Solving Reader Issues with the Galaxy Tab 4
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
In response to a number of My Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 reader queries about using their Galaxy Tab 4, this article answers a number of those questions about the following features:
- How to manage certificates and credentials.
- Connecting your computer with the Samsung Link app on the Tab 4 and how to search for files on your Tab 4 from your computer (and vice versa).
- How to view more information about your data use as well as view advanced settings for your Wi-Fi network.
- How to share media files using the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) protocol with other devices.
Manage Certificates
You may need to use a certificate to run an app or to gain access to your company’s Wi-Fi or virtual private network. If you don’t know if you have the correct certificate installed on your Tab 4, or if you need to install or remove a certificate, you can do so easily within the Settings screen. Here’s how to view your existing credentials:
- Tap the Apps icon and then tap Settings in the Apps screen.
- Tap General in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
- Tap Security in the Settings list on the left side of the screen.
- In the Security settings list on the right side of the screen, swipe down the list and then tap Trusted Credentials.
- If you want to see credentials you’ve added, tap the User tab at the top of the certificates list as shown in Figure 1.
)
Figure 1 The list of user-installed certificates appears within the list on the right side of the screen.
You can install a certificate by pressing the Back button and then tapping Install From Device Storage setting in the Security settings list shown in Figure 2. Before you do this, you need to be sure that you have a MicroSD card installed on the Tab 4 and that the card includes a certificate file. (The app developer or network administrator should provide this file for you.)
After you add a certificate, it appears under the User tab within the Trusted Credentials screen as you saw in Figure 1. If you want to remove all user-installed certificates from the system, tap Clear Credentials in the Security settings list shown in Figure 2. You’re asked to confirm that you want to remove all user-installed credentials from the Tab 4.
)
Figure 2 The Install from Device Storage and Clear Credentials options appear at the bottom of the Security settings list.
Connect Your Computer with the Samsung Link App
You can connect your computer running Windows with your Tab 4 using the Samsung Link app and then use the app to search for Tab 4 files on your computer. However, Samsung Link does not come pre-installed on the Tab 4 as of the latest system updates in May 2015. Here’s how to download the app:
- Tap the Apps icon and then tap GALAXY Apps in the Apps screen.
- In the GALAXY Apps screen, tap the Search icon at the right side of the blue menu bar at the top of the page.
- Type Samsung Link in the Search box.
- In the search results page, tap Samsung Link in the list.
- In the Details screen, tap the blue Install button.
- In the App Permissions window that appears, tap Accept and Download.
- After the Tab 4 installs the Samsung Link app, tap the Open button shown in Figure 3.
)
Figure 3 Tap the blue Open button in the Details screen.
Next, you will need to download Samsung Link to your computer from the web at http://link.samsung.com. When you visit the website you’ll be asked if you want to download the installation file. After you download the file, you can install the Samsung Link program by opening the installation file you downloaded within your browser and then following the steps within the installation program.
After you install Samsung Link on your computer, you may need to reset both your computer and your Tab 4 for both devices to recognize the other. When Samsung Link on your computer recognizes that you have a new device trying to access your computer, you’ll see the Samsung Link Notification pop up window appear in the lower right corner of the screen. Give the Tab 4 access to your computer by clicking the Yes button in the window.
When you view the Samsung Link app on the Tab 4 you see the computer listed in the Registered Devices list on the left side of the screen (see Figure 4).
)
Figure 4 The Registered Devices section in the list shows the BCG-D computer.
After you tap the computer name in the list, you see a screen that asks if you want to send or share contents with other devices recognized by Samsung Link. Tap OK to continue. The computer screen appears and you can view all files by tapping the Files tab in the menu bar. Underneath the Files tab shown in Figure 5, you see a list of folders that contain files on your computer that you can copy to your Tab 4.
)
Figure 5 The Files tab appears at the right side of the blue menu bar and the Share icon appears above the Documents tab.
You need to copy files on your computer that you want to copy to your Tab 4 to this folder path: C:\Users\[your username]\Samsung Link\[Samsung login email address]\[subfolder name]. That subfolder name in the folder path can be Documents, Videos, Music, or Pictures. Once you copy your files to the appropriate folder, tap the folder name in the Files tab list you saw in Figure 5. You can choose which file(s) to copy to your Tab 4 by tapping the Share icon in the menu bar shown in Figure 6.
)
Figure 6 The Share icon appears as a box with a checkmark at the right side of the blue menu bar.
After you tap the Share icon, tap the check box to the left of each file that you want to move to the Tab 4. Then tap the Move icon at the right side of the blue menu bar at the top of the screen; in the Send to window shown in Figure 7, tap the device to which you want to send the files.
)
Figure 7 The Move icon in the menu bar looks like a right arrow.
After Samsung Link finishes transferring the file, tap the menu icon at the left side of the menu bar (the icon looks like three lines arranged vertically). Then tap the name of your Tab 4 in the list, which in this example shown in Figure 4 is my name with the Tab 4 model number (SM-T330). The files you transferred appear in the Files tab list shown in Figure 8.
)
Figure 8 A list of files copied from the computer appear in the Files tab.
