MobileViews Blog

Tag: wifi

  • Asus Eee PC 1000H 802.11n WiFi Works

    I’ve found two wireless access points (WAP) that Asus Eee PC 1000H will not connect to so far. I have not ID-ed the hardware. My Acer Aspire One connected to both of these WAPs. So, if WiFi compatibility is important, I would stick with the Aspire One. That said, I’m enjoying use the Eee PC 1000H in general and took it over to my brother-in-law’s home earlier today. After getting the WPA2 passcode, I connected to their WAP and noticed I had a 135Mbps connection. I only have an 802.11g WAP in my home, so I never thought to check what the 1000H supported.

    Since my MacBook also supports 802.11n, I guess I should consider springing for an 802.11n WAP for my home one of these days.

  • Why is Windows Mobile WiFi so Sucky?

    I’ve been using my iPod touch (upgraded to the 2.0 firmware) at a number of hotspots during the past week. I’ve also been carrying a variety of Windows Mobile WiFi enabled devices. One of the things that has become very clear to me is that the iPod touch acquires access points much much faster than any WiMo device I’ve tried. I’d say that that the iPod touch is generally ready to roll in under 10 seconds. WiMo devices seem to take 30 to 60 seconds just to acquire an access point and then be ready to use (browse, email, etc.). That, of course, is when a WiMo device acquires any signal at all. I’ve run into several public access points where the WiMo Pocket PC (Professional Edition) could not even lock into the WAP. The iPod touch, on the other hand, was working within seconds.

    Since the Safari web-browser on the iPod touch is so much better than Internet Explorer on the Pocket PC or Smartphone, it is a no-brainer decision to use the iPod touch when wandering about hot spot areas.

  • Viral SSID: Free Public WiFi


    I was standing outside of an office building the other day waiting for a friend to join me for lunch. While standing there, I decided to see if I could latch onto the somewhat nearby (ok, half a block) Starbucks Hotspot while waiting (definitely a long shot). Instead, I saw yet another instance of the viral SSID called Free Public WiFi. I often see these in airports and conferences. I think it was the first time I saw it standing on a sidewalk area. It is not usually dangerous in the sense that it is a malicious attempt to snare your wireless signal. It is more of an indicating of someone with a Microsoft Windows based notebook with Wireless Zero Configuration turned on. You can read more about this at the WLANBook.com site…

    “Free Public WiFi” SSID

    You’ll note that the “Free Public WiFi” connection is an ad-hoc one (client-to-client, not an access point). WLANBook.com also has an explanation for that oddball looking ad-hoc hpsetup SSID. Oy! 🙂

  • Windows Mobile WiFi Fussiness

    Windows Mobile WiFi stability seems to have hit its peak with Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition. My Dell Axim X51 could connect to pretty much any unsecure or WEP wireless access point (WAP). It did not support WPA. My Windows Mobile 5 devices seemed a bit fussier about which WAPs they would connect to. Older WAPs seemed to cause the most issues. Windows Mobile 6 devices (all of mine are upgraded devices, I don’t have any native WM6 boxes) supports WPA. And, connecting to WAPs seems like a real hit-or-miss proposition here. It again looks like older WAPs (even with the latest firmware for the model) cause the most problems. But, it seems like my iPod touch doesn’t have the same problems I’m having with my Windows Mobile devices. It is pretty frustrating to see the SSID for a WAP and then watch my WiMo devices flail about trying to connect and fail most of the time. Some WiMo boxes are better than others. But, I’ve never quite figured out which ones work best under what conditions.