Kasuei Releases Hitchhiker for Windows Mobile 2003 [Archive]

Darius Wey

05-09-2005, 02:00 PM

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.kasuei.com/hitchhiker/' target='_blank'>http://www.kasuei.com/hitchhiker/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Hitchhiker helps you to connect your Pocket PC to the wireless Internet. Simply click Connect and it will try all nearby public access points. Hitchhiker will handle all settings for you and perform complicated tests to ensure you can connect to the Internet in no time."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20050509-Hitchhiker.gif" /><br /><br />Sporting a user-friendly interface, Hitchhiker takes the pain out of connecting to a public hotspot. It is packed with the ability to perform automated access point association tests, DHCP tests, DNS tests and internet connectivity tests. Version 0.1 of Hitchhiker is available as a <a href="http://www.kasuei.com/hitchhiker/">free download</a> from Kasuei.

msprague

05-09-2005, 02:05 PM

I've installed this on my X50v and so far so good. It shows available networks and will try to connect, but I don't have any open APs or hotspots in range here.

Ward

05-09-2005, 02:21 PM

This is more like it. A useful utility at the right price point.

But I wouldn't mind seeing WiFi Graph from the same developer integrated with it.

Menneisyys

05-09-2005, 02:47 PM

First and foremost, it doesn't work with WZC disabled. This is one of the biggets problems with it. WiFiFoFum, its main alternative, works in this case too.

Also, if you happen to download the desktop installer MSI file, it may complain of the lack of a certain version of the .NET framework (so far, it was the only one installed that wanted to install this). In this case, by installing right the CAB version, you can circumwent this problem.

zilla31

05-09-2005, 03:06 PM

just curious but what's the point of using something like this (or wififofum) over the built in utility that finds APs and connects you (using an x50v)?

Compulim

05-09-2005, 03:19 PM

Hitchhiker use WZC to control WLAN. So if you disable WZC, the application will not work. And I'll explain why we are choosing WZC over NDIS.

There're two components controlling WLAN in your Pocket PC, WZC and NDIS. WZC will override the control of NDIS, so you can actually do nothing with NDIS but only measuring WLAN readings.

In the old days, developer create WLAN utility with NDIS because their specs is widely available. But to control WLAN with NDIS, the user will have to disable WZC and soft-reset your Pocket PC to take effect.

With the release of WM2005, Microsoft is fading out NDIS and prefers WZC instead. The main reason we choose WZC is because user do not need to soft-reset their machine every time they use the application.

I hope you understand and apologize for any inconveniences caused.

Menneisyys

05-09-2005, 03:21 PM

just curious but what's the point of using something like this (or wififofum) over the built in utility that finds APs and connects you (using an x50v)?

WiFiFoFum (or any other, similar tool, even commercial ones also supporting closed AP's like Odyssey) has tons of advantages over WZC:

- it does not search (and try to connect to) networks in the background
- it only connects to what you really want to connect to and not to an arbitrary / already visited one
- it doesn't annoy the user with constant 'Connect to' Connectivity bubbles
- it causes no Wi-Fi throughput hit because of the constant looking for new AP's in the background (not that it would be THAT much with WZC; see for example http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35119 and http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=36376 on my measurements of the runtime bandwidth and CPU hit caused by this)
- WiFiFoFum also displays a lot of additional info (signal strength, is it locked/open etc) and can even be used with a GPS for 'real' warddriving.

zilla31

05-09-2005, 03:24 PM

damn that def does sound nice. if i install wififofum how do i disable the popup bubbles and all that (from the out of the box setup)? i hate those.

Menneisyys

05-09-2005, 03:25 PM

The main reason we choose WZC is because user do not need to soft-reset their machine every time they use the application.

I don't really see the point: if you disable WCZ and, therefore, rely entirely on NDIS, you only need to reset the PPC only once to get into the WZC-free mode (so that the operating system notices the change in the Registry). Then, you can initiate (and terminate) any number of Wi-Fi connections without resetting the PDA in between them.

Menneisyys

05-09-2005, 03:26 PM

damn that def does sound nice. if i install wififofum how do i disable the popup bubbles and all that (from the out of the box setup)? i hate those.

Get it from http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~hall/WZCDisabler.zip .

