iPaq 4155, WiFi and Activesync...

[nigeljedi]

Hello, all. Ok...I know you're probably going to say "doesn't this guy know how to perform a search!?", but I already have, and the answer still eludes me.
I'm a PC, Palm and PPC veteran, but wireless is a whole new ballgame to me. I just bought the HP iPaq 4155, and wanted to get a semi-wireless setup going. So, I bought an 802.11b wireless PCI card for my desktop PC so that I could at least sync and "pass through" my PC with the iPaq.
I have a wired cable router to the PC, however.
So far, I can browse the web with PIE on the iPaq just fine. No problems there. Now, Activesync is another story. I've tried every setting I know how to get my iPaq to sync with the PC with no success.
I really have no idea about WEP or WINS settings or any of that other stuff when it comes to setting up a wireless system.
So, with all that said, can somebody tell me in plain English how to accomplish this?
I'm running WinXP on my PC, btw.
Thank you very much in advance for any info you can give!
:)

[Wiggster]

Geez, doesn't this guy know how to perform a search...

Just kidding :mrgreen:

I decided after a few months to set up my iPAQ to WiFi activesync to my comoputer. I was a bit surprised that all it took was setting up a VPN connection.

Unfortunately, the page I used is now gone, found only on Google's cache (http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:http://www.oecadvantage.net/ajarvi/WM2003/WM2003PPTPVPN.html), but the link to the XP VPN setup still works.

I'm not sure on your setup, but you have a Wireless router that your PC plugs into via Ethernet, yes? And that's what your Pocket PC connects to? I hope so, since that's what I use, and it's how I got these instructions:

Here's the basic steps:
Initial Setup
1. Sync your Pocket PC with your PC

Setting up a VPN Server on your XP PC
2. On your PC, go to Start -> Control Panel, Network Connections
3. On Network Connections, go to File -> New Connection
4. Hi Next, then click "Set up an Advanced Connection"
5. Make sure "Accept incoming connections" is still checked
6. Leave LPT1 (and any other devices you might have) unchecked, hit Next
7. Make sure "Allow private connections" is still checked, hit Next
8. Select whichever username you want to log on with and click "Next"
8a. If you want to restrict access to your VPN (a good idea), click on "Properties" with "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" selected
8b. Specify a narrow range of IPs that connect from within your wireless router (for me, it's 192.168.254.100 through 192.168.254.120) and hit OK

Setting up the VPN Connection on your Pocket PC
9. Tap Start, Settings. Go to the Connections tab and click "Connections"
10. Tap "Add a new VPN server connection"
11. Give your VPN connection a name (Mine is "Home WiFi")
12. Enter the IP or Network Name of the server (I used "WIGGY", the name of my PC, but I could've used "192.168.254.11". Note that if you want to use this outside your LAN, you'll need to use an IP, and you'll have to have port forwarding setup if you're behind a router. But the network name is the easy way out)
13. Enter the Username and Password corresponding to the XP user you selected back in step 8. Leave the Domain blank. Hit "OK" until you're back at your Today screen.

14. Make sure your PC is hooked up to the network and your PPC is on WiFi network. Start up Activesync on your PPC (probably under Start->Programs, ActiveSync).
15. Tap "Sync". It should pop up a "Connecting to: [VPN Name]" and connect after a few seconds.

If something goes wrong, verify you have the network on each set up correctly. Then double-check your username and password. It might take a few times before "Sync" does its thing over WiFi.

Well, hope this helps a little.

[dhettel]

Hello, all. Ok...I know you're probably going to say "doesn't this guy know how to perform a search!?", but I already have, and the answer still eludes me.
I'm a PC, Palm and PPC veteran, but wireless is a whole new ballgame to me. I just bought the HP iPaq 4155, and wanted to get a semi-wireless setup going. So, I bought an 802.11b wireless PCI card for my desktop PC so that I could at least sync and "pass through" my PC with the iPaq.
I have a wired cable router to the PC, however.
So far, I can browse the web with PIE on the iPaq just fine. No problems there. Now, Activesync is another story. I've tried every setting I know how to get my iPaq to sync with the PC with no success.
I really have no idea about WEP or WINS settings or any of that other stuff when it comes to setting up a wireless system.
So, with all that said, can somebody tell me in plain English how to accomplish this?
I'm running WinXP on my PC, btw.
Thank you very much in advance for any info you can give!
:)

As I read what you have posted here is what I happen to think you need to do.

1) Go into the properties for your 802.11b wireless PCI card and enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP (Open Network Connections | right click on your 802.11b wireless PCI card icon | Click on Internet Protocol and then properties | Advanced | Wins (tab) | and set NetBIOS to Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP | click OK | OK | Close | Reboot the PC.)

