WiFlyer: Pocket Wi-Fi Access Point for both Ethernet & Dial-Up [Archive]

View Full Version : WiFlyer: Pocket Wi-Fi Access Point for both Ethernet & Dial-Up

Janak Parekh

09-22-2004, 03:00 PM

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.alwaysonwireless.com/product.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.alwaysonwireless.com/product.asp</a><br /><br /></div>There's been a slew of pocket-sized Wi-Fi Access Points lately, but here's a new twist: this little unit not only has Ethernet ports, but also has dial-up. This makes it not only useful for hotels with broadband, but the ubiquitous "data port" installed in the side of the phone (which is synonymous with torturously slow browsing). Considering that not only Pocket PCs, but many laptops today are starting to omit the modem, this could come in very handy for the travelers amongst you. :)<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20040922-WiFlyer.jpg" />

chris234

09-22-2004, 03:15 PM

jeasher

09-22-2004, 04:20 PM

So if I travel alone for business, what exactly would the benefit be for something like this? It seems like a very interesting product.

chris234

09-22-2004, 05:48 PM

Well, if you're travelling solo and have gear with a modem, it's not necessarily that useful, unless you want to work without being tied to a phone jack. I'm actually more interested in this for family travel, where my wife and I may have 2 or 3 devices we want to get to the net from. Or, when I was on vacation this year with 14 people, 7 laptops, and 1 phone line....

dean_shan

09-22-2004, 05:53 PM

So if I travel alone for business, what exactly would the benefit be for something like this? It seems like a very interesting product.

You can use the Internet anywhere in the room. You no longer need to be tethered to the desk. You can relax on the bed and get your work done.

zilla31

09-22-2004, 06:06 PM

so how much is it? who are the best competitors out there for pocket wifi?

Sven Johannsen

09-22-2004, 07:37 PM

Well Asus makes a couple of little Access Points. That's great if there is just one of you, or if the system you plug in to will supply multiple IPs.

Netgear makes a tiny AP/Router, for when the system only supplies one IP and you need more.

Haven't tried either that at those places that require you to enter something on a web interface to get started. They work fine if you can just plug into the RJ45 and get on the net.

For those folks with PPCs that only have an SD slot, but built in WiFi/BT, and wind up in a hotel that has only wired access, this is a good piece of kit for the travel bag. So far I think there is only one SD modem, and no SD wired NICs. There is a BT modem, and the above WiFi solutions, but this can do both types of wired access in one box.

Belmont

09-22-2004, 07:38 PM

There are other similar products, however the advantage of this one is its ability to handle dial-up. If dial-up is not a concern, then Netgear has a broadband wireless router 802.11g that seems priced right--around $50 after rebate (WGR101).http://www.netgear.com/products/details/WGR101.php

I am planning on getting one after I get a VGA PPC. 8)

jkendrick

09-22-2004, 09:22 PM

I have the Netgear which is a great device and have a short write up on it here:

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2004/07/got_a_netgear_t.html

The WiFlyer would be nice due to the modem, although it doesn't support 802.11g like the Netgear.

microchasm

09-24-2004, 06:39 PM

This could be nice. I usually end up travelling with my old Graphite Airport and it's built-in modem, as most of the time I end up in places without broadband access. I was pretty bummed when the Airport Express came out with a fairly useless USB port instead of a modem.

I have a Apple Powerbook G4 12" and i simply connect via Bluetooth to my SonyEricsson T610 and use my GPRS connection. I'm completely wireless AND I don't have to pay those outrageous hotel connectivity options fees. Saves the company money since I simply pay $19.99 a month to T-Mobile for unlimited GPRS connectivity.

BTW, I rarely use this connection for my laptop...only occasionally when a free broadband connection is not available.

Ekkie Tepsupornchai

09-25-2004, 10:03 PM

msprague

09-27-2004, 01:27 PM

This device could still be a more versatile solution, especially for international travelers where GPRS access may no longer be an option. Even within the US, I don't always find GPRS to be a reliable solution.

That being said, there's no replacement for GPRS when I'm stuck in an airport and need to get online...

I was wondering about this. Will the standard modem we use here in the US work overseas? Specifically wondering about Great Britain, France, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Just a connection adapter required? Is it non-compatible? Will it just plug in and work? I know the ISP issue may be entirely different, but say for a direct dial-up to a computer in USA from these locations? Thanks for any tidbits.

Ekkie Tepsupornchai

09-27-2004, 02:10 PM

Will the standard modem we use here in the US work overseas? Specifically wondering about Great Britain, France, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Just a connection adapter required? Is it non-compatible? Will it just plug in and work? I know the ISP issue may be entirely different, but say for a direct dial-up to a computer in USA from these locations? Thanks for any tidbits.
I haven't been to all the countries you mention except for the UK. I can speak on behalf of UK, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, and Thailand. The standard modem you use here will work in all destinations I've been to. The only caveat is that in some countries you'll need an adapter to connect your phone line into their jack (in my case, Germany and *I think* UK require a connection adapter). Once you've done that, I find that the only other thing I need to figure out is whether the line itself is pulse or tone (but that, of course, you can configure through DUN). Oh, and as you said, there's the exercise of identifying an ISP. But that's it.

msprague

10-21-2004, 02:28 AM

http://www.wiflyer.com/Detail.bok?no=10

Can now be ordered for $149.95.