Also see http://www.pocketpcmag.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15393 on the subject.

Compulim

05-09-2005, 03:29 PM

In my perspective, the reason why people prefer external WLAN utilities is because:

1. Their PPC doesn't come with friendly utility to connect AP (the original WZC user interface is not friendly enough).

2. They want to test Internet connectivity with fewer clicks. It'll be great if the PPC can keep checking Internet connectivity with only one-click and high reliability (perform various test).

3. Able to try multiple AP and find out the best one.

I'm unsure if my points represents what other member think. But they are the reasons why I made this tool (or toy).

Dinosaur

05-09-2005, 03:33 PM

1. Their PPC doesn't come with friendly utility to connect AP (the original WZC user interface is not friendly enough).

2. They want to test Internet connectivity with fewer clicks. It'll be great if the PPC can keep checking Internet connectivity with only one-click and high reliability (perform various test).

3. Able to try multiple AP and find out the best one.

You read my mind! :mrgreen:

zilla31

05-09-2005, 03:34 PM

so overall do we prefer wififofum to this one (the subject of this thread)?

Menneisyys

05-09-2005, 03:43 PM

so overall do we prefer wififofum to this one (the subject of this thread)?

Just going home; will test both apps with public AP's on my way home :)

Compulim

05-09-2005, 03:50 PM

Rod3

05-09-2005, 04:32 PM

Well, for me, this is the first app to make my Loox useful. WiFiFoFum doesn't do it, but Hitchhiker does. I'm thrilled with this application, and enormously grateful to Compulim and anybody who worked on this one. I was getting ready to pass this Loox on to a family member. I'll keep it for a while, now, and see what it does on the hotspots downtown. Until now, I couldn't even connect at home.

surur

05-09-2005, 06:37 PM

Actually they are different, Hitchhiker solely work out the connection for you, and WiFiFoFum lets you see what your Pocket PC can see.

For comparison, you can try Boingo client and StreetHawk (also from WiFiFoFum).

Btw, I make the tool or toy (to me, it's a toy) to benefit most people and (mainly) practice my programming knowledge :wink: . If you like it, please keep it and tell me you like it.

Thanks for the lovely program. I prefer this over wififofum, in that I want to connect with no clicks, not the two or three that wififofum needs. It also looks nicer in VGA than wififofum.

Thx Compulim

Surur

Compulim

05-09-2005, 07:03 PM

Thanks Surur and Rod3... your support will definitely drive me to another version of Hitchhiker.

BTW, although I am now using h4150, Loox 600 is still my favorite device. Sleek design, great stylus and support bluetooth audio service. I still keep it in my treasure box.

Jonathon Watkins

05-09-2005, 07:31 PM

If you like it, please keep it and tell me you like it.

Yup, I like it a lot. Thanks for that Compulim and I hope we'll see more of you around here. 8)

Transfxb

05-09-2005, 09:00 PM

Definitely doesn't work on my hx4700: crashes at launch.
Unfortunately.
Seems to have great features.

TransFXB

Menneisyys

05-09-2005, 09:04 PM

Definitely doesn't work on my hx4700: crashes at launch.
Unfortunately.
Seems to have great features.

TransFXB

Was your Wi-Fi switched on and WZC active at startup?

Menneisyys

05-09-2005, 09:08 PM

I've thoroughly tested Hitchhiker and I have to say I liked it very much. As Surur has already pointed out, it's much better at supporting VGA. Furthermore, it connects to AP's far easier than WiFiFoFum.

Is it programmatically complicated to remove the need for WZC, btw? (Even a parallel release would be OK - one needing WZC, and one that doesn't, even at the expense of reduced compatibility with WM2005.) WiFiFoFum has still a great advantage of not needing it.

Transfxb

05-09-2005, 09:26 PM

Definitely doesn't work on my hx4700: crashes at launch.
Unfortunately.
Seems to have great features.

TransFXB

Was your Wi-Fi switched on and WZC active at startup?

Yes Wi-Fi was switched on, but I don't know about WZC.
Where can I find WZC settings?

TransFXB

Compulim

05-09-2005, 09:28 PM

Oh, I forget to point out that due to a known bug in .NET Compact Framework 1.0, the application may crash with VGA Pocket PC. If you encountered the problem, please install .NET Compact Framework 1.0 SP3 or wait for HP upcoming ROM patch for hx4700.

