WiFi - TH55 vs NX80v...

[breegenie]

Do you get a stronger signal with the TH55's built-in Wi-Fi, or on an external CF card on the NX80v?

And does the old Sony clip on keyboard (PEGA-KB20) work with the TH55?

Bree

[Wytnucls]

I have both and I seem to get more range with the NX80, although that's still not enough to write home about!

[breegenie]

Thanks Wytnucls. What is the average range for PDA WiFi?

I'm looking to surf at workand at my house, a max of 50 feet from the access point. My iBook generally has 80% signal at home, about 65% at work.

Bree

[Wytnucls]

If you've got line-of-sight to the transmitter, you'll be ok. Any walls and you're in trouble!

[krhainos]

Well, the better question would be what the output power of each radio in both NX and TH device are -- the easiest way would be to look up the FCC ID and there might be something about the 2.4Ghz radio. Typical notebook PCMCIA cards are 30mW, although I've seen ones that go up 200mW. Internal Wi-Fi cards are typically 50mW to 200mW as well. Since PDAs have limited battery, they're probably going to have weaker radios.

[wellsjs]

I had the NX80V and wi-fi card (still have the card, if anyone's interested, pm me) until it died. I have had the TH55 about a year so let me make a few comparison points:

I can't agree with the "line of sight" requirement. I have a two story house with a finished basement (third floor). My access point is on the ground (middle floor). I can surf the net anywhere in my house with no problem, no matter how many walls/floors are in the line of sight path. I haven't walked out of the house to see how far I can go and stay connected, because . . . I don't want to sit on the curb by the mailbox and surf the net! :D

With the NX80V + external wi-fi card, I hated keeping the card in the CF slot all the time, and loathed having to lug it around separately, dig it out and insert it when needed. The TH55 wins the convenience factor hands down, and since there is no blob sticking out of your PDA, it wins the form factor as well! :D

I did not get nearly as long a connect time on the NX80V's battery as I do on the TH55. BIG, BIG deal!

Lastly, with the TH55 you get Netfront 3.1, a BIG step forward from 3.0 on the NX80V. I believe I read that you can install 3.1 on the NX80V? Not sure, but if so, it will eat a good deal of RAM whereas the large program files on the TH55 are in ROM. It may be possible to force it into ROM with JackFlash also, again not sure?

So, even if it is possible to replace the out-of-box Netfront with 3.1, making that factor equal, you still have form factor, convenience, and battery life going against you with the NX80V + wi-fi card. Did I mention cost? I realize with deals and second hand purchases, since there's no such thing as retail with discontinued Sony PDAs anymore, but I paid list $549 for the NX80V and $129 (open box, was $149) for the the wi-fi card. The TH55 list was $399. I actually bought a brand new one at Office Depot last December for $249 after $50 rebate.

I realize I didn't answer your original question directly, but with all the other things to consider, if the TH55 works everywhere in a fairly large, three story home (such as mine), that's about all you can want/ask of a wi-fi device. ;)

[Wytnucls]

In my experience, there isn't enough difference in range to favor one model over the other. Using a NetGear DG824M with the stock antenna, I get at most 15-20 meters, going through 1 concrete wall. (Wellsjs must be living in a rice paper japanese house!)
Apparently adding a parabolic reflector to the aerial can double the range in a particular direction.
Some further reading here. (http://www.wi-fi.org/OpenSection/range.asp?TID=2)

[rcxAsh]

must be living in a rice paper japanese house!)
I don't think it's as bad as you make it sound.

My house has three floors, and the access point is located at the front of the house on the second floor.

The garage is situated behind the house with a small yard in between.

I was able to surf the internet from inside my garage with a TG50 and a WiFi Memory Stick.

Granted, I'm not in a brick house, but I'm not in a traditional Japanese house either. From within the garage, there are... Some 5 or 6 walls to the access point.

[wellsjs]

Wellsjs must be living in a rice paper japanese house!The construction of my house is somewhere in between that and Fort Knox! :D

[tonyreynolds]

I get a good 30 feet (ten meters) or so with my TH55 through several walls in and around my house. Speed is very fast with a Linksys access point and Comcast cable modem.

Tony

[breegenie]

Thanks for the help. I'm leaning toward the TH55 b/c I've always loved the slim T form factor. I still miss my T615c.

[Monkii]

Do keep in mind that the signal strength of the router/AP would minimize the lack of power in these devices.

My router is on ground floor and I still get a stable connection diagonally upward in my room upstairs, through quite a bit of walls.

Also, with an external antenna, WL100/110 has better range and connection than those with internal antenna.

[loooney2ns]

I get a stronger signal with my TH55 than I do with my PCWA-C800S Super A+G card! My router is on the 1st floor diagonally from my bedroom. I get a full strength signal with the Clie, but I get a low to very low signal with my laptop. Of course at 108mbps on the 802.11a band, its still much faster.

[Wolfgard]

If you've got line-of-sight to the transmitter, you'll be ok. Any walls and you're in trouble!

Not true. I live in a double storey house with concrete walls and my TH55 has no problem connecting to the AP from any location at home. Even at the most secluded part, I can still get up to 70% signal strength. I'm not too sure about the NX80 though, so I can't comment on that.

[wellsjs]

Any walls and you're in trouble!Looks like you're the only one who can't go through walls? :confused: What do you have in yours . . . lead or cryptonite? :D

[Wytnucls]

It is odd, isn't it! Houses are definitely sturdier here, as we live in the cyclone belt. Not quite cryptonite, but I suspect there is metal reinforcement in the concrete walls. There might be something wrong with my NetGear equipment too, who knows...
Surfing the net from the lounge, which is 25 meters away, is not an option for me at the moment. No need to pull out the hankies, I'll survive! :D

[Cyker]

Any decently built wall will knock down the signal strength.

A lot of houses have plaster-board partitioning walls; These will have practically no effect on the signal strength.

Load-bearing walls are a lot denser, so these will probably take a chunk out of the signal strength.

[Actuarian]

I have both an NX80V with WL110 card and a TH55. I also made sure that they both have the same software installed (other than what was in ROM when the devices were purchased). Wi-fi range seems about the same but the TH50 takes more than twice as long to complete a wi-fi hotsync as the NX80V takes. Maybe this is because the NX80V has a faster processor but I do not notice much difference in the times to complete a USB hotsync.

However, the NX80V provides generally much snappier performance as well as having a brighter screen. If you can accept its size, weight and toothpick-like stylus (the last attribute shared with the TH55), then I would rate the NX80V as the best PDA ever made!

[wellsjs]

then I would rate the NX80V as the best PDA ever made!Now you've gone and done it . . . started "my dog's (PDA) better than your dog (PDA)" war # 1,348 here at 1src(Cliesource)! :eek: :D

[DanT]

Any decently built wall will knock down the signal strength.

A lot of houses have plaster-board partitioning walls; These will have practically no effect on the signal strength.

Load-bearing walls are a lot denser, so these will probably take a chunk out of the signal strength.

That's pretty much most of the new house walls are here in US. We use a pair of 1/2" sheetrocks (plaster-board as you call it) separated by a series of 2x4 woods. The second floor could be denser as plywood sheets, floor liners, and sheetrock ceiling are used.

I use D-Link DI-614+ router on first floor. My TH55 works upstairs, no problem.

[SonyStyle]

i'll say the nx80 will have better wifi signal than th55 because the th55 is built in