.KEYWORD xircom
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Connect to your network with the Xircom Wireless LAN Modem for the Palm m500 series
.OTHER
.SUMMARY Imagine you’re in a conference room, just you, your Palm m500, and 20 of your closest friends. You’re asked a question about the very latest inventory levels and without blinking, without getting up, and without wires, you’re able to download up-to-the-minute information to your Palm handheld. That’s the promise of wireless LAN networking. Read this important article to find out if the reality lives up to the promise.
.AUTHOR Ray Rischpater
I’ve been a self-diagnosed wireless nut since I was a kid watching my father use his ham radio. After getting to review the Xircom Wireless Ethernet Module for PalmPower’s July 2001 issue at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200107/xircom001.html, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do the same with Xircom’s new Wireless LAN Modem for the Palm m500 series (at http://www.xircom.com/cda/page/0,1298,0-0-1_1-1730,00.html). It’s pictured in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A The Wireless LAN Modem attaches to my Palm m505.
Like the Xircom SpringPort, the Xircom Wireless LAN Modem (or PWE1130 for short) uses the WiFi (also known as IEEE 802.11b) standard for local area wireless networking. Using the module and one or more WiFi wireless access points attached to your office or home LAN, your Palm m500 or Palm m505 handheld can access your LAN wirelessly to download email, access the Web, or synchronize with your desktop or enterprise server.
.H1 Setup
After unwrapping the PWE1130, my first impression was of its size and construction. It’s larger than the Palm m505 itself, as shown in Figure B, but it’s disturbingly lightweight.
.FIGPAIR B The PWE1130 is pictured beside my Palm m505.
If you’ve ever shopped for a cell phone and felt one of the demo mockups at a large electronics store, you know what I mean. The only difference is that the PWE1130 actually has the 802.11b adapter and a battery inside! It’s a sharp contrast to the heft and feel of the small Palm m505, which feels heavier than it looks. It’s also slightly thicker than the Palm handheld, as shown in Figure C, giving it a comfortable feel in your hand.
.FIGPAIR C The Xircom PWE1130 module is seen here from the side, again connected to the Palm m505.
Inside the box you’ll find the manual, registration card, and warranty slip. The manual is thin, describing only the setup application without much depth or detail. Interestingly, there’s no software enclosed, because the module transfers the drivers to the handheld the first time you connect it.
.CALLOUT You don’t need to go around and ensure that each Palm handheld already has the drivers; the PWE1130 does the work for you.
Connecting the module to the handheld is much like connecting your Palm handheld to its cradle: it slides straight on, and it comes off at a slight angle. The connection has a much better feel than the Palm m500 series cradles I’ve used, requiring very little force for insertion and removal. As you insert the handheld into the PWE1130, the handheld shows a brief splash screen and downloads the driver software from the module, if necessary. This is a great feature, especially if you’re planning on deploying dozens of PWE1130s, because you don’t need to go around and ensure that each Palm handheld already has the drivers; the PWE1130 does the work for you.
In addition to the drivers, the PWE1130 also installs the XircomPWE application shown in Figure D.
.FIG D The XircomPWE application lets you set up the module.
This application lets you set up the module, providing it with your network name and encryption settings, along with any necessary IP (Internet Protocol) and power configuration.
Regardless of how you use the card, you’ll need to set your network name, also called your network ID. You can get this name from your system administrator or the wireless access point on your network. You may also have to enter your network’s encryption key if your network uses WEP (Wired Equivalency Protection). Most corporate networks will use WEP, so you’ll need to check with your system administrator for this information. [We strongly recommend you use WEP for your own protection. We do. – DG]
XircomPWE provides five profiles, so you can easily roam between different networks. For example, my wife set up her first profile for our wireless network in my home office and the second profile for her wireless LAN at Apple. By launching the XircomPWE application, selecting Client Settings, and choosing either the first or second profile, she could quickly toggle between the networks as she went to work in the morning and came home in the evening.
XircomPWE automatically configures your Network preferences, so you can immediately use the module to access TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) services. However, until you configure your HotSync settings, you can’t use the module to perform a wireless HotSync operation. The application provides a single page of help, which is enough to get you started. The process isn’t difficult: launch the HotSync application, select Network from the Modem Sync Preferences, select LANSync from the LAN Sync Preferences, and enter your desktop or synchronization server’s name and IP address in the Primary PC Setup field.
Because it can be difficult to determine a wireless network’s actual coverage, XircomPWE also includes a Status screen, pictured in Figure E, that lets you check the PWE1130’s battery level, network coverage, and network and software settings. It’s especially handy when you’re setting up a new network, as you can check coverage in different areas without lugging your laptop around.
.FIG E The Xircom application Status screen is extremely handy.
Xircom has mastered out-of-the-box setup with this product. Xircom has thoughtfully provided quite a few configuration profiles, letting you easily roam between five different networks with only a couple of stylus taps. I’d like to see them integrate the application into the Palm OS Preferences or at least use similar interface conventions.
Also, one thing sorely missing from this product-as well as many PC WiFi software drivers-is the ability to poll the wireless network for a list of active network names. I can do this on my Macintosh, as shown in Figure F, making configuration painless when I enter an area with WiFi coverage.
.FIGPAIR F Here’s the Apple Mac OS Airport Configuration Panel.
By including a "Select from List" option, I wouldn’t have to find the network name and key it in. I could just pick it from a list.