Ed Hansberry

03-01-2005, 04:35 PM

So has anyone purchased this? Experiences? I am considering buying one. The key for me is I must be able to do 100% of the configuring with PIE on my Pocket PC. I know some router configurations use some Java that PIE can't handle, which means I can't use it for setup.

Sven Johannsen

03-01-2005, 07:03 PM

Ed Hansberry

03-01-2005, 08:12 PM

Ed, I haven't tried this thing, but have you considered one of the BT modems? It would seem that power considerations might make that a better choice, since bandwidth is likely not an issue since you are doing dial-up anyway. Don't think you can get multiple clients using the BT modem, though, if that is a consideration.
Dial up is a totally last resort. I was in St. Louis this past weekend and the hotel had CAT5 free ethernet. I was stuck using GPRS. :cry:

Broadband will be the most useful for me. The modem is a bonus. And the lack of having to deal with bluetooth profiles, partnering and messing around with all of that is just icing on the cake.

Hrun

03-01-2005, 08:32 PM

Another area this may be useful for is in the house if you still have dialup.

We have a wanadoo unlimited account and need to connect 1 Desktop, 1 Laptop and an Ipaq. I have connected the Laptop to the desktop via wifi and shared the dialup connection. I have connected the Ipaq and Desktop via Bluetooth and shared the connection. I have yet to achieve all three.

This could be the solution :)

Giles

Sven Johannsen

03-01-2005, 08:58 PM

Dial up is a totally last resort. I was in St. Louis this past weekend and the hotel had CAT5 free ethernet. I was stuck using GPRS. :cry:

Broadband will be the most useful for me. The modem is a bonus. And the lack of having to deal with bluetooth profiles, partnering and messing around with all of that is just icing on the cake.

Whoops, I have seen this guy in the last couple of days specifically tauting it's dial up capability. Just blew off the fact it is an ethernet AP too. I've got the tiny Asus and Netgear travel router/APs and this would add that little bit of extra functionality over those.

Ed Hansberry

03-01-2005, 09:06 PM

Whoops, I have seen this guy in the last couple of days specifically tauting it's dial up capability. Just blew off the fact it is an ethernet AP too. I've got the tiny Asus and Netgear travel router/APs and this would add that little bit of extra functionality over those.
Right. I have the netgear unit on my Amazon wish list but this would be better - assuming I can do all connection configs with PIE.

Caboose

04-05-2005, 09:30 PM

I just purchased this and will try to remember to post a review once I get it and try it out. I am one of those unfortunate few that has no Internet options at home other than dial-up or satellite. Satellite is just not worth the money for the promised "up to" speed. I have been looking for ways to set up a wireless network in my home and this seems to be the only ticket within reason. It's a little pricey at $150, but will be worth it if it works as promised. I also will be doing some overseas travel for work, so I'm curious about those possibilities as well.
If anyone else has any info on their experience with this product - do tell!

Caboose

04-11-2005, 02:47 PM

Well, I got the Wiflyer and used it over the weekend. It works great! Anyone looking for the dial-up wireless networking solution can look no further. Yeah, the price is a little steep, but since it's the only solution I could find for dial-up, it was worth it. Set up is very minimal. I did have a minor issue, but it was related to some settings on my notebook, not related to the Wiflyer itself. The device itself is incredibly light and will be no problem packing with me in my laptop bag when I travel. One thing that you may find causes you some frustration is that the wireless connection may drop out every 10 minutes. THIS IS NOT A WIFLYER ISSUE!! Apparently, it's an issue with Windows XP Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) utility. Supposedly, this was only an issue with Service Pack 1, but I have experienced the same issue with XP Service Pack 2. There are fixes out there for the problem, and I would recommend seeking those out before you get too far along to avoid some frustration. That being said, even if you get "kicked off" the network, re-connection is relatively easy.
Well, I won't go too much further into this topic, as I realize this is a Pocket PC site, but rest assured, you will not be disappointed with this product if you need the dial-up wireless network solution.

microchasm

11-19-2005, 09:58 AM

I have a Apple Powerbook G4 12" and i simply connect via Bluetooth to my SonyEricsson T610 and use my GPRS connection. I'm completely wireless AND I don't have to pay those outrageous hotel connectivity options fees. Saves the company money since I simply pay $19.99 a month to T-Mobile for unlimited GPRS connectivity.
This device could still be a more versatile solution, especially for international travelers where GPRS access may no longer be an option. Even within the US, I don't always find GPRS to be a reliable solution.

That being said, there's no replacement for GPRS when I'm stuck in an airport and need to get online...

UPDATE:
I'm now using a Motorola MPx220 and Bluetooth wih my Powerbook G4 12". I can use my cellphone as a wireless external modem using BT. Its nice in a pinch when I don't have a free WiFi hotspot available. I found a generic Motorola script for MacOSX that I can use. Btw, I had to figure this out myself. Moto and Apple were unable to "officially" help. Glad I didn't have to pay for the support :-(