Jornada 680 / RoamAbout WiFi

Hello people,

I finally got a wireless Enterasys PCMCIA "RoamAbou" card to work with my Jornada 680.

It works wonderfully, cept for one thing:

How would I choose a network?

Take for example, right in my home, I have my own access point and just because it's so near, my neighbour's AP.

When I use wireless on my Windows XP laptop, it gives me the choice, for which network I want to connect.

Yet my Jornada would automatically and with no prompt, would connect to my neighbour's router.

Problem itself is that I'm backpacking around, and at some point, I was trying to check my email through the hotel's wifi, but the card connected to the restaurant beneath's network, which would have been useful for all practical purposes, but it was so far that the connection was marginal, and I presume the hotel's own would have been better.

I've tried poking around the client window but I don't find anywhere any setting to "choose" a network.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

look in the config app for your driver. this i think is using agere drivers. add a new profile and there you can scan for networks and select one by typing it in.

Edited by cmonex 2007-03-25 8:00 PM

Exactly as Cmonex says: that's how you do it:

See the little bars (look like stairs) at right side of the task bar? Tap over them and once in Settings window tap Tools>Edit Wireless Profiles>Edit

Check that Profile is Default and Network Type is Access point (if you're going to connect in cafes, restaurants, hotels), then click Next.

Tap Scan button besides Network name, choose a network in the list (wait a few seconds) and tap Open, you'll see the previous window and the selected network in the box. Tap Next twice (or change Power management options), then tap Finish>OK to close the window.

Most likely you may get a message asking to remove and reinsert the card. Do it. You can tap at the bars again to see the Connections condition (Excellent, God, marginal), if you see No driver installed Remove and reinset card again

Good luck!!

Warning> Better not yo check email accounts or type personal info with non encrypted private networks

The only thing I don't like much is removing and reinserting card so many times..Won't it get damaged, Cmonex, C:Amie or anypne of you?

Exactly as Cmonex says: that's how you do it:

See the little bars (look like stairs) at right side of the task bar? Tap over them and once in Settings window tap Tools>Edit Wireless Profiles>Edit

Check that Profile is Default and Network Type is Access point (if you're going to connect in cafes, restaurants, hotels), then click Next.

Tap Scan button besides Network name, choose a network in the list (wait a few seconds) and tap Open, you'll see the previous window and the selected network in the box. Tap Next twice (or change Power management options), then tap Finish>OK to close the window.

Most likely you may get a message asking to remove and reinsert the card. Do it. You can tap at the bars again to see the Connections condition (Excellent, God, marginal), if you see No driver installed Remove and reinset card again

Good luck!!

Warning> Better not yo check email accounts or type personal info with non encrypted private networks

The only thing I don't like much is removing and reinserting card so many times..Won't it get damaged, Cmonex, C:Amie or anypne of you?

Oooops!!!!! C"Amie Sorry to post twice I apologize!

Finger matter... will check keyboard settings, too soft.

about removing/reinserting the card: i'm not asked to do that by the driver, but otherwise it is not a problem as long as if you're gentle with the card (and the jornada) when inserting it.

How you do the process not to getting that message of removing and reinsert the card, Cmonex? Perhaps because I am new on these wireless matters I'm doing some steps wrong?

It happens to me after I edit a profile and I select a network after pressing the Scan button.. I select the network, press Open and the I get the previous window with the selected network in the box, say OK and close the Edit profile window. It`s just after that I get this message that I have yo remove and resinsert the card to get the new DCHP .

Am I doing wrong? As you say, I treat my card genly but I paid good money for it and don`t want to get it damaged
Thanks

oh if it happens only after you edit a profile, then maybe it is normal. i dont use wifi in many places.. so i dont have this problem. stupid driver then. prism isnt like that!

Oh!! I took a big breath!! I was feeling worried about that, Cmonex!!

Actually at home I usually get only one or two no encrypted (neighbour ) connections with my Jornada and I use them to try my new card at home

I'll go soon to a hot spot to try it outside...there is a park near home which somebody told me has a wireless network.

And you're right!! Stupid driver.rofl: When using my laptop its wireless card scans and connects directly to the network I selected. If I want to change it I only disconnect this and connect to another one.

Well, I have broadband internet here in my room, someday I'll install a wireless network, so my niece can play and rowse internet in her PC. Certainly I'll ask your help then, guys!!

Alright. My trip is over and even though I couldn't get to configure it that way, it was really useful. I only used it pretty much for searching cheap hostels and maps of the cities and subway because I was backpacking around and had no clue where I was, and carrying around a fully fledged laptop rather beats the "backpacking" feel IMHO, yet I carried the Jornada in my pocket.

Anyway, when I click the icon in the tray, then get the RoamAbout client screen, then Tools, Edit Wireless profiles, check that Default is selected, then click Edit Profile.

