iPAQ 54xx/55xx WM2k3 WLAN Driver Update

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/HandheldiPAQ/us/locate/105_5553.html' target='_blank'>http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/f...e/105_5553.html</a><br /><br /></div>HP has already posted WiFi driver updates for iPAQ 54xx and 55xx units running Pocket PC 2003 for both LEAP and non-LEAP configurations. Apparently, the updates "improve connectivity and roaming ability". Has anyone given it a shot and seen if it improves WLAN performance? (Note that this is <i>not</i> for iPAQs running Pocket PC 2002.)

[that_kid]

I installed it and I notice a stronger signal reading now. I'm still having issues connecting to an AP that has ssid broadcast disabled. Performance wise seems good though once it does connect. I really hope they add the "preferred network" option like in xp, this would fix the problems with ap not broadcasting ssid's.

[pepemosca]

I also have problems with AP that doesn't broadcast their SSID, but besides that, works great!

I can connect to my Wi-Fi every time I want! No Soft-Reset! :)


Note: Oh, BTW, I got WM2003 on my h5450, it's cool!

[madbart]

Please excuse my ignorance but what is LEAP & non LEAP?

[mgd]

Question: any idea if these updates are language specific or will they work on all versions of WM2003?

[gorkon280]

Please excuse my ignorance but what is LEAP & non LEAP?

LEAP is a Cisco-proprietary method of implementing EAP Authentication. Basically, it's additional security on top WEP. Only available on Cisco AP's and commonly used when businesses implement WiFi. It additonal security and not a panacea for WiFi. It IS vulnerable to dictionary attacks. So Non-LEAP would probably be what most of us have or need at home. You'd also pick Non-LEAP if you need 802.1x authentication (TLS or PEAP). I just heard about this so we'll get it installed and tested tonight! ;) I hope they are working on a ROM image to correct the alarm issue. Anyone NOT have LEAP and installed it in case they migt get it at work (if your a CISCO shop, your probably going to go to LEAP) and have it work fine with regular cheap home AP's like the Linksys (soon to be Cisco) units?

[EvilOne]

I installed it too and it now connects/finds my networks that I have set up properly now. Before it would take forever or not even connect.

[andykemp]

Is there any point chosing the Non-LEAP update?
I was planning on installing the LEAP update incase I ever needed to connect to a LEAP server, but was wondering if there was a reason why I should use the other one?

Cheers

[mhaffner]

The new driver has improved connectivity and ease of connectivity. I also believe that the unit has increased in speed for all functions once the drive was installed. :D

[[Gav]]

With regard to the two different driver updates;
According to: http://www.pocketnow.com/
One adds LEAP and the other adds 802.11x support.
You get one or the other.
Apparently HP are working on rolling them both into one.
Theres no info on the HP site about this so I can't vouch how accurate this is.
Has anyone else got info on these two drivers?

Cheers

[pcarrier]

Has anyone tried it with a 2210?

Thanks.

[Dave Beauvais]

Has anyone tried it with a 2210?
Probably not because it's an update for h5400 and h5500 series iPAQs only. :roll:

--Dave

[gorkon280]

Has anyone tried it with a 2210?

Thanks.

Probably would never work man. First, the 2210 does not have WiFi. Second, this for the 5400/5500 seris iPaqs with integrated WiFi. You'd have to go with whatever would work with your CF WiFi card if you have one. This one would not work.

[ddrolett]

they're working fine for me. Roaming seems to be easier too. Shorter connect times.

I'm using a 5550 with Cisco 350's and 1100's.

Dave :)

[brianchris]

Obviously, the first question is (quoting Shakespear) "to install, or not to install?" If I do install, which one should I take? I am a freelance net admin, and none of my networks use LEAP. HOWEVER, perhaps I'll encounter one some day??? It seems as though the LEAP update has everything the non-LEAP update has, plus improved LEAP ability, doesn't it? Someone else in this thread indicated otherwise though. Hmmm, it appears our choices are this:

-Install non-LEAP WALN Driver update
-Install LEAP WLAN Driver update
-Wait until HP releases both of them rolled together in one update.


I'll be watching this thread for more opinions.

-Brian

[stevew]

What does "802.1x Enrollment Tool for Pocket PC 2003"
on the bottom of the page do, anyone know?

[thex]

I have the 5555 and have installed the LEAP driver, BUT I cannot get it to work. My Work has the CISCO 350 with an SSID. I know my iPaq found it once (before I installed the LEAP driver) but I can't find the "profile" to tell it to use LEAP....

Any Help would be great...

[Dave Beauvais]

Since I upgraded to WM2003 last week, associating with my access point has taken, on average, about 10-15 seconds compared with the 1-3 with PPC2002 using the HP WLAN software. I happened to try something a few minute ago, however, which cut the association time down to less than five seconds. On my Linksys WAP11 (hardware revision 2.2) I changed the "Authentication Type" from "Both" to "Shared Key." (The other option was "Open System.") Now the time between turning the WLAN adapter on to getting an IP address and a usable connection is consistently under five seconds even after soft resets. This also decreased the association time between the access point and my notebook's ORiNOCO Gold card.

For anyone experiencing long association times, you may want to give this a try if your router or access point gives you that option.

FYI, here's my access point setup: 128-bit WEP enabled, MAC address filtering enabled, SSID broadcasting disabled, authentication type set to "shared key."

--Dave

[jimvaughan]

I am using a H5555, after installing this "fix" I can not access my wifi network.

