iMate SP5m and WiFi - help needed

[thenikjones2]

Hi guys,

Just got an SP5m from Expansys as a "Grade B" stock [looks fine, saved £100!]. Set up GPRS OK but can't work out how to set up WiFi. With PocketPCs you get options to enter IP address, DNS and Alt DNS, etc and can connect easilty. I can't find any options on the SP5m to do this - it can see my network but won't connect.

I tried to register at Club iMate but the previous owner had too, so it will cost $60. This seems very steep and I'd only pay if a ROM update was released [and I'm annoyed as I've registered a JasJar so am laready a member].

Please can anyone who knows how to enter these settings directly, post the information!

Thanks in advance,

thenikjones
Wrexham, UK

[Mike Temporale]

I was all set to walk you through setting the IP address, but.... You're right. I can't seem to locate any place to do that.

You don't have a DHCP to use? Most routers/firewalls have that built-in now.

[thenikjones2]

I was all set to walk you through setting the IP address, but.... You're right. I can't seem to locate any place to do that.

You don't have a DHCP to use? Most routers/firewalls have that built-in now.

Hi Mike,

My housemate sorts this out. He has given me the settings that I use for all my PDAs (only use 1 at a time) and this has worked well on 1 Handheld PC and 2 PocketPCs. What annoys me - and reminds me why I went from my C500 to a PocketPC Phone Edition previously - is that Microsoft "dumbs down" the Smartphone OS too much. Why does a Smartphone with WiFi NOT have the same settings options as a PocketPC?? It suggests that logging on to WiFi hotspots won't be as easy as it was with a PocketPC.

If I turn WiFi on on the phone, will he be able to see it from his control software and assign a new access port for it? Will this compromise the security of the network (i.e. does the phone have a unique ID that the router can detect)? As you can tell, I am a novice on the network side of things.

Thank you for replying,

thenikjones

[Mike Temporale]

Every network ready device has a unique identifier - the MAC address of the network card. So he shouldn't have a problem. ;)

I don't understand why there is no place to enter an IP, but for most people it shouldn't be a problem. The majority of networks are managed by DHCP which assigns IP addresses to the various devices that connect to the network.

I don't have my Pocket PC handy, but I don't recall there being a place to enter an IP on it either. Of course, I could be wrong - it's been a while. ;)

[SFOzi]

Wouldn't have expected a place to enter an IP address & DNS - DHCP should handle that for you - these days - this is probably an acceptable dumbing down - once you need that 99% of people are lost - and this is not the target audience.

I would have expected a place to enter wifi network info; i.e.a place to enter SSID & Authentication type (WEP/WPA/EAP / open) - or a place to browse active wifi networks.

And as Mike notes, it will look just like a normal wifi device.

[Mike Temporale]

I would have expected a place to enter wifi network info; i.e.a place to enter SSID & Authentication type (WEP/WPA/EAP / open) - or a place to browse active wifi networks.

and that's all there. It's under the WiFi Settings. 8)