I cannot connect to the WiFi at my library using iPad 2 64 GB 3G.

Question

I have an iPad 2 64GB with 3G (Verizon). This is my only computer. I only have a regular cell phone, not an iPhone or smart phone. I don't have an iPod either. The only way I access the Internet is through 3G. Not being computer savvy, I thought this would be the easiest method.  Are there many others out there like me? Things seemed to be more geared toward WiFi. I guess the 3G was meant only for people on the go who could not access WiFi, such as in a moving car? Just using 3G seems to have many limitations I did not realize. For example, the only reason I had to go to the library to try to connect to their WiFi was because I could not install an update to Skype. When I tried to install the update using 3G, I got a message saying it was over 20 MB and had to be done via WiFi, which I do not have. I connected to the WiFi at my local library, but I kept getting message that I could not connect to Internet. It's weird, because it did show I was connected to the library WiFi in General settings. It is a bit frustrating to have to go to  a hotspot to download anything that is 20MB or larger. I would get WiFi, but I don't want to buy a laptop or desktop. I was told that a wireless router has to be first set up with a laptop or desktop and not an iPad. Another limitation is I can't use Facetime with 3G. I can't print using airprint on 3G.  I also read that using 3G uses up the battery faster. Downloading a rented film from iTunes would eat up too much of my data plan using 3G. (And it is probably over 20 MB again.) I still haven't been able update to iOS 5.0 because I don't have another computer to connect to iTunes. WiFi seems to be cheaper if you you are a heavy user. I only get 20 MB a month for $20. Verizon charges 20 bucks for home Internet connection, but it is unlimited data usage. Sometimes I exhaust my data so quickly, I have to add more data before the month has ended. That gets expensive. So, my main question was about the public WiFi problem, but I also wanted to detail some of the limitations of using an iPad 2 as your sole computer using 3G. I was able to connect to the Apple store WiFi when I tested it out a while back, so I know it can be done using my iPad. Any hints on how to workaround the limitations of using 3G would also be appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

Thanks for the quick response. No, I did not get any error messages or any terms-of-usage screen. The employee I told my problem to was not computer savvy either. She just suggested I move to different spots w/in the library to see if that would make a difference. It didn't. When I connected to the library WiFi it did change the Verizon 3G that is usually in the upper left corner to iPad with two to three emanating arcs. I may have to go to the library in the next town. I was able to connect to theirs in the past when I had to download something greater than 20 MB. Unless I really want it, I will probably not even try to download something more than 20 MB due to the hassle. Yeah, I may have been better off getting a normal desktop or laptop and getting WiFi at home. To do that now would mean having my iPad 2 and a desktop computer, which I feel is extravagant. (I know there are a lot of big spenders out there who got the iPad as additional gadget for fun. This is a rich country.) A Verizon rep told me I couldn't set up a WiFi router at home just using an iPad. So it seems like a person who just uses 3G is limited to surfing the net (not even much YouTube because it eats a lot of data) and using email. I read about an app that helps print wirelessly using 3G, but a reviewer said you had to be an engineer to get it done right. BTW, I like the Steelers. I'm old enough to remember Franco Harris and that blond guy whose name escapes me back in the '70s. Since I live in North Jersey I feel I have to support the Giants. But I know football about as well as computers.