I currently don't have VGA Pocket PC so it is difficult for ne to develop with VGA interface. (I am planning to buy one after WM2005 is released).

Yoyr wish is my command. I will plan for both NDIS and WZC in next version.

delajt

05-09-2005, 09:34 PM

Thanks Compulim for the great app!

Works great on a Dell X30 and is easier/quicker than Wififofum (also a great app not leaving my ppc!)

Just sent out some emails to ppc-carrying colleagues of mine, they hated me for the working wififofum (and it's not working on their ppc) so this might be an eyeopener for them...

Cheers again!
:D

OldMan50

05-09-2005, 09:42 PM

Rookie here;

How do you install it on a Axium x50.v
Thanks all.

Jereboam

05-09-2005, 10:42 PM

Can report working fine here on my 4700.

The only thing that would stop me using this fulltime (even for private APs) would be that there is no option to save WEP keys etc? Otherwise the connection feedback is superb, always nice to know what's actually going on when trying to connect over WM's finickity wifi software...

Cheers, really looking forward to seeing this develop further, I like it.

OldMan50 - just copy the CAB file over to your device and double-click to install, or use the desktop installer as usual.

Regards, John

Jereboam

05-09-2005, 10:47 PM

Oops - it doesn't like having the power switched off while connected - quit with an exception as soon as I switched back on...some coding needs to be done to gracefully drop the connection when the power is switched off (either by hardware or software) and maybe run a delay in when switched back on to give it a chance to redetect the wifi hardware.

Rgds, J'bm

WillyG

05-09-2005, 10:56 PM

Thanx a lot for making this. Works great on my hx4700. And looking good in VGA too :) . This applicationg has great potential.
Already looking forward to the next version. Again thanx!

gt24

05-10-2005, 01:29 AM

Seems interesting, most certainly have to try this program sometime when I'm around some wireless signals...

Would be nice if the program had an icon so it doesn't look like a failed install. Just a suggestion...

Dermot81

05-10-2005, 03:27 AM

Menneisyys

05-10-2005, 09:12 AM

Oh, I forget to point out that due to a known bug in .NET Compact Framework 1.0, the application may crash with VGA Pocket PC

It's working perfectly on my VGA Pocket Loox 720, with the (old) .NET CF in ROM.

I currently don't have VGA Pocket PC so it is difficult for ne to develop with VGA interface. (I am planning to buy one after WM2005 is released).

The current interface is perfectly usable even now in SE Portrait. However, as can be seen in the screenshots below, a more dynamic component positioning (one that queries the current screen dimensions and accordingly positions the list control, the info window and the three buttons) would certainly be welcome to make use of the bigger screen estate in VGA and to avoid the need for horizontal scrolling in SE landscape.

Hitchhiker in SE VGA:

http://menneisyys.freeweb.hu/Hitchhiker/HH-SE.gif

Hitchhiker in Landscape: needs scrolling; with dynamic control positioning and (vertical) sizing, this can be eliminated

http://menneisyys.freeweb.hu/Hitchhiker/HH-landscape.gif

Hitchhiker in native VGA: it doesn't make use of the bigger screen estate either.

http://menneisyys.freeweb.hu/Hitchhiker/HH-VGA.gif

For comparison, WiFiFoFum in SE VGA:

http://menneisyys.freeweb.hu/Hitchhiker/Fofum-SE.gif

WiFiFoFum in SE Landscape: as with native VGA, it doesn't make use of the bigger screen estate

http://menneisyys.freeweb.hu/Hitchhiker/Fofum-landscape.gif

WiFiFoFum in native VGA: it doesn't make use of the bigger screen estate

http://menneisyys.freeweb.hu/Hitchhiker/Fofum-VGA.gif

I will plan for both NDIS and WZC in next version.

Great :)

Compulim

05-10-2005, 02:19 PM

Okay, thanks for tons of screenshot. I had put your wish into my wish list.

Writing VGA application in .NET CF is not the hardest part, testing it with VGA emulator is painful to me.

So stay tuned.

gt24

05-10-2005, 03:32 PM

I tried the program on my Axim X30...

