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[Official] Definitive 'I have a WiFi Problem' Support Guide

C:Amie Page Icon Posted 2011-08-25 7:55 PM
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It is official. After almost exactly 11 years, I've grown tired of repeating the exact same advice for the first 5 replies to every WiFi troubleshooting post

To that end I have started the Official HPC:Factor CESD on Troubleshooting Windows CE WiFi problems.

View: [CESDH0051] Troubleshooting Wireless (WiFi) Connections on Windows CE


Can you help improve it?
If anyone has any good advice, tips or tricks that you think we should add to the guide please post here and I will get it updated! I think that I have briefly covered most of the basics that we time and time again have to go through with new posters. I am sure that I have forgotten something and that others have some great tips that I've not remembered yet.

I am also sure that others can think of some of the more obvious steps that I've missed that would benefit less experienced users.




Subtle hint: If anyone so much as posts in this thread asking for technical support, I will say thing back that will make you (and most small children) cry.
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Rich Hawley Page Icon Posted 2011-08-25 11:51 PM
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Nice CESD...you alluded to them, but a couple of points I think worth including that come to mind...

1. When keying in WEP/WPA/Passphrases...on some machines, using some software (not all and not most, but a few) capital letters versus small case letters will give you different values...make sure that you match the case as it should be.

2. Stress that if problems arise, to use an open hotspot that doesn't use any encryption. As a matter of fact it is often easier to reset the home router to an open system first to insure a wireless connection can be made, and then to reapply wifi security afterwards.

3. A lot of information can be gained by knowning how to enter the router setup, i.e. using "routerlogin.net" with Netgear routers and "password" for the password. That will show what wireless devices are connected to a home network.

4. While most all of the drivers are available in the HCL...some people still will download drivers from the internet. Some pocketpc drivers will state they are for Windows CE, but they will not work. Many manufacturers wrote CE drivers for pocketpc that will not run at all on HPCs....3COM comes to mind. And those drivers will install fine without errors, but still will not drive the wireless cards.

5. I have an old Ambicom or some brand CF wifi card that works fine in my CF slot, but will not work in the pcmcia slot with an adapter...go figure?

That's all that comes to the top of my mind right now...but was throwing in my two cents for what it is worth...which is about a penny.
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torch Page Icon Posted 2011-08-26 2:58 AM
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About the drivers, I think I'd like to setup a Windows 2000 virtual machine and extract the host setup files to cabs into .zip files perhaps, based on what you staffies say..

Dare I say it, we are almost in a post-XP world and a lot of people are on other and newer operating systems and having ActiveSync will be more difficult than it already is..
edit-just my two pence. Not trying to tell you folks how to do anything, just hope my input may be helpful, and great CESD by the way!! :)

Edited by torch 2011-08-26 3:00 AM
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Mobi Page Icon Posted 2011-08-26 3:27 AM
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I'm still waiting to see C:Amie make some poor wifi noob (and small children) cry!
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CE Geek Page Icon Posted 2011-08-26 7:44 AM
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C:Amie Page Icon Posted 2011-08-26 9:38 AM
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Rich Hawley - 2011-08-25 11:51 PM

Nice CESD...you alluded to them, but a couple of points I think worth including that come to mind...

1. When keying in WEP/WPA/Passphrases...on some machines, using some software (not all and not most, but a few) capital letters versus small case letters will give you different values...make sure that you match the case as it should be.

2. Stress that if problems arise, to use an open hotspot that doesn't use any encryption. As a matter of fact it is often easier to reset the home router to an open system first to insure a wireless connection can be made, and then to reapply wifi security afterwards.

3. A lot of information can be gained by knowning how to enter the router setup, i.e. using "routerlogin.net" with Netgear routers and "password" for the password. That will show what wireless devices are connected to a home network.

4. While most all of the drivers are available in the HCL...some people still will download drivers from the internet. Some pocketpc drivers will state they are for Windows CE, but they will not work. Many manufacturers wrote CE drivers for pocketpc that will not run at all on HPCs....3COM comes to mind. And those drivers will install fine without errors, but still will not drive the wireless cards.

5. I have an old Ambicom or some brand CF wifi card that works fine in my CF slot, but will not work in the pcmcia slot with an adapter...go figure?

That's all that comes to the top of my mind right now...but was throwing in my two cents for what it is worth...which is about a penny.


Fantastic ! I'll deal with each in turn
1. Great point, added to step 6 and 7
2. I have added to Step 16 the idea that if you can't modify your own WAP, try and find a public open hotspot and test against that. In the UK we have BTOpenZone and BTFON which are national open access (ish) nodes. Is there anything like that in the US?
3. I have added an additional note to Step 5 about finding accessing to the web interface/CLI
4. Note added to step 8
5. Great tip! Added as new Step 4

I also added a note about checking the slot pins to section 4
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