One of two things happens. (1) Wifi seems to connect but no ip is assigned to my H5555. (2) My H5555 thinks it doesn't have a wifi card (wifi on or off makes no difference)

If I restore from a backup made last night everything works again.

Any ideas why this doesn't work on my h5555?

[PeterLake]

I am using a H5555, after installing this "fix" I can not access my wifi network.


I am glad you said that. My PPC currently connects with my home WiFi just fine, but I was getting tempted by the shorter acess times. Now, however, I'll think I'll skip this one.

[dnacpil]

I installed this WLAN Driver update to my H5455 (w/ WM2K3 upgrade) this afternoon and it sure does connect quick!! I was connecting quickly at home, work, and T-Mobile's HotSpots all afternoon and all night long. It now takes only 3-4 seconds to connect...it used to take 10-12 seconds after my upgrade from PPC2K2 to WM2K3. So far so good. Also, the signal strength shows more bars (tap on the connectivity icon next to the speaker icon while your device is connected). Another thing which I'm not sure, I now am able to turn the WiFi on/off from the connectivity icon.....I don't know if it's the WLAN fix or it's always been in WM2K3 which I never noticed before.

Anyway, I haven't experienced any problems at home, work, and the 3 T-Mobile HotSpots I normally connect to. And yes, I went to the 3 T-Mobile HotSpots (2 StarBucks and 1 Borders Bookstore) this afternoon just to check this thing out.

[jimvaughan]

I have tried this twice on my h5555 both times it causes wifi to stop working.

Anyone else got this installed on a h5555?

[Dave Beauvais]

... Another thing which I'm not sure, I now am able to turn the WiFi on/off from the connectivity icon.....I don't know if it's the WLAN fix or it's always been in WM2K3 which I never noticed before. ...
The first time you turn the radio on after a soft reset, you must use the iPAQ Wireless app. Once you've turned it on one time using that, you can then turn it on and off using the icon on the title bar. Very annoying, if you ask me...

--Dave

[that_kid]

I have tried this twice on my h5555 both times it causes wifi to stop working.

Anyone else got this installed on a h5555?

It's working great on my 5555. I noticed that my 5555 knows much quicker when there's no wifi signal and it also connects back quicker when it finds the network again :mrgreen:

[jimvaughan]

Well I got it to work, I am not sure which of the below did the trick but:

(1) Uninstalled Pocket Boingo http://www.boingo.com/download.html
(2) Uninstalled Pocket Warrior http://www.pocketwarrior.org
(3) Installed the WLAN update
(4) Reset the h5555
(5) Turned the h5555 off
(6) Pulled the battery out
(7) Restarted the h5555

... and now it works.

[tvalentin]

Could anyone who's sucessfully installed the firmware upgrade tell me the updated information in asset viewer.

I'm not sure if it has been installed on my 5450 or not.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Tom

[[Gav]]

Ok here's a better quote describing the differences between the drivers:
From: http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=1604

HP is offering two new sets of wireless LAN drivers for the iPaq 5400 and 5500 series PocketPCs. One driver package supports 802.11B Wireless LAN communication (WiFi) and the 802.11x standard for security features. The other supports 802.11B and Cisco-proprietary LEAP security. You can't have both--not yet at least, HP says they're working on it--so you will need to install one or the other. If you don't know what 802.11x or LEAP are, then it doesn't really matter which package you use.

The new drivers are supposed to improve connectivity, ease of connectivity, and roaming ability. No specifics on what that means, but users are reporting less time taken to connect, resolved connection issues, and better signal strength. It appears that 'connectivity' is shorthand for an entire laundry list of bugs squashed and general performance improvements.

This update is only for iPaq 5400 and 5500 PocketPCs running Windows Mobile 2003. It will not function on iPaq 5400s that have not been upgraded to the new operating system.

I hope this helps.

Gav

[Dave Beauvais]

... Could anyone who's sucessfully installed the firmware upgrade tell me the updated information in asset viewer. ...
It's not a firmware upgrade, exactly; just a driver update. With the WLAN adapter on, Asset Manager shows a driver version of 3.2.2.115, which is the version of the upgrade. Note that you may have to have the WLAN on for this to show up properly.

--Dave

[brianchris]

]Ok here's a better quote describing the differences between the drivers:
From: http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=1604

HP is offering two new sets of wireless LAN drivers for the iPaq 5400 and 5500 series PocketPCs. One driver package supports 802.11B Wireless LAN communication (WiFi) and the 802.11x standard for security features. The other supports 802.11B and Cisco-proprietary LEAP security. You can't have both--not yet at least, HP says they're working on it--so you will need to install one or the other. If you don't know what 802.11x or LEAP are, then it doesn't really matter which package you use.

The new drivers are supposed to improve connectivity, ease of connectivity, and roaming ability. No specifics on what that means, but users are reporting less time taken to connect, resolved connection issues, and better signal strength. It appears that 'connectivity' is shorthand for an entire laundry list of bugs squashed and general performance improvements.

This update is only for iPaq 5400 and 5500 PocketPCs running Windows Mobile 2003. It will not function on iPaq 5400s that have not been upgraded to the new operating system.

I hope this helps.

Gav

Excellent.....helps quite a bit.....thanks for sharing! Last questions are 1) Does WLAN need to be on, or off durring the driver update, or does it matter? and 2) is it a safe assumption that I'm more likely to encounter 802.1x WLAN's than LEAP WLAN's? TIA!

-Brian