1src Forums - PEGA-WL100 Review?

thetazmaniandev

03-12-2003, 02:02 AM

i'd be happy to tell you a little about it,
pros:
-lets you go online with your clie so you don't have to drag a laptop with you when you wanna go online
-bragging rights
-wireless hotsync over a wireless lan to your computer

cons:
-eats the battery like crazy
-somewhat useless (honestly, i hardly use my for any real purpose, just to screw around in class)
-(personally) causes pda to require a full hard reset with netfront and webpro installed together

but even though there are several cons, i still love my wi-fi card, and yes it works with linksys products. i've actually tried mine with probably a bunch of different routers and there hasn't been a problem. to be specific, linksys, 3com, dlink and whatever uc davis uses for their wireless network. i don't think there would be any compatibility issue with any brand, someone correct me if i'm wrong

hope that helps atleast a little

jovy

03-12-2003, 03:54 AM

I have one on my hand. But I think there are more cons than pros. First of all, it's very expansive, $150 or so, compare to $50 of other CF wifi card. Secondly, it can be used with SONY CLIE only. It's because it has only one single driver for NX or NZ but no driver for Windows. Sony should provide drivers for Windows98, Win2000 and WinXP for collecting that huge money. And until now I can't find a very good browser that has funcitons close to opera or IE or netscape.

In general, I don't recommend you to spend that much money to get disapointment.:(

n2ifp

03-12-2003, 04:42 AM

The PEGA-WL100 Sony card has been going for $99.00 USD lately, from all reports that I have seen. Price was in-line with the essentially the same Intel Pro 2011b Wireless card.

You can download drivers from Intel and use a PCMCIA adapter and use it in a Windows XP laptop also!

WiFi gives you some freedom!

Netgear also works and for some has been the easiest to set up.

mashoutposse

03-12-2003, 05:39 AM

WiFi is by far the best thing to happen to my NX.

-I can browse the web and check my email.

-I can chat on AOL IM, MSN Messenger, and IRC.

-With the keyboard, I can comfortably participate in messageboards such as this one without using a PC.

-I can hotsync to my PC from anywhere in the world. (Thanks for the instructions, reggae!)

-Using NetFront and Handyzipper, I can download files straight off of Palmgear.com and install them without touching a PC.

-If I need to grab a document, file, app, etc. off of my computer, I can control my PC with Win-Hand and either drop the files in the hotsync folder (and wirelessly hotsync them to my CLIE) or email them to myself as an attachment. Now I have real peace of mind when going out of town.

-I live in NYC, WiFi hotspot heaven.

I paid $150, and I'm 100% satisfied.

akfreas

03-12-2003, 12:38 PM

eats the battery like crazy
How much use do you get out of it? Is there an option to turn it off, but still have it in the slot?

nmincone

03-12-2003, 01:10 PM

I'm very satisfied. I've been trying to get away from using a laptop as much as possible. I use my clie and WL100 for much of the same as 'mashoutposse' does. Browse web, email, chat IM, IRC chat, a little VNC from time to time with WinHand, and wireless HotSync because I use DocsToGo on the road and I like that all my Office files are awaiting me on the desktop when I return.
it's not as bad as it seems as far a batt life goes. I can go like 3-4 days between charges, as per usual depends on how much you use it. I keep mine set in Power Save mode despite what others say.

thetazmaniandev

03-12-2003, 01:34 PM

it eats the battery when you are surfing the web with it, i'd say gives about an hour or two, not sure exactly. but thats with power save off. there is an option to disable the power save but i've heard that your bandwidth goes down the crapper instead of the battery. and if you disconnect from a network, it stops using the card so your battery usage starts going back to normal.

marafield

03-12-2003, 02:37 PM

I'm thinking of getting one. What do I need to connect to the net when I'm out and about? It doesn't work as a standalone I imagine. Do I need to use my mobile phone in conjunction with the card?

n2ifp

03-12-2003, 03:17 PM

Originally posted by marafield
I'm thinking of getting one. What do I need to connect to the net when I'm out and about? It doesn't work as a standalone I imagine. Do I need to use my mobile phone in conjunction with the card?

