There is nothing more annoying than having you favourite mobile phone handset, but not being able to use it to its full capacity.

One function of the iPhone that regularly causes owners grief is the wi-fi capabilities, and the struggles many users go through to get connection at a commercial hot spot.

Here is a guide to help iPhone users understand how the Wi-Fi function works, and what you need to do to get connected:

First thing first: Check your WEP Password.

If you are using WEP encryption on your network, you have two choices, WEP Password, or WEP hex or ASCII. Notice the little bar at the top that says “WEP Password”. If you’re entering the Hexadecimal code for your WEP network, you need to toggle it to WEP Hex or ASCII.

If you’re still having trouble, it is recommended renewing the hot spot’s DHCP lease.

To do this you will need to tap Settings > Wi-Fi Networks, then pick the network you are trying to connect to. In the DHCP panel, click the Renew Lease button.

A common problem is when an iPhone’s Wi-Fi connection keeps reverting to EDGE. For instance, your iPhone looks like it is connected to the Internet over Wi-Fi, but goes to EDGE when you try to access a Web page–you may be experiencing a problem related to MAC address filtering.

This can happen when the wireless router is using MAC address filtering and the iPhone’s MAC address hasn’t been entered into the filter list, or if you’ve entered a WEP password incorrectly.

If you experience this and use a WEP Password, then go to Settings > Wi-Fi. Then tap More Info ( > ) next to the Wi-Fi network name and tap Forget this Network. Then try accessing the Wi-Fi network again.

If you are experiencing a weak iPhone Wi-Fi signal then try turning your Wi-Fi off on the device so that the iPhone can use EDGE instead, this might help.

It can be an annoying and frustrating experience trying to get your Wi-Fi working, I hope this guide helps and good luck getting connected.