Then there are 4 tabs, Basic, Encryption, Advanced, Admin. At the Basic tab, there is a field labeled Network Name, and it has by default "ANY", but there is no button anywhere, much less saying Scan.

Maybe it's my client version? I downloaded it around 2 weeks ago directly from the enterasys website, I take it's the most recent one.

Hi, Oleksandr

As I told before, I also own a J680 and have a Orinoco Gold WaveLAN car, which driver CD brought many versions.

Sorry, I misunderstood you. You've got an Entesarys card and as you say client windows may differ. Go to their site and browse the FAQ's, perhaps you get help there.

By the way, did you install the driver for SH3 processor or WinCE 2.11? What does the Readme file says? Is there any Help file or Instructions inside the driver-CD or the client window?

If card still fails I suggest you to do the following experiment:

Put your Jornada besides or near the laptop. Try to connect with the laptop (assuming it has a wireless card) and when you get a network and connect to internet take note of the network name you got, then go to the Jornada and try to play around in the Basic Option in the client version windows to see if there is a Scan button or similar. Check all key options are off. If battery is low connect to AC power or recharge it.

When you get in the Jornada the same network name you had chosen in the laptop, open it and perhaps you will be asked to remove and reinsert the card, do it and see what happens. Check in the laptop is this network you selected is still working.

Good luck

Hey Oleksandr, did you get your Enterasys wifi card to work?
Please let us know.
Did you get help?
Good luck

Well, I haven't gotten around it. The way it is, I have to know the network's ESSID beforehand if I want to connect to a specific network (and thus make a profile for it). Another ugly thing that popped up is that even though it is WEP capable, doesn't even bother.

Take for example my own modem. My provider ~leases~ me a Motorola SBG900 gateway with 802.11g ang WPA, but it comes unprotected by default (factory settings).

Unprotected, I'd just turn my Jornada on and it'd automatically connect, no questions asked.

It's not cool to have your wi-fi open for freeloaders, so I enabled WEP on my gateway, the ESSID being exactly the same, my RoamAbout client just gave up and said there were no networks available.

I had to manually go make a profile, enter all the WEP keys and type the ESSID, which, matter of fact, I accidentally typed as 'Motorola' (instead of 'motorola' and it wouldn't connect until I typed it right.

As for checking the website for help, no luck. The driver I installed was "RoamAbout-client-WIN-CEV211-628-sw.exe", which I found in a link from another thread (http://secure.enterasys.com/software/RoamAbout/CSIxD/wince/).

Though now that I checked it just now (to give you the driver name and version), I noticed there's a CORE.ZIP file, allegedly, firmware. I'm going to try that.

It's a RoamAbout(/Cabletron?) CSIBD-AA PCMCIA 802.11 High-Rate 40bit WEP adapter, on an HP Jornada 680 with:


Microsoft© Windows© CE, Handheld PC Edition Version 3.01
Core System Version 2.11
Pocket Internet Explorer Version 3.01
Pocket Outlook™ Version 3.01
Build 9018


I'm kinda giving up on this device anyway. In the few months I've done my best to rig it up with nice software but mostly from cmonex's docs, there's pretty much no hope for it even if hex-editing binaries and dlls.

Right now I'm seeing if I can make WorldTalk work and if not then I'll check out which of either Linux or NetBSD has ported the most functionality to SH3 and might just install one of them and help to port some bare essential apps (I have the feeling I'll never see Firefox in it, lynx to the rescue as usual). Better to have a -real- OS I guess.


Edited by Oleksandr 2007-04-28 9:39 PM

Oleksandr: you should buy a jornada 720. that has lots of software available compared to the 680 and is at least three times faster (sometimes more)!
the hexedits and dlls are developed for mainly the 720 and similar devices. all the 680 has is a crappy aygshell and the MFC that is missing a dependency so unusable. that leaves only a handful of simple ppc2000 SH3 apps to work with, while the jornada 720 can even run some wm2003 apps.

Edited by cmonex 2007-04-28 10:43 PM

Yep, I'll have to agree

I have my eyes on a MobilePro 900c though. I just need to get an AC adapter and a serial cable at the very least to sell my 680 with. I bought this puppy off ebay with nothing else but a couple scratches on top, no cables no nothing.

I think it has outlived whatever hacking it was worth to fire it up. I manage to charge the battery with something other than the original adapter, and had to tamper with the registry to create a fake ActiveSync partnership without having one and synch the network drivers (couldn't even connect it to the PC before rofl).

[German guy with a slick MacBook at a Toronto hostel]: "What's THAT?!?!"
~stares at the colorful mess of a 2lb. ATX metal case, cables & wee Jornada on top~
[Olek]: "It's a long story, want to hear it?"

So if you see a guy carrying a PC power supply around, before you ask, you alredy know the answer: Makes a wonderful ice breaker AND delivers 12V@3A

Edited by Oleksandr 2007-04-29 2:50 AM