Wireless or 3g

[amyberta]

Right now I have my kindle 3 on 3g. Should I put it on wireless or leave it on 3g? I have wireless at home.

Thanks

[Capri142]

  I don't think it makes any difference at all. I run my kindle on 3g and my Color Nook off of Wireless via the router at home. Not a bit of difference that I can tell.

[Linjeakel]

Although it can depend on your 3G signal strength, generally a wi-fi connection would be quicker and more reliable. If you have wi-fi at home then I would connect it - the Kindle will always then use that connection first if it's available and the 3G elsewhere. If you decide the connection isn't as good as your 3G, you can always tell the Kindle to 'forget' that wi-fi connection and go back to how you are now.

[CathyQuinn]

I don't think it makes a difference, but my wifi at home seems faster and more reliable than 3g out and about. But I suppose that depends on your connection.

[Ann in Arlington]

Terminology clarification:  "Wireless" is how Kindle connects to the world. Amazon call it "Whispernet". It can be via WiFi or via 3G.  Either way, you're connecting wirelessly. 

If you use WiFi, it doesn't cost Amazon anything.

If you use 3G, it does.  That's part of the reason the Kindle with both receivers costs more money.

I use WiFi at home and anywhere else that I can connect that way.  But I do like having 3G just in case or if I don't want to go to the trouble to work through a WiFi connection someplace where I'm only going to use it once.  But for my regular haunts, I set it up once and then it works every time I'm at one of those places.

[patrickt]

It's my understanding that it's not your choice. The WiFi/3G model first tries WiFi and if you are not in a hotspot it then goes toe 3G.

[carl_h]

At home, I'm set to use my home WiFi, which is much faster than 3G.  When traveling, I just let 3G handle it, even if local WiFi is available. 

[amyberta]

Thanks all. I don't know if it is a coincidence or not, but last night I put it on wifi and then came here to post and then I put it back to 3g and when I started to read my book, I noticed that it had upgraded to 3.1. All this time it has been on 3g, but I'm going to switch it back to wifi.

[Mike McIntyre]

WiFi seems to use up the battery faster.

[Ann in Arlington]

WiFi seems to use up the battery faster.

I've not noticed that to be the case on mine.  OTOH, I don't have wireless on very often. . . a few minutes in the morning to download my daily periodicals; sometimes in the evening if I just feel like it. 

[carl_h]

WiFi seems to use up the battery faster.

Faster than 3G or just faster than having wireless turned off in general?