Wireless Access

Ok, Maybe I am missing something but I can not seem to connect to my laptop using a Jornada 568 with a Compaq Ipac Wlan card and a laptop.

The Link is working and I can run the link test and establish a connection, but Active sync will not work nor am I able to see the unit or the wireless network in the available networks on XP or 2000 pro (2 different laptops)

What I would like to be able to do is to synchronize and transfer files to either my 568 or 728 and surf the web using the laptop as a gateway.

Grady

let's get the connection working first and then deal with sharing the internet after. I've also never worked with a handheld - so bear with me.

Start by making sure that both devices are configured for adhoc operation, using the same SSID and suitable ip addresses - 192.168.0.1 on the laptop and 192.168.0.2 on the Journada - disable WEP for now, you can enable it later if you feel you need the security.

Does the Journada have an equivalent of the laptop's network neighborhood? if so make sure that you have the workgroups matched and on XP disable the ICF (firewall)

I also have a rx3115 that I am trying to sync wirelessly and I am having the same difficulty. Hoever, I am syncing ad hoc between my laptop and my PDA. they seem to connect but are not able to sync. I have also downloaded the latest ActSync. any suggestions?

I'm assuming that you're using a Windows based PDA - Activesync uses DNS to find the ip address of it's syncpartner, but in an adhoc network it's unlikely that you have a DNS server, this will cause Activesync to report that it cannot connect.

You can use Zimmerman Pocket Hosts (www.zimac.de) to put an entry into the hosts file on your PDA, so that the PDA can match it's syncpartner's name to it's ip address.

So you are saying in an ad hoc setup I have to run additional software to get it to sync?

I'm saying in an adhoc situation, your PDA doesn't know the ip address of it's syncpartner and you have to manually tell it who to talk to.

One way is to edit the hosts file to provide that information, and a convenient way to do that is to use Zimmerman Pocket Hosts.

There is nothing preventing you from manually editing the file youself, if you know where to find it - which I don't.

Hi Earnest, I had forgotten about this question. :)

I have been unable to synchronize my Jornada 568 using a Compaq W11 PC wireless card or my IPAQ h5555 with built in wireless. I was able to get the IPAQ to connect to my wireless router and surf the web but that was in infrastructure mode and I had to use WEP before it did anything. I have not tested the h5555 because I had to RMA my router so only wireline connectivity is available in the house.

It seem to me that the the manufacturers would have made it a simple task to be able to connectup your pda to your laptop wireless so your PDA can synchronize and act as an extension of your laptop!

With my h5555, I created an ad-hoc connection and assigned it a SSID. It show up as connected but there is nothing. The build in functions are terrible. At least with the Compaq PC card, the driver has more detailed information than the Windows CE ( Pocket PC ) default software.

The strange thing is that I can take my h5555 to work and it will pick up a signal and show that it is connected to the same SSID.

I had almost given up until I was having a bite to eat at Jocks and Jills and decided to test their hotspot. After reconfiguring the connection to make sure that it was DHCP I was able to navigate the web from their hotspot.

At least I know that it works.

What I want to be able to do is it have my Pocket PC with me and be able to get copies of my email and meeting notifications on my pocket pc while I am at the office and in conferences.

One of my co-workers just bought another Pocket PC and opted to get a GPRS card. They set up automatic routing of their regular mail and their blackberry mail to the cell. It works well when they are out of blackberry range. I don't want to go to the extent of adding another bill just to sync and I don't want to use my PDA as a phone.

Sorry for being long winded.

Thanks

Hi Grady, what actually happened here was someone posted his own similar question in your thread.

It is unfortunate that manufacturers don't always think like you and I do, and product is often rushed to market to compete with other manufacturers.

I use my handheld (a Dell Axim) as a handheld in it's own right - PDA (contact list, mobile dB, but no email) + survey tool, and not as an extension to anything, primarily because of a lack of mobile connectivity in the third world country that I reside in.

It syncs (wirelessly) with my desktop purely to backup it's contents, and that has worked flawlessly, probably because the network in my home office is setup in a true network fashion, with DHCP/DNS/AD server, firewall, etc., for no other reason than that's what I do for a living - I'm a network consultant.

My experience syncing the handheld with a laptop over an adhoc wireless network was as a result of a purely academic exercise, so to speak, a "how does this work"

I would think that what you want to achieve can be done by perodically syncing the PDA to the laptop, which I don't see as being a major issue depending on the nature of the available wireless network. A corporate wireless LAN in the office with both devices connected should be a "piece of cake", an adhoc wireless LAN with just the laptop & the PDA is just slightly more complicated, but tring to sync remotely from a hotspot outside of your office, would be more challenging, since it would involve VPN tunnels (for security).

Earnst,

I downloaded the pock host and put in the SSID and IP. It still shows a connection but still there is not link. Maybe I am putting the wrong ip in. To find the IP i just typed ipconfig /all from DOS and used the ip is listed for my wireless adapter. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thanks,

S

s

You need to use the name of the syncpartner, not the SSID.

When you start ActiveSync on the handheld, click on Tools, then Options - you should see the name of the syncpartner that it will attempt to communicate with.

E,

The SSID and sync partner name are the same. Pocket host has that name with the suspect IP. Maybe I am not putting in the right IP. Suggestions?

S

The ip shown in ipconfig /all should be correct - ping the handheld from the laptop, and vice versa to be sure that there is a wireless network connection between the two. If you're running a firewall on the laptop, disable it temporarily and see if you can get the handheld to sync.

Ernst,

(As I take back over my posting)

I am using a Dell C640 Laptop and a h5555 and a Jornada 568.

I am using Windows XP to control the wireless and have set up an ad-hoc connection.

I believe you might be able to help me and the rogue party and save time if you could just publish the steps needed to setup wireless ad-hoc synchronization between the laptop and the handheld. Asume that there is no infrastructure wireless network in place and that the laptop is connectedto the net by a wired connection.

Thanks
Grady

Earnst/Grady,

G, sorry to take over your post. E, yeah Grady is right - that would probably help solve both of our struggles.

-Rogue

No Problem. :)

Guys - I'm going to need a day or two to sitdown and redo the steps & document them.

There may still be some areas you have to work out on your own - Grady, you have an h5555, S - you have an RX3115 - I'm assuming those are iPaqs running some form of Windows - I have a Dell Axim with WindowsMobile 2003, so that's what my notes will be based on.

I'm also going to assume that you have set up ActiveSync partnerships already using the serial or USB cable (or IR) - if you haven't please do this.

The steps to be followed in sequence, are

1) Establish an ActiveSync partnership
2) Establish a wireless network connection
3) Convert existing sync partnership to wireless.

E, the model is not a big deal for me. I have an ipaq 3950, h5555, a Jornada 568 and a 728 so I cover most versions of CE except mobile 2003 but I can borrow a 2215 if I need to.

I have sync relationships with all of my pocket pcs

E,

Yeah, I am using pocket pc 2003 as well so we are in good shape and I already have a partnership so I just need the details on step three.

S

I am wondering if I should order the Windows Mobile 2003 update CD and update my h5555 and 3950 to get better WiFi support.