I was around two wifi points and my device normally sees the points and connects to one of them, the same one by default. When I used this application, the application saw the points, connected to neither of them, and refused to connect. I closed the program, turned wifi off and back on... and I couldn't connect to any wifi points or see any of them using windows mobile utilities...

One soft reset later I turned on wifi and after a little bit of sitting, I connected to one out of two wifi points and I could see both again...

perhaps I did something wrong?

I can say that I liked the warning dialog box at the beginning of your program... "Please turn wifi on and hit the retry button..." It is better than "Wifi isn't on, this program will now terminate, have a nice day!". Perhaps some day I can get this program to work! It looks nice, I can say that too... :)

Compulim

05-11-2005, 03:44 PM

Sorry for the late response, I was busy fixing a nasty bug in 0.1. (And I think members at AximSite.com can be more constructive by sending me bug reports)

Did you remember which test (Preparation, Assocation, Contact DHCP, Connect, Check Web) did it fails?

I also encountered a strange failure today (fail at contact DHCP) with my h4150. I tried a few IP renew utilities and all of them failed. Ending up power off WLAN, turn it back on and finally work.

I knew that the signal meter did not work with Axim users. It's common for 3rd party WiFi application. I talked to few developers and no one got a clue. So until Dell release their APIs, I can do nothing with it.

Haha, of course it'll be easier for developer to do a "have a nice day" dialog. I think user may be unhappy with that. Even "very minor unhappiness", I will try to fix it.

Thanks for your support.

Menneisyys

05-11-2005, 04:25 PM

At http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=118138 , a new post is as follows:

"FYI,
If you "play" on WEP-enabled networks and use this app... you'll have to re-enter your WEP key after using this app to get back on the WEP-enabled network... This app somehow corrupts the key info on the PPC..."

Compulim

05-12-2005, 07:30 PM

Sorry for late response. I was having problems with my user profile.

I have fixed the problem in version 0.11 but I didn't resubmit the news to PPCT and other sites. But anyone who download Hitchhiker thru the official site or Handango will get the updated version.

As WM2003 do not allows me to retrieve existing network password, the fix is little bit hack-style. I will restructure the connection queue (and support continous connection test) and the hack will be gone for good.

In the meanwhile, get the updated 0.11 and it should fix the missing icon as well.

Btw, I can probably release 0.2 version this week but I am unsure the community will be happy with that. Asking the user to re-install the software too often may make the product worse.

Cheers.

tut00

05-12-2005, 10:15 PM

ok, maybe i'm just dumb...

how do you get this to work. I have tried it twice, and each time, once i install it I cannot connect to my network.

I have installed it without WCZDisabler and with it. With it on, hitchhicker won't even load.

help...

gt24

05-12-2005, 10:43 PM

Ok... I fire up the program...

Wireless goes on, access points show up. They are available... 0 out of 0 connections succeeded. Ok, choose one and click connect... the connect button does NOTHING. So, I just sit there... it just sits there... nothing happens.

So, there is NO test that goes on. I hope my bug report helps. Oh, this is with the original version, not the updated one.

I went into options and unchecked EVERYTHING except the top option. Ok, it is trying to connect now... "Detecting Hardware" ==> "Failed to Configure Hardware".

Well, I guess I'm not going to get much farther than that.

OKed out, turned off wifi... turned on wifi... my device instantly picked up my Wifi access point... excellent.

That concludes my error checking for today. I don't think Axim X30 High devices work with your program!

Compulim

05-13-2005, 03:58 AM

Compulim

05-13-2005, 04:01 AM

Hi tut00,

Can you give me more details about it? Did it say something why it cannot connect to the network? Are there any tests performed?

Btw, you don't need WZCDisabler. Hitchhiker works directly with WZC so if you disable WZC, Hitchhiker will definitely not work.

Cheers.

Choirguy

05-13-2005, 04:26 AM

Hi gt24,

I never touched any Dell PPC before so I am unsure with their application suite.

Are there any utilities running that will assists you to connect to WLAN network?

Is the WZC applet working in your PPC? You can find "WZC applet" by clicking Start -> Settings -> Connections -> Connections -> Advanced -> Network Card. Try to alter the settings to see if your modifications work.

