Hotsync over WiFi

[Perputing]

I am wondering if anyone has been able to Sync via the Wifi card.

I have the Sony PEGA-WL100 and am able to brows the web via my next-door's broadband connection. That is VERY cool, but I am hope there is a way to Sync and not to have to bring the base station from home from work at night.

As I bought this Clie here in Japan all the document ion is in Japanese. And as far as I can figure out there are no instructions to explain what to do here.

Please smile on a beginner and help me if you can.

[n2ifp]

I can HotSync just fine via my WiFi card on my LAN.

The Primary PC's name in the Clie, has to be !! double exclamation points. Nothing else will work.

[Perputing]

Thanks... unfortunately... I'm still not Syncing.

I went to the HotSync utility and popped down the menu to set the Primary computer settings. I put the "!!" in the field as you said... but have no joy.

There are two more lines in this page. Does anything need to be entered there?

I have a Japanese language Clie... so I can't follow the "on display" directions to well. I guess I should have spent more time studying the language... I have no problems with my VAIO but Windows XP looks and works much the same regardless of language. I'm a first timer to the Palm OS.

Believe it or not, there is a Users manual in English on the Installation CD Rom. I'll look it through. If you'd like a copy of the Japanese manual... didn't think you did.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by Perputing
Thanks... unfortunately... I'm still not Syncing.

I went to the HotSync utility and popped down the menu to set the Primary computer settings. I put the "!!" in the field as you said... but have no joy.

There are two more lines in this page. Does anything need to be entered there?

I have a Japanese language Clie... so I can't follow the "on display" directions to well. I guess I should have spent more time studying the language... I have no problems with my VAIO but Windows XP looks and works much the same regardless of language. I'm a first timer to the Palm OS.

Believe it or not, there is a Users manual in English on the Installation CD Rom. I'll look it through. If you'd like a copy of the Japanese manual... didn't think you did.

Okay, when I ask specific questions, I ask for a reason, some users just don't interact and it's important that they do.

On the PC first:

First right click on the HotSync Mmanager Icon in the system tray on your desktop PC. Make sure Local and USB are checked. Check the setup too for an IP address and subnet mask, plus the HotSync Name is checked. My IP is 192.168.1.100 and subnet mask is 255.255.255.0.

On the Clie:

In the HotSync app itself under menu:

Modem Sync Prefs = Network

LAN Sync = LANSync

Under Primary PC Setup


Primary PC Name=!!
Primary PC Address= The IP of your desktop. Here is an example from my PC (192.168.1.100)
Subnet Mask=255.255.255.0


Connection Setup = Cradle/Cable

Go back to main HotSync screen and select modem.

Then select wireless LAN under the HotSync Icon.

Ignore where it says enter phone#

Connection setup = Cradle/Cable

When you are done, just tap the HotSync Icon in the center of the page and it should HotSync via WiFi. You can even do this with it in the cradle. If you want cradle/cable sync, just hit the button on the charging stand itself. No need to make changes once you have it set up to HotSync either way.

[reggae]

simply not true larry about the !!

networking 101

you're using tcp/ip on your clie for network access. the way machines talk to each other in this environment is that they have unique addresses. to make things simple for us humans, we're allowed to name our devices and networks so that we don't have to memorize 192.168.blah.blah for every freakin' website we visit.
the catch is that each device has to be able to easily process the name => number mappings. on a regular machine, this is really easy. there are many options like broadcast/arp resolution, host files, dns, etc.

i am able to sync from anywhere on the planet. how you ask?

1) i use dns for name resolution in my home and so does every other network that uses tcp/ip

2) i have entered a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for my primary pc name and left the ip address out (it will automatically populate everytime you attach to a wireless network)

3) this is the most important... i have conduits (not the palm kind) that are opened through my firewall at home that go to my primary pc

because you have your primary pc at work, i'm afraid you're SOL. only a certified idiot of a network engineer would let you open a hole through his enterprise firewall so one of his users sync his PDA through it.

1 and 2 allows my pda to find my primary pc from anywhere on the planet. 3 allows my pda to "talk" to my machine from anywhere on the planet. again, most engineers won't let you do 3.

[reggae]

oh... one more thing...

what your network engineer MAY do is have a corporate vpn. this is a "secure" hole into the network at work. the complication is that you'd need a vpn client on your palm device. i'm still looking into whether such a client exists for palms.

[Perputing]

Why should I be surprised! IT WORKS! That is cool. Thanks for the help. I'll print your directions out and email them to myself and... This is cool.

Do you know if this will work even if there isn't an "access port" to do the go between?

