Samsung’s Secret Connectivity Labs Gives You Access to Hidden Wi-Fi Tools [How to]

Gone are the days when Samsung phones were considered low on features and more on phones hanging or the obnoxious animations (specifically the TouchWiz days). With One UI, Samsung has transformed its user interface, and now it is arguably the most sensibly feature-loaded UI in the Android market scene. There are so many features that take your experience to the next level, plus the Galaxy AI experience is something great altogether. However, not many know that there is a Wi-Fi menu that your Samsung phone is hiding.

No, we aren’t talking about the developer options. Inside the Wi-Fi menu, there is a menu called ‘Connectivity Labs’ that gives you access to some useful Wi-Fi tools. In this guide, we will take you through the steps to access it, what the features are, and what all things you can do with the hidden Wi-Fi tools. Let’s jump right into it.

What is Connectivity Labs?

Well, you gotta give credit to those who did the hard work. I stumbled upon a Reddit post that revealed this secret Wi-Fi menu. Again, this is one of those undiscovered features that the One UI software is filled with, which you probably wouldn’t have known if someone hadn’t explored it. The best part, Samsung has hidden this feature in such a way that it can be unlocked with a secret gesture. But what is Connectivity Labs in the first place?

Connectivity Labs is a hidden Wi-Fi menu for Samsung phones that provides access to various interesting Wi-Fi tools. It has a home Wi-Fi inspection tool, then there is an AI-powered internet switching mode, Wi-Fi developer options, and much more. While there is no confirmation on which One UI version introduced this feature. However, according to a Samsung community forum post, the feature may’ve been added in 2023. So, while I’ve tested and checked that the Connectivity Labs feature is available on Samsung phones running One UI 7 and One UI 8, since it came out in 2023, there is a good chance that it is also available on One UI 6.

How to access Connectivity Labs?

Now the question comes, how can you access the Connectivity Labs menu in your Samsung smartphone? Just follow the steps below:

1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
2. Tap Connections.
3. Select Wi-Fi.
4. Tap on the three-dots menu icon on the top-right corner, and choose Intelligent Wi-Fi.
   
   
   
5. Scroll down and repeatedly tap on Intelligent Wi-Fi multiple times. You will see a pop-up indicating how many more taps you need to make to unlock Connectivity Labs.
6. Once done, you will see a message toast saying Connectivity Labs is enabled.
   
   
   

Tapping on Connectivity Labs will show you your Wi-Fi usage metrics, for instance, how much time you have spent on 2.4GHz and 5GHz or 6GHz networks, how many saved internet connections you have on your phone, etc.

You also get to see various hidden Wi-Fi settings, such as:

1. • Home Wi-Fi inspection
   • Auto reconnect to carrier Wi-Fi
   • L4S
   • Wi-Fi 7 mode
   • Switching to mobile data faster
   • Intelligent Wi-Fi Handover
   • Switching to mobile data with AI
   • Show network quality info
   • Connect to 2.4GHz for IOT setup
   • Disable Wi-Fi Scan for D2D
   • Enhanced Wi-Fi compatibility 
   • Customize Wi-Fi list settings
   • Wi-Fi developer options
   • Reset all lab settings

What are all the hidden Wi-Fi tools inside Connectivity Labs?

Let us understand their usage one by one:

1. Home Wi-Fi inspection: Tapping on this menu asks you to check your Home Wi-Fi. This Connectivity Labs tool scans your home Wi-Fi connection and performs a live signal test to reveal the weak and strong zones in your home as you walk around your house or room. This feature can come in handy if you are installing a Wi-Fi connection and detect the area where the signal is even to reach all of your house’s rooms.
   
2. Auto reconnect to carrier Wi-Fi: This toggle is great for those who are on carriers like Xfinity Mobile or Spectrum Mobile. You can enable this toggle to let your phone switch over to carrier Wi-Fi to provide additional network boost to your cell coverage.
   
3. L4S: One of the interesting options inside Connectivity Labs is L4S. When you enable this toggle, it activates L4S on the receiver side in the Wi-Fi and facilitates a low-latency, low-loss, and smooth internet experience for the user. It could come in handy if you are interested in cloud gaming, VR/AR headset operations, or high-quality video conferencing.
   
4.  Wi-Fi 7 mode: It activates the newer, significantly faster, low-latency, and more reliable connection by using MLO (Multi-Link Operation) and 320GHz technologies.
   
5. Switching to mobile data transfer: This toggle comes in handy as your phone will switch to your mobile data and disconnect from the weak Wi-Fi signal that you are connected to. Good for those who have an unlimited mobile data plan.
   
6. Intelligent Wi-Fi Handover: Another setting that basically helps you stay connected to fast internet is this option, which basically uses AI algorithms to analyze and switch to a stable internet connection, such as your mobile data, based on data usage.
   
7. Switching to mobile data with AI: Similar to Intelligen Wi-Fi Handover. Did not understand why two options of the same kind under different names are there in Connectivity Labs.
   
8. Connect to 2.4GHz for IOT setup: This ensures that you stay connected to a 2.4GHz network so that other smart home products can be connected and managed.
9. Show network quality info: Activating this option will show you the Wi-Fi network quality as Very fast, Fast, Normal speed, or Slow for each network available, giving you the information on which Wi-Fi to connect.
   
10. Disable Wi-Fi Scan for D2D: Turning this option on will stop scanning for Wi-Fi networks in the background, which is used by apps for location accuracy. It could help save some juice.
11. Enhanced Wi-Fi compatibility: Something not to be tinkered with. This option automatically tries to fix the compatibility issue with a Wi-Fi router.
    
12. Customize WiFi compatibility: You can enable a filter for the main Wi-Fi scanning page. You can sort them based on secured networks, Wi-Fi 6 connections, etc. You also get the option to show band information.
    
13. Wi-Fi developer options: Opening this menu gives you a larger set of options to tinker with. However, you shouldn’t mess with them as they can mess with your Wi-Fi. There is a Nearby Wi-Fi information option that shows all the nearby Wi-Fi networks along with their signal strength that you can connect with, along with the internet speed categorized as Best, Good, Bad, and Worst.
    

Such hidden things shouldn’t be hidden

These handful of hidden Wi-Fi settings inside Connectivity Labs, in my opinion, should be something that Samsung should talk more about, or at least post a video on their official YouTube channel, as they are quite helpful. Let us know in the comments below if you knew about the Connectivity Labs and what options you turned on or off.

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