Cheers.

There are a number of utilities running which allow you to connect to WLAN on the X50 and X30 models of the Dell Axim.

On the Dell, you can see the Network Card using the following steps:

Start -> Settings ->Connections -> Network Cards

Listed Are:

NE2000 Compatible Ethernet Driver
L2TP NDISWAN Miniport
AsyncMac NDISWAN Miniport
PPTP NDISWAN Miniport
Dell Axim X50 WLAN Wireless Adapter
Bluetooth PAN User Driver

I should also mention that this reflects Dell's latest ROM upgrade for the X50v, which is named A03.

In addition, the X50v's WLAN utility is credited to Texas Instruments, Version 1.0.1.3

I need to mention that I'm posting because I saw the announcement of your software on the Aximsite front page. There was no specific link offered to report bugs, as it was just a news item from a news editor. If you really want the program to work on the Dell models, all you need to do is register for Aximsite (as I had to register here), and ask people to report bugs when they see them.

At the moment, they're just discussing that the software doesn't work for them...and I need to admit that I haven't tried the software yet, waiting for others to take the plunge and see if it works. I'll admit that I was the one that inquired why the software was necessary, as the Dell automatically finds networks on its own. Apparently (from my take on what I've seen on Aximsite) the feature that people want is a program that mainly allows them to see the signal strength of the networks available to them.

Thanks for taking the time to write software for the PPC, and for making it free of charge.

gt24

05-13-2005, 05:08 AM

On the X30

Listed Are:

L2TP NDISWAN Miniport
AsyncMac NDISWAN Miniport
PPTP NDISWAN Miniport
Dell WLAN Wireless Adapter
Bluetooth PAN User Driver

In WiFiFum, the device I am forced to select (to get anything to work) is listed at the following
ODIM\WLAGS46B1

There is a WLAGS46B1 (note absense of ODIM), but that entry doesn't work. Furthermore, the other entries (L2TP1, ASYNCMAC1, PPTP1, and XSC1_IRDA1) will not work either.

Perhaps that helps?

A05 ROM... In my wifi utility, Dell WLAN Utility Driver Bld 1314, driver name WLAGS46B, driver version 8.22, primary firmware version 1.10, station firmware version 2.26. Wireless Card ID 14 var 103 ver 150.140... etc etc

Users can optionally use the Oddeysey client to connect as well... I don't use that utility much at all.

The log file dropped by the Dell utility... Drvname WLAGS46B... card stat: 0xc000 ... etc etc

(where etc etc is typed is where there is non-helpful data)

If you want anything else, let me know... I will assist only when I have time though.

Compulim

05-13-2005, 06:35 AM

Hi choirguy,

I wondered both HP and Dell use TI chipset, their driver is quite different.

I know quite a few programmers who worked hard on the issue but never get any result. They even e-mailed Dell for the API but there are no response. And I am quite sure the RSSI problem is not related to how we write the program.

We followed every bit of documents, we tried both NDIS 802.11 section and WZCSAPI. And they are the only two official API supported in Windows CE, NDIS is well-documented and WZCSAPI is undocumented in 4.2.

Of course, you can always access data at kernel level but no one knows how to access and decode them unless you got an expensive programmer's manual for that device (the guys behind NetStumbler/MiniStumbler have access to programmer's manual of various chipset, that's why their project cannot be open-sourced).

I think we can conclude the RSSI problem as: we followed the official and well-documented NDIS API, tried the official sample code from Microsoft, but the device driver still returns wrong value (values beyond -90). Dell implemented a driver and the driver did not conform to the standard. We tried our best but we can do nothing about that. Perhaps one day, an avatar may come to solve the problem. But I didn't see the avatar coming so soon.

Drivers in Windows CE do not require WHQL certification test. So they can be buggy and behave very different than the specifications.

Not only Dell WLAN driver are having problem. HP drivers is also buggy as well. Even few of my developer friends reported them to HP, they *NEVER* get the bug fixed. But in HP case, their bug is much easier to detour so you rarely see HP users blame like Dell users. We prefer a detour than begging HP to replace their driver.

I hope you understand our situation and understand why all 3rd party software is not working with Dell.

