Wirelessly Networking a PDA
So, now that you're working with a wireless network, why not
consider cutting cables with your PDA as well? You can toss your USB or (much)
more awkward serial cable connection and connect your PDA's address book,
e-mail, and appointments wirelessly to your PC.
Despite a famous commercial's promise of faxing and sending
e-mail from the beach, most PDAs do not wirelessly connect to the Internet. For
that you'll need to purchase a wireless modem (or connect a serial cable to your
PDA and cell phone).
All PDAs running the Palm or PocketPC operating systems have
the ability to synch data. That means you can
click a button on a stand called a cradle (or
select an option using software) to replicate the data on your PC to your PDA
and vice versa. That way, all your data is current no matter whether it's
entered on your desktop or your PDA.
Most PDAs have some wireless capability for transferring data
over short distances, but here's the catch (and it's a pretty big one). Your
handheld might use an infrared standard that is different from the one found on
most laptop computers. And, most desktops do not have infrared capability. That
wireless capability on your PDA is mostly good for transferring data between
PDAs since two PDAs of the same type will use the same infrared standard.
So, how do you network your PDA wirelessly? Here's where
802.11b comes in handy again. You can buy an 802.11b add-in card for your PDA
for about $90 (Figure 5.1).
For example, you can purchase an adapter for your PDA from
Netgear, D-Link, SMC, and others. Once you do, follow these three steps to
connect to your wireless network:
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Install the drivers for your network adapter.
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Plug in the wireless network adapter in your PDA.
-
Start your PDA and follow the instructions for your network
adapter to connect to your network.
As soon as you walk in your wireless network's range, you'll be
ready to go. In addition to synching up wirelessly, some PDAs will allow you to
surf the Web and get e-mail (capabilities vary widely by model). You can
download Web pages and e-mail to view later, when you don't have an Internet
connection. All in all, 802.11b can be a handy and elegant solution for getting
more use out of your PDA.
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