Idiot Guide to set up Wi-Fi hotsync

[explorer]

Firstly, apologize for starting a new thread - pls move this thread if appropriate. I have been trying to follow the other thread, which is getting very long btw - but I still cannot get my TX to hotsync over wi-fi with my pc.

What would be greatly appreciated is if someone can give us an ''idiot guide'' - with step by step instructions how to set up:-
(i) windows
(ii) TX

Thanks in advance!

[r0k]

First of all, the TX is not an idiot's pda .

But here is a "simple" guide to wifi hotsync.

This starts from a machine that is already successfully hotsyncing via cable with the software that came on the TX cd. This assumes you have already set any pain in the butt conduits you don't want to run to "do nothing". This assumes your network prefs is set to wifi, so that if you launch blazer to go to a web site, wifi comes on instead of bluetooth.

1) Windows box setup
a) click hotsync icon in taskbar and check "network" in addition to "usb"
b) at this point, windows firewall or zone alarm should ask your permission for hotsync to access the network and act as a server - answer yes
c) start->run->"cmd"
d) type "ipconfig" in the dos window
e) make a note of the assigned ip of your windows box

This starts from a TX that has wifi working well enough to surf the net and get email directly to the pda via wifi and that wifi is enabled, but not necessarily connected.

2) TX setup
a) launch hotsync and change hotsync type from local to network
b) below the hotsync icon, pick "select pc..." and put in the ip address you obtained in step 1e above as the machine to sync to
c) hit the hotsync logo and wifi should launch right away and you should be good to go.

note: once you see "identifying user" on the pda after starting a wifi hotsync, you know the connection was successful and hotsync has started. then the applications being synced and backed up are listed and may go by so fast you can't read them. yes, wifi hotsync ROCKS.

edit: This is covered beginning on page 84 of the TX manual if you find it doesn't go right through the first time. Page 84 shows up as page 106/690 in my adobe reader. On step 3, even if your pc is listed there is no guarantee the TX can find it by name, so that is why I suggest putting in the ip. After a successful sync via wifi, the IP no longer shows and the name is listed. There are some lan sync and modem sync prefs you should not ever have to touch if you have never changed them, but they are listed in the manual.

[DLCPhoto]

My cable-modem ISP does not provide static IP addresses. Does this mean that I'll have to manually enter the current IP each time I want to hot-synch via WiFi?

Thanks.

Don Cohen
DLC Photography

[Shawn Parr]

Hello DLCPhoto, welcome to Brighthand!

Very likely you have some form of a router, which is a device that connects between your cable companies network (WAN) and your local network (LAN).

This router is likely what is providing your WiFi service. If you do not have a router you would have to pay the cable company an extra fee for each IP address you needed (read for every computer/device on the network after the first).

Your router uses a system called NAT (Network Address Translation) to assign each device on your network a different IP address, and makes them all funnel through the one IP address your cable company gives you.

When using WiFi hotsync on your network you do not need to know the IP address the cable company gives you, only the internal addresses your router assigns.

Unless you have equipment that commonly goes online and offline and ends up with random addresses, it is very likely your machine you hotsync with will not often change addresses. You can even configure the PC and router to allow that machine and/or others to be statically addressed so you don't need to worry about it.

[xsnrg]

DHCP has a lease that has to time out. If your machine is left on, it most likely will request the same IP over and over. Even if it is not left on, the DHCP server will usually give it the same address. The only way that it would not is if 1, you turn your machine off for extended periods of time, and/or 2) a new machine enters your network while your hotsync machine is shut off, thereby taking your IP.

For the most part, you shouldn't have to worry about it.

[r0k]

DLCPhoto asked:

My cable-modem ISP does not provide static IP addresses. Does this mean that I'll have to manually enter the current IP each time I want to hot-synch via WiFi?

My steps above assume you are running your own wireless network and that you are somehow firewalled off from the internet with a router or whatever. You probably shouldn't be hotsyncing from a wifi hotspot because everybody on the internet that has a pda can also sync with your home pc and possibly get your data!

For this reason, your ISP IP address should not be relavent to the above instructions.

When you type "ipconfig" and get the IP of your desktop, what you should see is some sort of private network IP, such as 192.168.something.something rather than a real internet IP provided by your ISP.

