ipaq 5550 bluetooth gps and wirless help needed (total noob here)

[boogyman]

Hi... I have recently purchased a second hand IPAQ 5550 which I can use well I say use I mean I can use the basic functions i.e. pocket word etc

But I have been on so many help sites and they may as well be talking to me in rocket science because they rush in and spurt out something that Einstein would find hard to comprehend

I have been told to come here and you guys have clear ways of educating people without boggling them with technical jargon and gobbledegook

If possible could one of you kind people help me with a few questions I have

Is it possible to connect the IPAQ to my internet (wired) through the Bluetooth on my laptop? (Sorry but this is best way I can describe this Question)

Is it possible to have more than one persons fingerprint to use as the password?

Is it easy to integrate the email, contacts, schedule and calendar with outlook 2003?

Finally how hard will it be setting up the wifi to work with my new wireless router (free from sky broadband... I think this is just a rebranded netgear dg834 or that’s what I have been told)



I have a few more questions but I think it’s unfair me asking so many

I cannot check the manuals as it did not come with it neither did the drivers disk

Any help would be greatly received and again thank you for any help you can give

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Hi boogyman, welcome to PPCT!


I cannot check the manuals as it did not come with it neither did the drivers disk


The only thing you really need from the CD is Activesync - you can find the information on how to obtain it from this thread (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=50853&). You'll need to get a sync cable for the first partnership setup however. Fortunately, the iPaq connector is fairly standard, and you should be able to get it easily.

In any case, you can get other software updates for the 5550 from here (http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/HandheldiPAQ/us/locate/105_5643.html), and the manual from here (http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/lpia8006.pdf). Be careful with the flash updates - you can brick your device if not done properly.


Is it possible to connect the IPAQ to my internet (wired) through the Bluetooth on my laptop? (Sorry but this is best way I can describe this Question)

In other words, connect your PDA to your laptop via bluetooth, and access the internet through your laptop's connection?

Activesync has an internet passthrough - if you're connected through Activesync (and bluetooth is one way to do this), you can directly connect to the internet without any further fiddling.


Is it possible to have more than one persons fingerprint to use as the password?

I have no idea, sorry.


Is it easy to integrate the email, contacts, schedule and calendar with outlook 2003?

Just establish a partnership trough Activesync and select which folders you want to sync. ;)


Finally how hard will it be setting up the wifi to work with my new wireless router (free from sky broadband... I think this is just a rebranded netgear dg834 or that’s what I have been told)

Depends on how you've set up the router - **warning** this could get complicated. Some key issues:

1. Security is a must, but I don't think the 5550 supports WPA or WPA2 (which are the latest encryption mechanisms), so you'll have to set up the router using WEP (don't worry about the acronyms - it's just shorthand for how complex the passwords are allowed to be).

2. Your iPaq uses the 802.11b standard, while most current routers are 802.11g. No big deal, you should just make sure your router is in b/g compatibility mode (sometimes called auto mode).

3. Make sure the router is set to serve IP addresses - in other words, make sure DHCP is turned on. Also disable MAC filtering, if it's enabled.

4. The Windows Mobile has a pretty decent connection manager - just turn on wifi, and it'll automatically scan for wireless networks and prompt you to connect. If you've set up your router correctly, this shouldn't be a problem at all - select the network to connect to, input the WEP key and away you go.

For the most part the default settings work fine for both iPaq and router, except for security - you have to set that up yourself - though as you can see troubleshooting requires a bit of expertise. Have a go at it anyway, and if you run into any problems just post on it here.

[ADBrown]

Is it possible to connect the IPAQ to my internet (wired) through the Bluetooth on my laptop?

Yes. Just download and install ActiveSync, and once you connect to AS via Bluetooth, you'll also have internet access.

Is it possible to have more than one persons fingerprint to use as the password?

You can record up to ten fingerprints on the device. While it's done in the context of one person's ten fingers, I expect you could use it to authorize up to ten different people.

Is it easy to integrate the email, contacts, schedule and calendar with outlook 2003?

Yes, ActiveSync does this.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Hi boogyman, replying to your PM.

1. For the internet passthrough (this is for AS3.8 ), open the Activesync window on your PC with your PDA disconnected. Go to Tools->Options.

2. Click on the Rules tab, and you'll see the "Pass Through" drop down list at the bottom. Select "The Internet" in the list and click OK.

With regard to setting up a bluetooth sync connection, try this guide (http://www.firstloox.org/index.php?categoryid=3) (it's the fourth file down in the list). The guide is for the Loox 400 and 700 series, but the principle and steps are the same.