You can copy files from your Tab 4 to your computer in much the same way as when you move files from your computer to your Tab 4. Tap the Tab 4 name in the Registered Devices list. Next, tap one of the tabs in the blue menu bar at the top of the screen so you can view the directory that contains your files. Select the files you want to move and then tap the Share icon in the menu bar. Then select the file(s) you want to move, tap the Move icon, and then tap the computer name in the Send To window. The files you copied appear on your computer in this folder: C:\Users\[your username]\Samsung Link\[Samsung login email address]\.
Note that if you want to see the files you moved to your Tab 4 without using Samsung Link, you can open the My Files app and then tap the category that contains your files in the Categories section within the folders list. The files you copied appear in the list on the right side of the screen as shown in Figure 9.
)
Figure 9 The images you copied appear in the list of images within the Images category.
View Data Use
If you think your Tab 4 is running more slowly than it should, it’s easy to find out what apps and services have been using the most resources on your device within the Settings screen.
Start by tapping the Apps icon on the Home screen and then tapping the Settings icon in the Apps screen. In the Settings screen, tap Data Usage within the settings list on the left side of the screen. The data usage chart shows the data usage from the past 30 days as shown in Figure 10.
Figure 10 The chart appears in the Data Usage settings area at the right side of the Settings screen.
You can view your data usage for three previous 30-day periods by tapping the button to the right of Data Usage Cycle that you saw in Figure 10. Then you can select the 30-day period from the drop-down list.
Below the data usage chart, swipe up and down the screen to view a list of apps and services used by the Tab 4 over the past seven days. If you want to get more information about an app or service, tap the app or service tile in the list. The Data Usage settings area shows the data usage over the past month and past week for that specific app; change app settings by tapping the View App Settings button shown in Figure 11.
)
Figure 11 The View App Settings button appears below the data usage information for the Google Play Store.
Get Detailed Wi-Fi Network Settings
If you need to view and/or change specific Wi-Fi network settings so you can connect your Tab 4 to your Wi-Fi network, you can do so within the Settings screen. Start by tapping the Wi-Fi setting in the settings list on the left side of the screen, if necessary. In the blue menu bar at the top of the screen, tap the menu icon (it looks like three vertically aligned dots) below the General tab. In the drop-down menu, tap Advanced.
In the Advanced settings list on the right side of the screen (see Figure 12), you can view and/or change the following information:
- Tap the Network Notification check box to clear it and stop receiving notifications when the Tab 4 finds open networks in range.
- Tap Sort By to change how the Wi-Fi networks list orders networks it finds within the list. The default is by signal strength from strongest at the top of the list to weakest at the bottom. You can also sort the list by network name in alphabetical order.
- If you don’t want to keep your Wi-Fi connection active when the Tab 4 is in Sleep mode, tap Keep Wi-Fi On During Sleep; in the menu, select Always, Only When Plugged In, or Never.
- Tap the Always Allow Scanning check box to clear it and stop having the Google Location Service and other apps scan for Wi-Fi networks even when Wi-Fi is off.
- Tap Wi-Fi Timer to set a specific time for the Tab 4 to automatically connect or disconnect from Wi-Fi networks.
- Tap Install Certificates to install a Wi-Fi certificate provided by your network administrator. The Tab 4 searches for certificates on your MicroSD card.
- At the bottom of the list you can view your current Wi-Fi networks, MAC and IP addresses.
)
Figure 12 The Wi-Fi Advanced settings list appears at the right side of the Settings screen.
Share Your Media Files Using DLNA
If you want to share your media files with another device through your Wi-Fi connection, your Tab 4 does this using DLNA protocol. Access the Settings screen as you learned to do earlier in this article and then tap the Nearby Devices option in the list on the left side of the screen.
Within the Nearby Devices option tile, slide the slider button from left (off) to right (on) as shown in Figure 13. Then tap OK in the Nearby Devices window that appears.
)
Figure 13 The Nearby Devices option slider appears within the selected Nearby Devices option in the settings list.
In the Nearby Devices list on the right side of the screen that you saw in Figure 13, tap Shared Contents to determine the contents you want to share with the other device. By default, you can share videos, photos, and music.
You can view the media files by tapping the Apps icon on the Home screen and then tapping My Files in the Apps screen. In the My Files screen, tap the Menu icon at the right side of the blue menu bar that appears at the top of the screen. Then tap Scan for Nearby Devices in the menu. When the Tab 4 finds the other device with which you’re sharing media files, look at your other device and confirm file sharing with the Tab 4 if necessary.
Once you connect the other device with your Tab 4, the other device appears in the list of Favorite folders within the folders list on the left side of the screen. Tap the device name in the list and the Music, Photos, and/or Videos folders appear as shown in Figure 14.
)
Figure 14 The Music, Photos, and Videos folder icons appear on the right side of the My Files screen.
Now that you know how to perform advanced functions on your Tab 4 to manage certificates, view your data use, manage your Wi-Fi network, and connect your computer and other devices to share files, enjoy using your newfound knowledge to get even more from your Tab 4 every day.