Thoughtfully, Xircom ships the PWE1130 with the battery half-charged, so you can set up the module before you charge it. The unit doesn’t come with a charger, but instead uses the AC adapter that comes with the Palm m500 series handhelds and replacement cradles. The adapter plugs into the side of the unit, and it charges in a couple of hours. If you leave the Palm handheld in the adapter while it’s charging, it will charge the handheld as well.
.H1 Software
The PWE1130 doesn’t include any software outside of the drivers it uses when operating. This isn’t the travesty it sounds, however, because the Palm m500 and Palm m505 handhelds come with a CD chock full of Internet software, including MultiMail SE (at http://www.palm.com/software/multimail/) and AvantGo (at https://avantgo.com), along with the Palm Mobile Internet Kit (at http://www.palm.com/software/mik/). Of course, if you use a PC running Microsoft Windows, you can perform a HotSync operation wirelessly, too.
I tried the PWE1130 with both AvantGo and MultiMail SE, and it worked perfectly. As I expected, it also worked flawlessly with other third-party TCP/IP applications, including ICQ (at http://web.icq.com), EudoraWeb (at http://www.eudora.com/internetsuite/eudoraweb.html), and EudoraMail (at http://www.eudoramail.com). In theory, the PWE1130 should work with any application that uses Palm’s built-in networking library, and I have no reason to doubt this.
One thing I tried and enjoy quite a bit is using Web Clipping Applications or PQAs (Palm Query Applications) from Palm’s Mobile Internet Kit. Originally designed to work with relatively slow wide wireless networks such as the one used by the Palm VII, PQAs are fast when using the PWE1130. Figure G shows one such PQA, APRS/Find, in operation.
.FIG G APRS/Find, a Web Clipping Application, runs well via the PWE1130.
In fact, that’s one thing we really haven’t talked about so far. Wireless LANs are much faster than the wide-area wireless that comes with devices like the Palm VII and wireless WAN (wide area network) modems like those from GoAmerica and OmniSky. Theoretically, 802.11b can transfer at up to 11 megabits per second, although in practice you’ll see transfers closer to 2 mbps. By contrast, wireless WAN modems most often connect at about 14.4 kpbs, or about a fourth the speed of a typical 56K modem.
.CALLOUT Vertical developers should consider deploying intranet solutions using the PWE1130 and Web Clipping Applications, rather than using a conventional Web browser for the Palm OS.
The optimizations most PQAs have apply equally well to wireless networks, and of course a PQA’s layout is tuned for the Palm handheld’s display. This is an undersold advantage of the PWE1130; vertical developers should consider deploying intranet solutions using the PWE1130 and Web Clipping Applications, rather than using a conventional Web browser for the Palm OS.
.H1 Performance
Assessing the PWE1130’s range is a difficult proposition, simply because at the frequency WiFi operates, building materials, plants, and even the human body can affect transmission. Most WiFi peripherals, if they claim range figures at all, usually say they’re good for 150 meters in a line-of-site setting, and I’ve found in practice that that’s a conservative estimate.
[You can also "hack" the range of a WiFi network by attaching a "big-honking" antenna to the back of some wireless access points. We’ve heard stories of directed network access of 5 miles or more with the appropriately non-standard antenna array. – DG]
For my range testing, I evaluated the PWE1130’s range when communicating with my Apple Macintosh PowerBook G4 with Airport using our home network. Our network consists of two Airports situated at opposite ends of our house, one on each floor. Together, they provide wireless coverage to the PowerBook and handhelds throughout our property with little difficulty. In general, it appears that the PWE1130 is a little less effective than the Airport-enabled computer. Regardless, its range is certainly adequate for well-designed wireless networks.
True speed, too, is hard to assess, simply because there’s no good network benchmarks written for the Palm OS. It’s fair to say, however, that the unit connects at the WiFi standard 11 mbps, and that its performance is adequate for daily usage. It’s far faster than using a modem in most cases for accessing the Internet, and synchronization is faster than serial synchronization. However, it’s slightly slower than USB synchronization.
With a device like a Palm handheld, it’s unreasonable to expect the platform to provide exactly the same level of performance you’d see from a notebook or laptop computer. Regardless, the combination of a Palm handheld and the PWE1130 running an Internet application is as fast or faster than what you’ll see with a modem, and it works quite well.
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.H1 Conclusion
The wireless LAN marketplace has exploded this year, and most analysts expect it to continue to grow over the next year. Even in the time between my last article in PalmPower and this review of the PWE1130, the cost of desktop WiFi cards and wireless hubs has dropped some. Consequently, the list price for the module, $299, feels a bit steep, especially if you’re buying the rest of the hardware for a wireless network at the same time.
In all fairness, it’s difficult for me to recommend the product at that price to the average consumer, but if you’ve got the cash and want the functionality, it’s well worth it. Businesses, however, can quickly benefit from the PWE1130 if they’ve already deployed a wireless network, simply because of the added productivity ubiquitous network access provides. The Xircom Wireless LAN Modem is a first-rate product.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on Xircom’s Wireless LAN Modem for the Palm m500 series, visit http://www.xircom.com/cda/page/0,1298,0-0-1_1-1730,00.html.
For Ray Rischpater’s review of the Xircom Wireless Ethernet Module in PalmPower’s July 2001 issue, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200107/xircom001.html.
For more information on MultiMail SE, visit http://www.palm.com/software/multimail/.
For more information on AvantGo, visit https://avantgo.com.
For more information on the Palm Mobile Internet Kit, visit http://www.palm.com/software/mik/.
For more information on hacking your 802.11b to get greater range, visit http://www.half-empty.org/ideas/e2/15/31/c7/89/default_index.html.
For more information about Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
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.BIO
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6f828
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