How to get online?? V35

[Tripz]

well, sorta new to the PPC world aswell, my last PDA was the Sharp Zaurus ZR-5800! My question is....most of us have cable or dsl ISP's, is there a way to connect the V35 to the net via what? cables? or is there a wireless way? will a bluetooth card in the v35 be able to connect to the internet via some sorta bluetooth card in my desktop computer?? I know the bluetooth cards aren't available as yet, so how do u guys connect your V35 to the internet now? Thanks!

[jimski]

When your V35 is connected to your PC through an Active Sync cable or docking cradle you will be able to access the Internet.

You could use a Bluetooth SD card, but you would need to use a Bluetooth Access Point connected to a wired router. I don't believe you can connect to the Internet using Bluetooth through your PC (at least I have not been able to).

[dean_shan]

You could buy a wireless router and get a CF wirless card for your pocket pc. Routers are pretty cheap now so this setup won't cost you much. Having a wirless PPC is pretty nice.

[Tripz]

Thanks for the info guys. So will the cradle that comes with the V35 be able to connet? (I'm picking my v35 up today after work). The router and bluetooth SD card looks like the way to go, sooo... what do i need? is there a specific kind of wirless router and SD bluetooth card, how much? and any extra stuff i need to hook up to my computer? Thanks alot for the replies, greatly appreciated! :wink:

[Andy Whiteford]

You have a number of options.

Use ActiveSync and connect while your device is in the cradle.

Bluetooth. Get a BT card for your device and a BT USB dongle for your PC. You need your desktop pc to be powered on for this route to work.

WiFi. Get a Wifi card for your device and a WiFi adapter for your PC. Again, your desktop must be powered on to access the net.

Bluetooth or Wifi router and a compatible card for your device. This way, you can access the net when your desktop pc is powered off. This is the most convenient route to take and isn't too expensive.

[Tripz]

thanks Andy,

Yeah, it would really suck to be connected via cable & cradle all the time so wireless is definately the way to go. Wifi & Bluetooth, does one offer more wireless range over the other? Not a problem keeping the desktop "on", but as stated i guess the more cheaper way would be to go with the router and card alowing me to connect while the desktop is "on" or "off". I think i'll also, take a trip to the computer store to see what they've got. thanks again!

[Andy Whiteford]

Typically under good conditions, WiFi will give you greater distance over Bluetooth although for in the home, both methods should offer adequate coverage.
WiFi also offers more bandwidth and so theoretically will be faster. I say theoretically because CF cards are not normally as fast as their desktop equivelants, althought the WiFi CF card should still give you better performance than a Bluetooth equivelant. I've also heard less issues with setting up the WiFi connection than a Bluetooth network although both should do what you need.

Just for the record, I decided on a WiFi cable router and it's great. You can network with your desktop and sync while both are on, or access the net with your desktop powered off. Very flexible and the price of these routers are very reasonable.

[disconnected]

I think I read that SD WiFi cards will be available this spring. The V35 doesn't have a CF slot.

[Tripz]

Great! 8)

Now, lets talk about what's on the market Right now; as far as SD Bluetooth Cards, who make's'em?
and
SD Wi-Fi cards, which companies to look out for? (are these 802.11b's or 802.11a's?)

Also, about SD Memory Cards, what kinda are u guys using and any reviews? i remember reading somewhere that a 128mb card will make your unit run slower than lets say u had a 256mb card. it this true or does reading and writing speeds differ among manufactures(cards) and pocket pcs? (well, actually, of course it would differ from ppc to ppc)
i know in the case of CF cards for digital camera's....there were tests done among different manuafactures and they noted slower or faster read/write speeds among cards.