How can I avoid data roaming charges on my iPhone?

Our mobile expert says...

It certainly makes sense to use wireless broadband, or Wi-Fi, to connect your iPhone to the internet while abroad. Not only is it often faster and more reliable than connecting through 3G (your mobile network), but it is likely to cost a mere fraction of the price (or nothing, depending on where you are staying).

This is because data “roaming” - basically connecting to the internet via the mobile network while you are in another country - can cost you a lot of money.

According to research published by The Carphone Warehouse earlier this year, over two-thirds of those who use smartphones like the iPhone have been hit with big phone bills (“bill shock”) when returning home from a trip abroad.

The research showed that 81% of the 2,000 people questioned had received a bill on their return which was up to £100 more expensive than their standard monthly payment.

Cutting roaming costs

Last month, the European Commission announced a number of measures to make it cheaper to use your smartphone in EU countries, including a €50 price cap on data roaming.

But it still remains cheaper to use Wi-Fi to get your smartphone online when abroad. However, it is important to ensure that your handset is set-up to connect to Wi-Fi without unwittingly racking up data charges at the same time.

Why does my iPhone connect to Wi-Fi but not the internet?

So, your iPhone is hooked up to a wireless connection, but you are unable to access the internet. As a basic troubleshooting measure, try the following steps, which often resolve Wi-Fi issues according to Apple:

• Tap “Settings”, then tap “Wi-Fi” and then turn the Wi-Fi connection off and on again
• Check that you are in range of your wireless router e.g. the same distance as another connected device
• Make sure that your wireless router is properly connected and switched on
• Check that other devices are able to connect to and use that Wi-Fi network
• Update the wireless router to the latest “firmware” - the programme that controls it. Check the manufacturer’s website for details
• Finally, restart your iPhone

No joy? Then follow these Apple-approved steps:

• If you are in an area where your iPhone can detect more than one Wi-Fi network, check that you have selected the network you want to connect to
• Check that the Wi-Fi settings on your iPhone are correct by tapping “Settings”, then “Wi-Fi”. From there locate the Wi-Fi network you are using and tap the arrow in the blue circle

So you’ve checked the settings and your iPhone still isn’t accessing the internet via wireless broadband? Try this:

• Tap “Forget this Network”, which will reset the iPhone’s settings for that particular network, including the password, then try connecting to that network again

The Wi-Fi network you want to use may use MAC address filtering, which improves security by only allowing “authorised” devices to connect

If this is the case follow these final two steps:

• Add the MAC address for your iPhone to the access list for your wireless router
• The MAC address for your iPhone can be found by tapping “Settings”, “General”, then “About”. It is listed as the Wi-Fi address

Is my router stopping my iPhone from connecting to the internet over Wi-Fi?

It is possible that the reason you cannot access the internet on your iPhone through a particular Wi-Fi network is something to do with the wireless router rather than your iPhone. If you’ve followed the preceding steps and still haven’t found success, get hold of the router’s instructions and try these suggestions:

• Check the router’s manufacturer’s website for any firmware or software updates, as suggested above
• Temporarily disable any wireless encryption or security on your wireless router to rule out any encryption or security issues
• Disable 40MHz in the 2.4GHz settings on your wireless router as the iPhone does not support this mode and disabling it may reduce interference
• The iPhone does not support some standards of Wi-Fi, so check the technical specification of your iPhone on the Apple website

If this doesn’t solve the problem then further suggestions are available from the Apple Support Communities, where Apple users from all over the world exchange hints and tips. Give the following steps a try to find out if your wireless router could be the issue:

• Tap “Settings” and then “Wi-Fi” when your iPhone 4 is connected to the network, then tap the arrow next to the network name
• The number displayed here is the IP address, which is the number assigned to each device in a network that uses the internet. If that number begins with 169.254 then the router has failed to assign your iPhone an IP address
• If this is the case, reset the wireless router as the computer programme that runs it may have crashed. To do this, simply unplug it for a few seconds, then plug it back in and start again

Alternative suggestions

A diagnosis of this problem often given on tech forums is that your iPhone may have picked up the wrong DNS (the system that translates your device into an IP address) entry when attempting to connect to the wireless router. This can be put right by doing the following:

• On your iPhone, tap “Settings”, then “Wi-Fi”, then the arrow in the blue circle, then “Forget this Network” and confirm
• From there, return to the Wi-Fi settings and choose the network you want to connect to
• Tap the arrow in the blue circle and go down to the DNS line
• Find the first DNS entry, then select it and delete it
• Tap “Wi-Fi Networks”
• Open Safari, your iPhone’s web browser, and try visiting a website to check that you are now connected

Will I be charged for using Wi-Fi to connect my iPhone abroad?

This all depends on what Wi-Fi network you are using. As in the UK, many public places overseas - bars, restaurants, cafes, libraries, even city centres - will offer free Wi-Fi access.

Again, as in this country, many places abroad, such as hotels, trains and even some planes, will offer pay Wi-Fi, which you will usually pay for in advance online when you first access the network. Again, you should not be hit with high international roaming costs from your mobile company as you are using a local network.

However, in all these cases it is very important to ensure that data roaming on your iPhone is turned off or you could find that you inadvertently rack up roaming charges with your mobile network if your handset automatically connects to update apps, pick up emails and so on.

Turn your data roaming settings off by tapping “Settings”, then “General”, then “Network” and then “Data Roaming”. If your handset’s operating system is iOS 4 or newer (basically the iPhone 4), you also need to tap “Settings”, “General”, “Network” and then “Enable Cellular Data”, making sure data roaming is set to “Off”.

Finally, to ensure that Wi-Fi is still enabled, tap “Settings”, then “Wi-Fi” and choose the Wi-Fi network you want to connect to if it is not already selected.

Airplane mode

If you do all this but are still worried that your phone will start roaming, you can switch to airplane mode. This will disable all network connections, but if you go back into “Settings”, you'll be able to turn your Wi-Fi back on, safe in the knowledge that you definitely won’t be racking up and roaming bills.

For more tips on making sure you don’t get hit with a big phone bill on your return from a trip abroad, check out our three golden rules for cutting your holiday mobile phone costs.