Exactly what do you mean by "out and about" ?

Right, a WiFi WLAN card is not for standalone, it requires a WAP(wireless access point).

Do you really need a wireless LAN or could you get by with bluetooth enabled PC and a cellular phone.

 

jovy

03-12-2003, 07:07 PM

Originally posted by n2ifp
The PEGA-WL100 Sony card has been going for $99.00 USD lately, from all reports that I have seen. Price was in-line with the essentially the same Intel Pro 2011b Wireless card.

You can download drivers from Intel and use a PCMCIA adapter and use it in a Windows XP laptop also!

WiFi gives you some freedom!

Netgear also works and for some has been the easiest to set up.

Thanks!;)

akfreas

03-12-2003, 08:00 PM

I still have some questions:
1) Can you download files from your local network? (mp3, doc, pdb, prc, etc?)
2) Can other computers see you on the network?
3) Does it work with DHCP?

Submicron

03-12-2003, 08:09 PM

I got one with my machine and I'm still trying to get it setup and working. I don't have a wireless LAN at home (yet), but I have one at work and haven't been able to connect yet. I need to do some research and also get a browser installed with my limited RAM (currently about 3MB). Hopefully, it'll be of some use in the future. I bought the NX used and got the WiFi card and two of the sync cradles with stereo speakers included. It was a pretty good deal, but maybe more technology than I needed at this time.

NXTacy

03-12-2003, 09:39 PM

I can't imagine my NX without the wl100

I use the wl100 in my laptop and clie fine. It works on more then the clie. Just other cards won't work in the clie. I used the intel drivers from the intel site. So for those who said it doesn't work it really does. Just get a CF adapter.

Does dhcp work?
Yes I leased an address from the guy across the street while sitting in my living room. I also got an address in the mall from an open AP.

Can I d/l mp3,prc,pdb?
Yes you can. You can even browse to where you want to save it on the MS. In the case of mpg/mov it will ask you if you want to view it then or save it. If you pick save it just saves to where you choose. If you pick view it saves to the default location then launches the player. When it's done it returns to the web page. You need a downloadable link in the page to do this. Pages with embed video and music don't fare as well.

It's not a windows machine so you can't use a unc to access a share. That's a neat trick even with a PPC.

I've also successfully used ftp and palmnvc.

Can other machines ping me?
They can ping me and I can ping them.

Can you turn it off?
Yes just go to preferences and hit disconnect. Most apps will ask you do you want to disconnect when you disconnect the service.

Apps I use WiFi
PalmVNC remote management
Netfront surf the web
UpIrc irc chat
AOL IM instant msg
ICQ instant msg
Ping

akfreas

03-12-2003, 09:47 PM

Can you share the Memory Stick on your clie and Win users can see it? I think that would be so cool.

Badandy

03-12-2003, 09:48 PM

mashoutposse-Can you tell me how to hotsync to the PC from anywhere in the world. I couldn't find stuff using the search function, so i did use it. Could you direct me to a tutorial, because I think this would be very helpful. I am all wireless in my house if you need to know that.

Thanx in advance

pdagal

03-13-2003, 12:54 AM

We've got a review here: http://www.pdabuyersguide.com/tips/sony_wifi.htm

n2ifp

03-13-2003, 01:36 AM

Well, the review sounds good and gives it a positive tone:)!

n2ifp

03-13-2003, 01:36 AM

Originally posted by akfreas
Can you share the Memory Stick on your clie and Win users can see it? I think that would be so cool.

No, not at this present time.

n2ifp

03-13-2003, 01:40 AM

Originally posted by thetazmaniandev
it eats the battery when you are surfing the web with it, i'd say gives about an hour or two, not sure exactly. but thats with power save off. there is an option to disable the power save but i've heard that your bandwidth goes down the crapper instead of the battery. and if you disconnect from a network, it stops using the card so your battery usage starts going back to normal.

