In this economy there are times where you just don’t want to pay for all the bells and whistles. People are always looking for a way to cut the “FAT” out of expenses.

One way to save a little is to not pay the ridiculous prices cell providers charge for data services. (Keep in mind, that some of you may be under a data contract that has REALLY HIGH PENALTIES if you cancel, so check how much its going to cost you before trying to get out of your data plan) For those that already have expired contracts or can get out of your data plan, you could be seeing $50 or more a month in savings while still being able to use your device via Wi-Fi.

The specific situation I will be addressing at this point comes because of helping a friend (Shannon this one is for you) that has a 3G iPad from Verizon that she would like to use but doesn’t need the 3G access.  Since the main uses for her iPad will be at home where she is already paying for internet (and has Wi-Fi) or maybe while out at Starbucks or McD’s.  The error / issue she was getting was an error message about “Needing access to her account”.  That message is because the 3G service is turned on with the iPad 3G by default.

 

So here is how you convert the iPad 3G in to a Wi-Fi iPad

 

Steps -

1. Turn on your iPad. (Ok I know this one is obvious but I still have to include it)
2. Go to the “Home” screen on your iPad.
3. Tap “Settings” –> Then tap “Cellular Data”
4. Change the selection that says “Cellular Data” to “Off” (3G service is now off)
5. At this point, The iPad should automatically detect wireless networks (as long as you are somewhere that has Wi-Fi, so yes make sure you are in a Wi-Fi area)
   

               -> If your Wi-Fi (or the Wi-Fi in the area you are in) is secure, You may be asked to type in a username and password to connect, depending on the network security settings. .

6. That’s it, you should now be able to use your iPad with only Wi-Fi

 

Additional Notes -

1. You may see random values displayed for Cellular Data in the General Settings when after you turn off cellular data. If you do you can ignore it. These numbers do not represent any real data being transferred (At the moment cant really explain why the numbers appear)
2. Also Keep in mind these changes don’t have to be permanent, its just a matter if contacting your iPad provider and getting a data plan from them, then turning the Cellular Data back on to get your iPad back on a 3G data plan