I'll try it in the office tomorrow. The VAIO is on wire there.

Is it possible to have multiple IP addresses for the lap top?

[Perputing]

Me again... I guess the easiest answer for the Sync at work is to use the cradle. There will be no compromise to the security of the office network. (8 computers on a LAN hooked to an ADSL modem with a built in router.) I can$B!G(Bt browse the web on the Clie, or can this also be accomplished? Sorry, another network related question.

Thanks for your help.

[reggae]

multiple IP addresses for the laptop?

yes. the laptop can be "multihomed" meaning two active cards (like a docking station ethernet connection and a wireless card in the pcmcia slot) or (more probable) you move your machine from network to network. this is why/how the FQDN works. you're ip address is always going to change if the machine is on dhcp and doesn't have a reservation. nine times out of ten, you're going to use dhcp if you're moving from network to network.

glad to hear though that you're now syncing.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by reggae
simply not true larry about the !!



Okay, but that is the only thing that worked for me and it was what every told me to use, supposedly as the result of a software bug. As soon as I did that on two NX70V Clies, both could HotSync.

Keep in mind, that this is only in refernce to the Clie.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by Perputing
Me again... I guess the easiest answer for the Sync at work is to use the cradle. There will be no compromise to the security of the office network. (8 computers on a LAN hooked to an ADSL modem with a built in router.) I can$B!G(Bt browse the web on the Clie, or can this also be accomplished? Sorry, another network related question.

Thanks for your help.

Please keep in mind, that HotSyncing to the Memory Stick via wireless only works with a select few applications. 

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by reggae
simply not true larry about the !!


2) i have entered a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for my primary pc name and left the ip address out (it will automatically populate everytime you attach to a wireless network)



Please explain Item #2 for us idiots out here:). What exactly qualifies as a FQDN? Why isn't this explain better in the Sony manual and does this cure all the other issues. I am NOT a network engineer, but I can only relate what worked for me.

Thanks!

[mashoutposse]

Originally posted by n2ifp


Please keep in mind, that HotSyncing to the Memory Stick via wireless only works with a select few applications. 

Which? :)

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by mashoutposse


Which? :)

AvantGo Beta for OS5 does, it's slow, but works. It is the only one that I can remember at the moment, although in the not to distant past there was one or two others.

[addict]

FQDN, like mycomputer.my.domain.name (e.g. fluffy.collegetown.edu)

note: the manual says to delete Primary PC name if hotsync fails. I did this and it worked just fine (no "!!").

note2: i sync w/ multiple computers and I think syncing w/ my non-wi-fi enabled computer overwrote my network hotsync configuration and made it not work. I get the impression that if you cable-sync your CLIE with the same computer you're going to wi-fi sync with, the "primary pc" setting is auto-populated when you're done (my experience).

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by reggae
simply not true larry about the !! 



Currently, '!!' is the only thing that works for me. I would be interested about hearing more about (FQDN).

It is of my opinion, that the average consumer should not have to be an engineer to enable simple networking on their Clie. This has at least been my experience that this stuff is far more complex than need be. I suppose one reason for some is job security, ha-ha!

[reggae]

addict answered it properly... your machine has a unique name on your network and your network has a unique name on the planet.

so...

my particular network would be called reggaenetwork.com and my primary pc could be called primarypc

so my FQDN would be primarypc.reggaenetwork.com

when my clie looks to sync, it sends out a request to the dns of the network it's connected to. at home, it points to my primary pc (1.1.1.x). anywhere else, it points to reggaenetwork.com (blah.blah.blah.blah = my dsl address) and my firewall at home knows that it's palm sync traffic so it forwards it to primarypc. everytime you try to sync, if you simply leave the ipaddress blank, your clie will "look for" your primary pc using the conventions of the internet the same way your clie brings up a web page in netfront. but it only works if you like netfront ;-)

just teasing larry.

[Perputing]

Got to say thank you to you all. I've HotSync now at home where the parent PC (VAIO, natrually) is also connected to the LAN via WiFi, and at the office when it is connected to the office LAN by wire.

I have to reset the IP address as the two network cards have different addresses.

As for Sync from anywhere is the world where there is a "hot spot"... very cool but I don't have a domain registered to this specific PC.

Bryan Smith has just got his NZ90. He won't shut up about it. He is sitting right beside me with his VIAO and Clie.

