blog
Inside, you'll find advice and steps for how to:
- Make Wi-Fi connections: Connect via Wi-Fi at home or work, at a public hotspot, and with (or without) various forms of security. Glenn discusses the more modern and favored WPA and WPA2 security methods, and he explains why WEP and MAC addressing should be avoided (but how to deal with them if you must). You'll also find tips for setting up your home network to best work with the 2.4 GHz 802.11n networking found in the iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch.
- Connect your iPhone via 3G: Decide which data plan to sign up for, and get advice on limiting your use of the 3G network to stay within the bounds of your plan. Although Glenn focuses on plans available in the United States, overall, the information he provides is appropriate for everyone, no matter where you are. You'll also find tips about traveling to a different country with your iPhone.
- Connect your iPod touch via 3G: Learn about alternative 3G plans (in the United States) that put various mobile devices on the Internet.
- Use Bluetooth: Connect Bluetooth devices, such as headsets and keyboards, to your iPhone or iPod touch. Also learn how peer-to-peer pairing lets you connect multiple iOS devices to play a game.
- Access remote documents: Learn how to access remote documents wirelessly and find steps for using a variety of file-sharing apps, including Air Sharing HD, GoodReader, Dropbox, and iDisk.
- Control a computer remotely: Use a third-party app on your iOS device to take control of other computers remotely. Specific steps are given for iTeleport and LogMeIn Ignition.
- Protect your data and privacy: Understand what aspects of your documents, passwords, and privacy could be at risk should the wrong person gain access to your device or its network communications. You'll get advice for how to take preventative actions, and learn what you can do if your device is lost or stolen.
Book Info
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About the Author
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Book Reviews
Author Interviews
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Glenn Fleishman is a tech journalist based in Seattle, where he lives with his wife and two sons, both of whom are adept at accidentally pressing the power button on his laptop.
He’s a contributing editor at
Table of Contents
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Read Me FirstThis book covers how to use your iPhone and iPod touch with iOS 4 on a Wi-Fi or 3G network securely, making connections with ease while protecting your data and your device. It also covers other tasks that rely on a network, such as retrieving documents to read and remotely controlling computers from your iOS 4 device. It was written by Glenn Fleishman, edited by Tonya Engst, and published by TidBITS Publishing Inc. |
Introduction
The iPhone and iPod touch are designed to be used on the go: you don’t need to clear out space in which to work, put down the device on a table, and stare at it. Instead, you might use your handheld in hundreds of places over the course of a busy day. You want connectivity all the time.
Having connectivity available at all times is more achievable with an iPhone than with an iPod touch. The iPhone has both Wi-Fi and 3G cellular data hardware built in to allow a connection whenever you’re within range of either kind of network, assuming the network grants you access.
Using 3G comes at a price, however. Mobile operators worldwide typically sell limited or throttled service plans for 3G. That is, after a certain amount of agreed upon usage in a given billing period (typically a cycle of 30 or 31 days), you pay overage fees that are often considerable, or have your service limited to a very low rate, close to dial-up modem speeds.
In this book, I look at tradeoffs between Wi-Fi and 3G usage, and how to find and pay for the right network connection. I also guide you through how to make consistent and secure network connections, whether over Wi-Fi or 3G, and how to best protect your data and your device from physical or data theft.
With networking comes access, and I guide you through two key and interesting networked uses of your device: accessing and managing documents over a local network and on Internet storage sites; and remote control of a computer’s screen on the same or a distant network.
The length of this book may be daunting, but each subject is bite-sized and mostly self-contained. You don’t need to be an expert to master the networking and security concepts and tips that follow.
Quick Start to Networking and Security
This book explains how to use an iPhone or iPod touch safely on a network, including how to connect and customize a connection, and how to secure data that’s on your device or that’s passing over a network. You can read the ebook in order or skip to topics of particular interest.
To make a connection right away with a minimum of fuss, skip to an option in the “Make a connection fast” list, just below. For Wi-Fi connections, note that Connect to a Secure Wi-Fi Network explains security and password options and Wi-Fi Troubleshooting has advice for fixing problematic connections.
Also, if you have an iPod touch and are wondering how you can make a 3G connection, don’t miss Alternatives to Phone Data Plans.
Make a connection fast:
- Get on a Wi-Fi network without fuss. See Connect with Wi-Fi at Home or Work.
- Connect to a Wi-Fi Hotspot while you are out and about.
- Add Bluetooth devices to your iPhone or iPod touch.
Ensure you’re secure:
- Set up a secure Wi-Fi connection. Read Connect to a Secure Wi-Fi Network.
- Prevent others from sniffing your passwords and data over wireless networks. See Transfer Data Securely.
- Don’t let your data fall into the wrong hands. See Keep Data Safe.
- Find out what to do When Your iOS Device Goes Missing.
Learn to use an iPhone’s cellular data services:
- Discover the ins and outs of cellular data plans. See Work with 3G on an iPhone.
- Avoid unexpected data service plan fees. See Keeping Usage Restrained and Choose to Use 3G or Wi-Fi.
- Keep cellular data costs under control outside your home country. See Cross-Border iPhone Use.
- Use your iPhone as a cellular data modem for your laptop. Read Personal Hotspot and Tethering.
Discover other networked uses of an iPod touch or iPhone:
- Control a computer’s screen and input from an iOS device. See Remote Access and Control.
- Grab and view documents, images, and videos over a network or the Internet with apps. See Access Documents.