I remember the PPC days using a modem, battery life was measured in minutes.

NXTacy

03-13-2003, 03:40 PM

Akreas asked
"Can you share the Memory Stick on your clie and Win users can see it? I think that would be so cool."

No, you can't. You can however run PalmServ. It lets you run a webserver on your palm. Not really practically but a nice proof of concept. Again there isn't even file sharing likek the windows desktop on PPCs.

EvilGenius

03-14-2003, 02:14 PM

Where do you get PalmServ from?

Submicron

03-14-2003, 09:39 PM

Originally posted by NXTacy
Akreas asked
"Can you share the Memory Stick on your clie and Win users can see it? I think that would be so cool."

No, you can't. You can however run PalmServ. It lets you run a webserver on your palm. Not really practically but a nice proof of concept. Again there isn't even file sharing likek the windows desktop on PPCs. (These words will probably come back to haunt me but... I'll say it anyway) Who would ever want to run a web server on their palm device? Your statement "run a webserver", are you saying the palm device acts as a server? Or do you mean 'run a web server, remotely located on a PC, from your Palm'? That would seem more reasonable to me.
:confused:

Instigator

03-14-2003, 09:53 PM

Originally posted by mashoutposse
WiFi is by far the best thing to happen to my NX.

-If I need to grab a document, file, app, etc. off of my computer, I can control my PC with Win-Hand and either drop the files in the hotsync folder (and wirelessly hotsync them to my CLIE) or email them to myself as an attachment. Now I have real peace of mind when going out of town.

How did you get win-hand to work?

akfreas

03-14-2003, 10:33 PM

Is there some sort of web site that has a map of wi-fi hotspots? And, I went into a starbucks that had a sticker on the door that said it has "Wireless internet provided by t-mobile" and I asked the guy at the counter about it. As usual, he was a moron when it came to this stuff. He said something about AOL and dialing up. So, I was wondering if any of you have used starbucks' service with the clie wifi card. Or if any of you have used their service through a laptop or ppc.

franci miller

03-14-2003, 10:34 PM

I read in this thread that handyzipper can unzip applications downloaded directly from the we in my NX is that true and if so can someone tell me wher to find it I searched every place I know. If you use it is it worthy? Is there something you wish you had purchaesed instead? I thought that zip applications could only zip and unzip files that had already been unzipped on my PC not in your handheld . Francis

akfreas

03-14-2003, 10:39 PM

Does winhandfree really work that well? Does it work as well as windows netmeeting desktop sharing?

TheUltimate

03-14-2003, 10:44 PM

I think it actually works pretty well!! kinda slow, but thats expected.....

bucalo9

03-15-2003, 05:05 AM

Originally posted by franci miller
I read in this thread that handyzipper can unzip applications downloaded directly from the we in my NX is that true and if so can someone tell me wher to find it I searched every place I know. If you use it is it worthy? Is there something you wish you had purchaesed instead? I thought that zip applications could only zip and unzip files that had already been unzipped on my PC not in your handheld . Francis

yes it works flawlessly. there are other programs but don't know what they could do better. go to www.handwatch.com.

NXTacy

03-15-2003, 10:08 AM

Submicron:
The web server is running on my palm. Remember I said it's "not practical" and "nice proof of concept" Two programs for palm that do this are httpd and Palmserv. Palmserv is the nicer of the two imo.

Akfreas:
For list of wifi spots try:
http://80211hotspots.com
http://maps.netstumbler.com

In a day or two I'm going to have my tinybyte/smartlist WiFi hotspot logger done. So anyone who wants it let me know. I might even make it a standalone prc. It will keep track of.
SSID, Lat, Long, MAC address, WAP Vendor, First Seen, Last seen, Calculate the days old, WEP on/off, DHCP on/off, Internal IP of the AP.

This isn't a netstumbler. Merely an app to keep track of all your WiFi hotspots info to make it easier for you to connect when you get there.

mashoutposse

03-15-2003, 01:29 PM

Sorry for the late response!!!