Compulim

05-13-2005, 07:04 AM

Hi gt24,

Thanks for your help.

Before I make Hitchhiker, I ported a Microsoft PPC sample program which modify the WZC settings (and enhanced it as well). You can download it here (http://blog.compulim.com/download/wzctool/WzcTool1.zip). You can say, it's Hitchhiker prototype. So you can expect it is ugly and developer-oriented.

Be forewarned, the application is for internal use. So there are few points to note:
1. The application will delete your current WZC settings. Please backup the settings if you need to retains them.
2. I didn't put full scale test on it, please be gentle with it.

Please try to see if the "Connect" button works for you and the logging window output is correct. A correct connect sequence looks like this: Associating SOME-AP -> SuccessfulAssociation SOME-AP.

If it cannot connect, it may report "PreferredListExhausted" and/or "VisibleNetwork". That means all the active settings had been tried and no AP in the WZC settings work for the current situation.

All function you see in the interface is working. So please feel free to play with it.

Please post your findings. And really thanks for your help.

Cheers,

Compulim

Choirguy

05-13-2005, 07:35 AM

I wondered both HP and Dell use TI chipset, their driver is quite different...Not only Dell WLAN driver are having problem. HP drivers is also buggy as well...so you rarely see HP users blame like Dell users. We prefer a detour than begging HP to replace their driver...I hope you understand our situation and understand why all 3rd party software is not working with Dell.

Thanks for the response. I posted your response on Aximsite so that the word would be spread. I have to admit that much of what you wrote (other than what I've quoted above) was Cyrillic to me, as I'm earning a PhD in Music and am not a programmer. But I understand your point. I just want to say that Dell users can be very proactive if invited to work on a project (for example, look how they've worked with Picard and his BetaPlayer), and there is probably a tendency for Dell users to expect that any software item that works on a HP should work on a Dell...after all, it IS the same operating system! Just ask any knowing person about the frustration that Nevo doesn't exist outside of the HP...

I certainly understand your situation, and I understand that it's not working with Dell's products (and some of HP's). If you choose to work on that issue, I'm sure many individuals at Aximsite would be willing to offer assistance with beta testing and so on.

And again, thank you for taking the time to write software for the PocketPC/Windows Mobile platform. I appreciate it.

Compulim

05-13-2005, 09:23 AM

Hi choirguy,

Thanks for quoting my post in Aximsite.com. I really appreciate your understanding.

I have also posted an apologize post in Aximsite.

Cheers.

Choirguy

05-13-2005, 03:23 PM

Thanks for the post over at Aximsite, but there was no need for an apology. You didn't do anything wrong, and you certainly didn't write software to specifically NOT work on Dell and some HP devices. However, it's good to know that you're working on making useful applications with the intent that they work on all devices, out of your own pocket, and offering them for free. I think that's super. Keep up the good work.

martin_ayton

05-25-2005, 09:38 AM

I love this forum, and I love Hitchhiker. I have a wireless network at home (running WPA-PSK / TKIP) which has stubbornly refused to allow me to connect to the internet with my Xda2s. In previous attempts to get it to work, I have so heavily screwed with the network card settings on my PPC that no WiFi connection would work anywhere leading to my having to hard reset the thing :oops:

I saw the posts about Hitchhiker and gave it a try last night. It worked :D . OK, I still had to take the MAC address filtering off the access point, but that is such a minor issue compared to previous experience that I am still 100% delighted. Can I contribute? This is worth some $$$ to me - and I would like to ensure that this sort of software is available in the future.

Oh, and any tips about how to get it working with the MAC address filtering would be gratefully received.

lorcro2000

05-31-2005, 12:38 PM

Downloaded 0.2 and seems like a very interesting program, especially since I'm already using WZC and like it.

One thing, though; more options on how to sort the wireless networks display would be very welcome, at least by me.

Now, if you are in an area with multiple wireless networks, the program will shuffle them as it tries to connect, which is very annoying if you want to connect to one specific network. It jumps up and down and it was almost hard to manage to tap the proper network to set priority or enter key.

Would be good if you could "fix" their positions, for instance by sorting them alphabetically regardless of what you are conncting to (or not), or sorting reverse alphabetically, by number of connections you have made or perhaps even by signal strength...? Just a thought.