2) On the 4155 goto Start (menu) | Settings | Connections (tab) | Connections (icon) | Advanced | Select Networks (box) | Set the bottom setting to "My Work Network" | tap Edit... | Proxy Settings | Check only the first box "This network connects to the Internet" (Now it is important to do the following in this order or it will not take) tap OK | Set the top to "My Work Network" if needed | Tap OK and keep tapping OK till you get the X, tap the X to save our new settings | Then soft reset the 4155 to load the new settings.

3) At this point it should work. NetBIOS is required on the PC for the PocketPC to find the PC. Note if you are running Windows XP and have enabled the firewall, you need to allow NetBIOS through the firewall and also ActiveSync.

Hope this helps.

[nigeljedi]

Thank you for the replies, guys. I can't get this figured out, though. I've tried every way known to man, but can't get synchronization to work...on top of that, I can't even browse the web on my iPaq anymore. I keep getting the "...page cannot be found" error.
:evil:
I thought WiFi was supposed to be "easy setup" and "friendly" and all that crap. Man, was I wrong.
Thanks anyway, everybody.

[dhettel]

Well you may want to go here and get vxUtil www.cam.com it's a free program. And post your results from Functions | Info... | I would need your current IP, and the settings for your wireless adapter.

[nigeljedi]

You know, I actually installed that AND IPConfig from Cambridge earlier today. Unfortunately, the interface was pretty daunting (especially since I'm WiFi illiterate!), and I ended up uninstalling them.
Also, I'm not sure what's going on with the PCI WiFi card I installed in my PC, but now I've got a strength signal in my system tray, and it keeps telling me I've got a connection then it will tell me there is no connection...just an endless loop, and that's whether my iPaq is on or not (WiFi on or not, also).
???
I'm so confused with this...I'm not sure what the settings need to be for my PC now...

[nigeljedi]

Now, the strength signal is always there as well as the "wireless connection" icon...that is in addition to the LAN connection icon I already had in the tray.
I still can't browse in PIE OR connect to my PC with WiFi. What's the deal?
:(

[Steven Cedrone]

Hmmm...

Try running "Welcome.exe" in the Windows dirctory on your Pocket PC. See if that fixes your PIE problem (this will ask you to calibrate the digitizer and do the "cut and paste" tutorial). When done, see if you can surf again. For the ActiveSync problem: On the Pocket PC, try adding the IP address of your desktop in the WINS configuration settings for your WIFI. See if you can ActiveSync after that. ActiveSync should work without any problems, you did sync at least once with the PC to create the partnership, right?

Steve

[nigeljedi]

Ok. Here's what I did. I bought a Belkin Wireless (b) router and installed it. Then I uninstalled the PCI card and removed it from my PC.
Once the setup was complete with the router, I was surfing the 'net on my iPaq without a hitch.
Now, can I still Activesync with just the router, or do I need the PCI card, too? Also, why does the old "linksys" connection still show up in my iPaqs available connections as well as the new Belkin connection? I've "removed settings"...I've soft reset, I've restarted my PC and the iPaq still sees two connections. I searched for "linksys" in the registry, and nothing shows up.
???
I don't have the software installed for the PCI card, nor is it even in my PC.
So, with all that said, any ideas?
Thank you so much for your help so far.
:)

[Steven Cedrone]

So, the pc that had the wireless card, is now hooked up to the router directly? Did you try to ActiveSync to the desktop?

Steve

[nigeljedi]

Well, I'll try to explain this a little better. My PC has NO wireless CARD now, but is connected to a wireless router (belkin 802.11b). It is connected to the router via ethernet cable. So, basically, the only wireless peripheral in the arsenal is the router.
I didn't know if I could use the PCI card in my PC to talk back and forth with the router without the cable or not.
And, as far as Activesync goes, it works fine with the USB cradle. I just haven't gotten it to sync wirelessly yet.
:)
Thanks again!

[nigeljedi]

Oh, BTW, when I first installed the wireless router, I seemed not to be able to get the PC to recognize the internet. It was like there was a conflict or setting issue from the PC to the router. That's when I uninstalled the PCI card and just left the router. Now, I can get on the 'net with my PC and my iPaq...just not sync the iPaq.
:)

[nigeljedi]

Sorry, another BTW...
Can you explain why the old connection still shows up in my iPaqs available connections? I can't get rid of it. It shows "WLAN" (which is the new connection with the router) and "linksys" (which was the old connection from when I first installed the PCI card in my PC...it is no longer in the PC).
Thanks!

[Steven Cedrone]

In ActiveSync on the Pocket PC, go to "Tools" (at the bottom of the screen), click on "Options"...

What do you have listed there for "When syncing remotely with a PC" in the pull down box?

Steve

[nigeljedi]

It shows the name of my PC...not the network name, though. Just the name I gave the computer. No other name appears.
I was going to post some screenshots, but I don't have them on a server...just my PC.