To Wi-Fi or not to Wi-Fi

[jwa_nx73]

Even though there are sometimes attractive WL-100/110 offers in the US I did not find an acceptable offer here in Germany yet.
Having a NX73 I am trying to find out what the value add is if spending that much money for a WL-100 card?
In the office and at home I have a docking station so there is a chance to sync Avantgo and Plucker. In my Wi-Fi network at home for longer internet sessions I can use our i-Book.
So what would be the additional functionallity? Is there anything that I can only do with a Wi-Fi card?

Thanks for your replys in advance!

[ak7774]

Other than surfing the web on the toilet or from bed, there's not much additional benefit. There are access points at some shops over here (like Starbucks and the airports) but you need to pay and I think it may even be a monthly rate. It would be nice to surf the web on the go, but a bluetooth memory stick and a cell phone would be better for that. Hope this helps.

ak

[JuRD]

What about tapping into the numerous open home networks when away from your own house to look somehting up on the web or just surf?

With so many wireless B and G networks in homes, many neighborhoods are de facto hot spots.

[CLiENX]

I do have the SONY bluetooth card that was purchased on 29th January this year ( still have a warranty for the remaining 1 year) for my NX80V.
Here in Malaysia, the GPRS connection is very expensive through a mobile phone compared with the Wi-Fi connection (which is pretty widespread lately).
Anyone interested to exchange this card with WiFi Card WL100 + 256 memory stick pro card???? Pls email me at shakmal@hotmail.com

THANK YOU

[jwa_nx73]

I have a European NX73 which comes with Bluetooth integrated. So I purchased a bluetooth dongle and connected that to my W2000 Laptop and also tried that with our iBook. In neither case I was able to set up the system so that I could connect to the internet. It seems that the NX does not supply the required Bluetooth services.
I was hoping that Bluetooth could be a (cheaper) alternative for wireless internet surfing at home. But as mentioned, this did not work. What also does not work is to just transfer files via Bluetooth there is no PC connection possible like it is using the cradle/cable connection.
So on the bottom line Bluetooth does not seem to be an alternative.

[breakfastchef]

Originally posted by ak7774
Other than surfing the web on the toilet or from bed, there's not much additional benefit. There are access points at some shops over here (like Starbucks and the airports) but you need to pay and I think it may even be a monthly rate. It would be nice to surf the web on the go, but a bluetooth memory stick and a cell phone would be better for that. Hope this helps.

ak

I quite agree with you! If you have access to a PC or laptop, you will not want to use your NX as a preferred method of surfing the web. Screen size, processor speed, keyboard and mouse make the PC and laptop the hands down winner.

In some settings, it may be convenient to use a handheld to access a server with an app like WiFile (formerly SMBMate). For example, you are a sales person on the floor and you want to show a customer a picture of an item not on the floor. You could access the back office server, download a picture and show it to them. In a manufacturing setting, you may want to have information available to you that can be downloaded from a network.

I have heard of some folks setting up a whole house security systems and controlling things like lights and alarms via WiFi from their handhelds.

Overall, it is a fun gadget to toy around with, but does not make me any more productive.

[Audronis]

I used bluetooth with my 73 for a while, and it was expensive and sucked (for speed). Dial up with a cell is slow, and expensive, and bluetooth is excrutiatingly slow as well. As far as surfing the web. I agree that doing it on your PDA is fairly pointless (especially since NetFront can't seem to handle the size of most websites including Fandango - and that would be one of the great uses for web surfing with a PDA). The big advantage is email. When I was househunting for my friend, I could take pictures with the 73 and email them right out by just cruising by a hot spot and doing it from my car. If I did that with dial up, it would have been so slow that it would have been cheaper to drive the pictures down to him.

All I have to say is that it depends on your purpose. For hotsync, just use the darned cradle. Bluetooth is pointless (since you have to be within 30 feet - although in most cases it seems that 10 is the maximum, and it is so excrutiatingly slow). Wifi (although you can go up to 300 feet away) is still slower than USB. If you don't have another need for wireless, don't bother. I use it almost every day, but I can definitely see that most people wouldn't.