Should take a picture of the both of us for you.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by addict
FQDN, like mycomputer.my.domain.name (e.g. fluffy.collegetown.edu)

note: the manual says to delete Primary PC name if hotsync fails. I did this and it worked just fine (no "!!").

note2: i sync w/ multiple computers and I think syncing w/ my non-wi-fi enabled computer overwrote my network hotsync configuration and made it not work. I get the impression that if you cable-sync your CLIE with the same computer you're going to wi-fi sync with, the "primary pc" setting is auto-populated when you're done (my experience).

Right, and it works, but it repopulates the primary pc name and then it has to be deleted again for the next wireless HotSync. Putting in the double quotes saves me from doing that. When I HotSync with another PC at home here, I only need to change the IP address and away it goes. I do it mostly for backup and have set my conduits to Clie overwrites desktop. Really neat stuff when it works:)!

Okay then, an FQDN is then something I would have to create and makeup myself if I wanted.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by reggae
addict answered it properly... your machine has a unique name on your network and your network has a unique name on the planet.

so...

my particular network would be called reggaenetwork.com and my primary pc could be called primarypc

so my FQDN would be primarypc.reggaenetwork.com

when my clie looks to sync, it sends out a request to the dns of the network it's connected to. at home, it points to my primary pc (1.1.1.x). anywhere else, it points to reggaenetwork.com (blah.blah.blah.blah = my dsl address) and my firewall at home knows that it's palm sync traffic so it forwards it to primarypc. everytime you try to sync, if you simply leave the ipaddress blank, your clie will "look for" your primary pc using the conventions of the internet the same way your clie brings up a web page in netfront. but it only works if you like netfront ;-)

just teasing larry.

Net Front??? never heard of it:D!

Thanks go to you and addict for the information!

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by Perputing
Got to say thank you to you all. I've HotSync now at home where the parent PC (VAIO, natrually) is also connected to the LAN via WiFi, and at the office when it is connected to the office LAN by wire.

I have to reset the IP address as the two network cards have different addresses.

As for Sync from anywhere is the world where there is a "hot spot"... very cool but I don't have a domain registered to this specific PC.

Bryan Smith has just got his NZ90. He won't shut up about it. He is sitting right beside me with his VIAO and Clie.

Should take a picture of the both of us for you.

Yeah, a picture would be nice as long as it doesn't break my monitor:D!

[reggae]

www.dyndns.org

get a domain for relatively cheep. if you have a linksys or netgear router behind a dsl or cablemodem, it will automatically register your network everytime your dsl connection is restarted. as a matter of fact. there is software for almost any platform sitting behind your dsl modem.

[profvisor]

I only really understood about 1/2 of it, but it was enough to get my WiFi sync going!
Thanks!

[pcmommy]

i have everything set up just like you said to hotsync wirelessly but it says "The connection between your handheld computer and the desktop could not be established. Please check your setup and try again"., the connection sign goes away and then it does nothing until it says this. I am trying to connect through a linksys wireless AP from my Dell desktop to my Gateway laptop using a Linksys wireless card. I can access the internet by the way.
What am I doing wrong? I set up everything according to Larry's instructions.

[mux1]

Originally posted by pcmommy
i have everything set up just like you said to hotsync wirelessly but it says "The connection between your handheld computer and the desktop could not be established. Please check your setup and try again"., the connection sign goes away and then it does nothing until it says this. I am trying to connect through a linksys wireless AP from my Dell desktop to my Gateway laptop using a Linksys wireless card. I can access the internet by the way.
What am I doing wrong? I set up everything according to Larry's instructions.

I was able to get mine to finally work...after messing around a bit...but my Hotsyncs are quite slow(!)

Check out http://www.otakunozoku.com/wifihotsync/

It is a pretty complete guide that may help if you missed something.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by mux1


I was able to get mine to finally work...after messing around a bit...but my Hotsyncs are quite slow(!)

Check out http://www.otakunozoku.com/wifihotsync/

It is a pretty complete guide that may help if you missed something.

Very Cool :)!

Additionally and initially, if you have a Win XP or any firewall running, temporarily disable it. It will stop a WiFi HotSync in it's tracks!

In the advanced portion of Network-Wireless prefs, uncheck powersave on! This can seriously slow your connection or make it not run at all. 

[pcmommy]

WOW! Thank you so much for directing me to this page, it all works now. It only took me a day to figure it out! Thanks again!
I saved that page in my favorite places..

[BettyE]

Originally posted by n2ifp


Very Cool :)!

Additionally and initially, if you have a Win XP or any firewall running, temporarily disable it. It will stop a WiFi HotSync in it's tracks!

In the advanced portion of Network-Wireless prefs, uncheck powersave on! This can seriously slow your connection or make it not run at all. 

The bit about the firewall did the trick for me. I can't believe I didn't think of this first......