Originally posted by Badandy
mashoutposse-Can you tell me how to hotsync to the PC from anywhere in the world. I couldn't find stuff using the search function, so i did use it. Could you direct me to a tutorial, because I think this would be very helpful. I am all wireless in my house if you need to know that.

Thanx in advance

1) Open up ports 14237 and 14238 on your router. These are the ports used by your CLIE to wirelessly hotsync. Use the port forwarding feature to forward all traffic on these ports to your PC (specify the PC IP address -- should be 192.168.xxx.xxx)

2) Go to www.dyndns.org and sign up for a static hostname that will point to your home network's IP address (ie. badandy.dyndns.org) -- go to this site: http://www.dyndns.org/services/dyndns/ . This will allow your CLIE to access your home network from the outside by simply specifying a normal website-style address

3) On your CLIE, specify the newly created static hostname as the Primary PC name. Delete the IP address (it will be added automatically upon your first hotsync)

Done!

Note that you can only hotsync in this way when you are OUTSIDE OF your network -- if you are on your own network, you will have to substitute the dyndns address with the normal '!!'.

Hope this helps!

mashoutposse

03-15-2003, 01:32 PM

Originally posted by Instigator

How did you get win-hand to work?

Make sure to do the following two things:

1) Use the port forwarding feature on your router to direct all traffic on port 51111 to your PC.

2) Under 'Settings' within WinHand on your PC, set the 'Server Type' to 'Win-Hand.'

Hope this helps!

Badandy

03-15-2003, 01:42 PM

ok cool. i saved this webpage and thanx a lot. What if I want to sync from within my network?

Thanx a lot.

PS- I just ordered my NX and a vaja case. i am so excited.

how do you open your ports?

mashoutposse

03-15-2003, 01:49 PM

Actually, just do the port forwarding part :) My mistake.

To wirelessly hotsync within your network, simply specify the Primary PC name as '!!' on your CLIE. Follow the rest of the directions that are included with the WiFi card.

Badandy

03-15-2003, 05:30 PM

1) Open up ports 14237 and 14238 on your router. These are the ports used by your CLIE to wirelessly hotsync. Use the port forwarding feature to forward all traffic on these ports to your PC (specify the PC IP address -- should be 192.168.xxx.xxx)

this is what you said.

I get everything except the forwarding. I do NOT have a static IP adress because I have a cable modem. My ip keeps changing all of the time. I get the wireless kotsync within the network though. Thanx for all of your help.

PS- I am also going to use win-hand. I find the directions a little strange. How would you get that to work.

I just saw your post on the main page of all you can do (i.e. use winhand to drop files in hotsync, then hotsync from anywhere) and I got interested. Will you tell me how to use win-hand also which will go along with my wireless hotsync

Badandy

03-15-2003, 05:32 PM

if I didn't say this before, what is port forwarding, and how do I do it?

Sorry for troubling you, but it seems you really know your stuff

mashoutposse

03-15-2003, 09:45 PM

what is port forwarding, and how do I do it?

A router splits up the one IP address from the ISP amongst all of the computers and devices connected to it. When an incoming signal that originates outside of your home network hits the router, it has to know which computer it's intended for -- hence port forwarding. Since wireless hotsyncing uses ports 14237 & 14238 (and is the only service to use those ports), we know that any signals and information on those ports should be 'forwarded' to your PC.

Check your router's documentation for specific instructions on how to set up port forwarding.

Hope this helps!

Badandy

03-22-2003, 08:03 PM

mashoutposse-PLease read the thread I just made.

akfreas

03-22-2003, 09:26 PM

What is the speed like on the wireless lan card?

rldunn

03-22-2003, 09:41 PM

It's hard to give an exact number, since I haven't found a speed test that runs on it, but it's fast. Not as fast as a PC, but pretty fast. Of course, my only previous experience was using an N610 connected to a cell phone using a serial cable, so this seems light-years ahead of that. Emails download in about 1-3 seconds per one.