Hope this helped.

[jwa_nx73]

Thanks a lot for all those posts.

It is good to know that I am not missing a major feature without having a Wi-Fi card. The investment into a WL-100 does not seem to be that urgent, however there are two things that will make me continue to look for a good deal:

1. It would be fun to toy aroung with a Wi-Fi enabled NX
2. The ability to download my mails whenever being in the area of a Wi-Fi Network.

As mentioned, It does not seem to be very urgent to me, now.

Thanks again,

[ak7774]

Originally posted by JuRD
What about tapping into the numerous open home networks when away from your own house to look somehting up on the web or just surf?

With so many wireless B and G networks in homes, many neighborhoods are de facto hot spots.

Possible, but not realistic. If those home networks have WEP running, then you need time, a laptop, and the right program to crack into their network. AND there's also moral issue to think about...

ak

[ak7774]

Originally posted by jwa_nx73
I have a European NX73 which comes with Bluetooth integrated. So I purchased a bluetooth dongle and connected that to my W2000 Laptop and also tried that with our iBook. In neither case I was able to set up the system so that I could connect to the internet. It seems that the NX does not supply the required Bluetooth services.
I was hoping that Bluetooth could be a (cheaper) alternative for wireless internet surfing at home. But as mentioned, this did not work. What also does not work is to just transfer files via Bluetooth there is no PC connection possible like it is using the cradle/cable connection.
So on the bottom line Bluetooth does not seem to be an alternative.


Get the program "Softick" to use your bluetooth clie to connect through the dongle to the internet. It uses PPP to connect, which is the same thing that the clie hotsyncs through. If you want to hotsync, you have to disable softick on your computer. Otherwise it works great.

ak

[ak7774]

Originally posted by breakfastchef


I have heard of some folks setting up a whole house security systems and controlling things like lights and alarms via WiFi from their handhelds.

Do you know how it's done? I just bought a new house and am planning on having it completely monitored with wifi cameras. It would be great to be able to have control of things like lights too.

ak

[Audronis]

There are tons of different ways to do the security system / automated house. One of the cheapest ways is to do it via intranet in your home with one computer running everything. Then you can simply access everything via wifi web.

go to this website

http://www.smarthome.com/

look for "web enabled interfaces"

[Unregistered]

If i wanted to use my nx70v with a wifi card, in a coffee shop with a free wi fi network, would my clie find it for me, how do i connect with it, this confuses me very much!

[Had2Have70]

Originally posted by ak7774
Other than surfing the web on the toilet or from bed, there's not much additional benefit. There are access points at some shops over here (like Starbucks and the airports) but you need to pay and I think it may even be a monthly rate. It would be nice to surf the web on the go, but a bluetooth memory stick and a cell phone would be better for that. Hope this helps.

ak

Funny! I have been trying to do the same thing with my UX40 and Bluetooth! Only I keep getting the dreaded "Invalid Network Settings" error in NetFront, even though I believe I have all the setting correct. I am pleasantly surprised with the range I get with a class 1 Bluetooth USB adapter (LinkSys) and the UX40.

[jwa_nx73]

Originally posted by ak7774



Get the program "Softick" to use your bluetooth clie to connect through the dongle to the internet. It uses PPP to connect, which is the same thing that the clie hotsyncs through. If you want to hotsync, you have to disable softick on your computer. Otherwise it works great.

ak

That sounds good! This program seems to give one the missing features to the Bluetooth connection. I am especially interested in downloading my mails from a pop3 Server.

Does Softick run on the PC or on the NX? Are you using Softick?

Would that also work with a Bluetooth access point? My idea is to connect a bluetooth access point to my (WLAN)router so that I can connect the NX to the internet without using a PC in between. Actually I would have to activate internet sharing on my PC in order to connect the NX to the internet. This requires a reconfiguration each time I wanted to use this feature.