[explorer]

Thanks r0k!

I followed your 'simple' instructions and I have my TX hotsyncing over wi-fi with my pc in 30 secs.

Man, I have been go over and over the other thread and couldn't figure it out - the instructions on the windows box setup helped in particular. Now I am a happy camper.

For those who are having similar trouble I recommend following r0k's guide highly.

I recommend this be a sticky post at the top which will be a useful reference for others.

[DLCPhoto]

Many thanks to all for the very helpful replies.

Actually, I don't currently have a Wi-Fi network at home - I use a hub/switch to hook up a laptop and 2 desktops, hard-wired with CAT5, and pay a small extra fee/month for individual IP's (up to 6) which is supposed to give me the best overall performance. It's a cable-modem and I have download speeds typically in excess of 3000 kbps, usually closer to 4000. I use ZoneAlarm (free edition) for firewall protection on each computer.

If I decide to get the TX (to replace my current M515), I'll probably go ahead and set up Wi-Fi, and the information provided here will be of great help in deciding exactly how to do that, and how to configure it.

I just don't want to do anything in setting this up that will otherwise decrease the bandwidth or excellent download speeds I now enjoy.

And I'm assuming that a Wi-Fi Sync will be significantly faster than USB (which apparently is only 1.1) - is this correct? If not, I won't bother with it.

Thanks again for the welcome, and informative replies.

Don
DLC Photography

[Shawn Parr]

Hello Don,

Adding a router and utilizing only 1 IP address should not affect your bandwidth in any noticeably way. The speed limits are handled at your modem, as such whether the data is funneled through one IP or each device is discreet does not matter. Your total bandwidth will still be 3 - 5 Mb/s depending on your service provider.

I find using a router simplifies the whole thing, and costs less. As a bonus it gives you greater security, however it does require a bit more setup if you require access from the outside world. For instance if you need to get FTP access to two different machines in your home that is a lot easier with discreet IPs, although you could enable port forwarding for one, then enable port forwarding on a different port for the other and just remember to log into the other machines requires a specific non-standard port.

I am a great believer in hardware firewalls. First off they do not require any processing power of your computer, unlike a software firewall. Also if there is a fundamental flaw in the TCP/IP stack of your computer's OS it is possible to create an exploit that can get around the software firewall since it uses that TCP/IP stack to do its work. With a dedicated hardware box that has a specialized OS just for routing this is much less likely to occur, and if someone does 'hack' into your router, you just hard reset it and reconfigure it for better security.

[DLCPhoto]

Hi Shawn,

Originally posted by Shawn Parr
Hello Don,

Adding a router and utilizing only 1 IP address should not affect your bandwidth in any noticeably way. The speed limits are handled at your modem, as such whether the data is funneled through one IP or each device is discreet does not matter. Your total bandwidth will still be 3 - 5 Mb/s depending on your service provider.

Thanks for the quick/helpful reply. I believe you are correct. I just called my ISP, and having the multiple IP's was the only option to enable access for multiple computers connected with a hub. They confirmed that going through a router would not diminish overall bandwidth.

I find using a router simplifies the whole thing, and costs less. As a bonus it gives you greater security, however it does require a bit more setup if you require access from the outside world. For instance if you need to get FTP access to two different machines in your home that is a lot easier with discreet IPs, although you could enable port forwarding for one, then enable port forwarding on a different port for the other and just remember to log into the other machines requires a specific non-standard port.

I am a great believer in hardware firewalls. First off they do not require any processing power of your computer, unlike a software firewall. Also if there is a fundamental flaw in the TCP/IP stack of your computer's OS it is possible to create an exploit that can get around the software firewall since it uses that TCP/IP stack to do its work. With a dedicated hardware box that has a specialized OS just for routing this is much less likely to occur, and if someone does 'hack' into your router, you just hard reset it and reconfigure it for better security.

With regard to the first point, I do not have any current needs along these lines. I do sometimes consider adding the ability to access my desktop remotely, but as you point out, this could be done through NAT.

On the second point, I suspect you're also correct as well. Probably something I should do even if I don't go the Wi-Fi route.

Best regards,

Don
DLC Photography