Go under the hood, gain more control, and solve problems:
- Read Managing Wi-Fi Connections to learn the ins and outs of joining and forgetting hotspot networks, configuring your device to connect in complex scenarios, and work through problems with Wi-Fi Troubleshooting.
- Find tips for setting up a Wi-Fi network to work well with the iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch in Tweaking Your Network for Faster Performance.
- Get advice on setting up a secure wireless network in Connect to a Secure Wi-Fi Network.
- Learn how to turn off the iPhone and iPod touch’s various wireless radios in Airplane Mode.
What’s New in Version 1.2
The purpose of this update was to overhaul the tethering chapter to reflect the new Personal Hotspot feature that appeared in iOS 4.2.6 for the Verizon Wireless iPhone 4 and in iOS 4.3 for the worldwide GSM iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. The chapter includes all the information you need to use the updated feature. See Personal Hotspot and Tethering.
Also, minor details were changed or added to include information about the Verizon Wireless iPhone 4, and some information about mobile broadband alternatives was removed because it was outdated, no longer relevant, or changing too fast to be useful.
What Was New in Version 1.1
Here are the highlights of changes made to create version 1.1:
- The chapter about tethering has more accurate and complete information about tethering plans (in version 1.2 that chapter was entirely overhauled and is now called Personal Hotspot and Tethering).
- Enable Remote Access (for iTeleport) has updated steps.
- Find My iOS Device via MobileMe has a brief note and a few edits about a new, free way to use Apple’s device-finding service.
- Remote Tracking Software is updated in various ways, including a look at the new version of GadgetTrak.
Can I read this ebook on an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or Kindle?
There are lots of great ways to read our ebooks on these devices. For more details, please read our latest Device Advice.
Ask a Question
Feel free to ask us if you have a question about this title!
Send Us Your Comments!
How could we not publish such kind words? If you'd like to send us your comments (good or bad, though we hope they're all good), just click the Feedback link on the cover of your copy of the ebook. Be sure to let us know if we can publish your comment. Thanks!
Update Plans
In updating this ebook, we skipped iOS 5 entirely. We just couldn't keep up with Apple's various software and hardware changes. However, we did create an update for iOS 6 called .
—Tonya Engst
Running a Mail Spam Filter on an iPad or iPhone
May 2, 2012 --
Take Control reader Genevieve S. wrote in with an interesting question a few days ago:
Genevieve: Do you know any third-party app that can filter mail on iPad and iPhone—i.e., apply rules?
Tonya’s reply: I don’t know of any apps that can filter mail locally on the iPad, but I’ve cc’d Adam and Joe here to see if either of them has a suggestion. Personally, I use my gmail account on the iPad, and Google handles the filtering on the server.
Joe’s reply: There is an app called ibisMail, which comes in both iPad and iPhone versions, that does filtering on the device. However, I do what Tonya does—let a server-based filter do all the work before messages appear on any of my devices.
Genevieve: Thank you for responding. I use the Gmail filter too, but the AT&T/Yahoo filter is lousy. This is not a problem when receiving mail on the Mac—the rules in Mail handle the leakage—but if I read the mail on the iPhone, a local filter would help.
Adam jumps in: You could forward the other account to Gmail to get the benefit of its filter. Lots of people do that. 
Genevieve: Great idea!!
In the third edition of Take Control of Mail on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, Joe touches on email forwarding in “Decide Which Account(s) to Use,” and he references a Macworld article that he wrote—Streamline e-mail with Gmail. The Macworld article discusses how to forward a non-Gmail email account through Gmail.
—Michael E. Cohen
Changes to LogMeIn App
January 23, 2012 --
As 2011 wound down to its final weeks, LogMeIn changed both the features and pricing of the LogMeIn Ignition app covered in this book. There is now a free version, named simply LogMeIn, and a for-pay version, LogMeIn Pro. Glenn Fleishman describes the changes in his article, "LogMeIn App for iOS Set Free and Gains Pro Upgrade," 23 December 2011.
—Michael E. Cohen
AT&T Changes iPhone Data Plans
January 23, 2012 --
As of 22 January 2012, AT&T has raised both the cost and the usage allotment of two of its smartphone data plans. The lowest tier now costs $20 a month for 300 MB of data usage; the previous plan cost $15 for 200 MB. Those who exceed the 300 MB are now charged $20 for an additional 300 MB. The next higher tier now costs $30 a month instead of $25, but now offers 3 GB of usage instead of 2 GB; this plan retains the $10 for each additional 1 GB of usage. Those who currently have the older plans can keep them, but if they change to any of the new plans they cannot then return to the older plans. Glenn Fleishman slices and dices the new plans in his TidBITS article, "AT&T Raises Data Plan Prices for New Customers," 18 January 2012.
—Michael E. Cohen
Apple Now Selling Unlocked iPhones
June 14, 2011 --
Apple today quietly began selling unlocked iPhones via the online Apple Store. Mark Anbinder's TidBITS article, "Apple Quietly Adds Unlocked iPhones to Online Apple Store," 14 June 2011, explains what it all means.
—Michael E. Cohen
iOS 4.3.3 and iOS 4.2.8 Address Location Tracking Bugs
May 5, 2011 --
The "discovery" by two researchers in April 2011 that iOS devices were storing far more location-related information than necessary, and that the information could be accessed relatively easily, incited a firestorm of criticism. Apple has now addressed those criticisms with two iOS updates.
—Michael E. Cohen
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