[Audronis]

Originally posted by Unregistered
If i wanted to use my nx70v with a wifi card, in a coffee shop with a free wi fi network, would my clie find it for me, how do i connect with it, this confuses me very much!

Yes it should.  Just use automatic settings.  I have three different WiFi networks I connect to, and use two different network settings for them.  Two have DHCP servers (where they automatically assign you IPs and wep keys), and the third uses static IPs.  All you have to do is go into "options" from the drop down menus, and change your network over.  In most cases, automatic settings work (because most networks have DHCP, and most free networks don't even use wep keys).

[Audronis]

Originally posted by jwa_nx73


That sounds good! This program seems to give one the missing features to the Bluetooth connection. I am especially interested in downloading my mails from a pop3 Server.

Does Softick run on the PC or on the NX? Are you using Softick?

Would that also work with a Bluetooth access point? My idea is to connect a bluetooth access point to my (WLAN)router so that I can connect the NX to the internet without using a PC in between. Actually I would have to activate internet sharing on my PC in order to connect the NX to the internet. This requires a reconfiguration each time I wanted to use this feature.

Why would you want to use this?  If you're close enough to use bluetooth, then you're close enough to use a computer.

[ak7774]

Originally posted by jwa_nx73


Does Softick run on the PC or on the NX? Are you using Softick?

Would that also work with a Bluetooth access point? My idea is to connect a bluetooth access point to my (WLAN)router so that I can connect the NX to the internet without using a PC in between. Actually I would have to activate internet sharing on my PC in order to connect the NX to the internet. This requires a reconfiguration each time I wanted to use this feature.

I actually had the very same issue. Softick runs on the PC and I did use it until I bought a belkin bluetooth access point. I now have the access point hooked up to my router and can access the internet on my clie without having to turn my computer on. Either way you choose, you shouldn't have to activate internet sharing on your PC.

ak

[ak7774]

Originally posted by Audronis


Why would you want to use this?  If you're close enough to use bluetooth, then you're close enough to use a computer.

I use my clie internet access to download movie times onto my clie so I can have them on the go. I have also used my clie to access gamefaqs when I'm in the other room, playing my ps2. It saves me from having to get up and run to my computer.

ak

[sonyN8]

For the first time this weekend, I found my NX73 & w101 card usefull. I had a really quick weekend trip that I just took one carry-on. My hotel had free wi-fi, and connecting to the internet provided some needed entertainment at night. In addition I brought MS with 6hrs of music. For a change, I only had one device with me - it was nice.

[tHEdARKhORiZON]

Isn't the problem with the Wi-Fi CF cards for the Clie's the lack of picking up SSID's automatically? I have T-Mobile hotspot access, so I know how to configure and set it up for that. But if I wanted to use hotspot access somewhere else, how would you connect to it without knowing the SSID?

[Audronis]

Originally posted by tHEdARKhORiZON
Isn't the problem with the Wi-Fi CF cards for the Clie's the lack of picking up SSID's automatically? I have T-Mobile hotspot access, so I know how to configure and set it up for that. But if I wanted to use hotspot access somewhere else, how would you connect to it without knowing the SSID?

Set up a second wireless lan setting.  Inside Wireless LAN Setup, tap "create".  Set it up to use a DHCP server, and set SSID to "any"

Then, all you have to do go to the "options" tab in netfront and select preferences, and select which network to connect to.

[tHEdARKhORiZON]

Originally posted by Audronis


Set up a second wireless lan setting.  Inside Wireless LAN Setup, tap "create".  Set it up to use a DHCP server, and set SSID to "any"

Then, all you have to do go to the "options" tab in netfront and select preferences, and select which network to connect to.
Thanks for the info. :) I never played with it very long and was under the impression that you had to manually set it up. I just ordered the NX80v so I hope to try it out soon. :D

[Audronis]

No worries:D