Have I Got Connections! Using Pocket PC ActiveSync and Windows XP
Published: September 24, 2001
By Barb Bowman, Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columnist
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Neither rain nor sleet nor dark of night will prevent me from retrieving my personal e–mail or transferring my schedule and task list to my Pocket PC—and neither will wires or cables. I've got a Compaq IPAQ Pocket PC, and with Windows XP Professional installed, I'm totally free from nests of tangled cables, but have I got connections! I've got IrDA (Infrared) for close distance ActiveSync, and I've got 802.11b wireless over my home wireless network. After spending a little time configuring my preferences and settings, I can use either method to synchronize my data (and still use my USB cradle or cable any time that I really want to). Here's how to install Microsoft ActiveSync® and set up wireless 802.11b connectivity for the Pocket PC.
ActiveSync Installation is a Breeze
I performed a clean install of Windows XP Professional RTM (Build 2600) on my IBM ThinkPad, and reinstalled my applications, including Office XP Professional. I visited the Microsoft Pocket PC site and downloaded ActiveSync 3.5, which is a required upgrade if you wish to use Infrared ActiveSync with Windows XP.
To establish the initial partnership, the first connection between a PC and a Pocket PC must always be through USB or a serial port, so I placed my IPAQ in the USB cradle and ran the ActiveSync 3.5 installer. The partnership was quickly established and I was connected and ready to go.
When I installed the RTM version of Windows XP Professional, I neglected to run the File and Settings Transfer Wizard to save my most recent Outlook 2002 data to a networked drive before formatting my hard disk. However, all the up–to–date information was stored on my Pocket PC, so I used Active Sync to transfer this information from my IPAQ to my ThinkPad.
Preparing for Unwired Network ActiveSync
My home network is completely 802.11b wireless and that includes my IPAQ Pocket PC. While I'm at home, I can connect my IPAQ directly to the Internet over this network as well as synchronize with my Windows XP Pro-based ThinkPad where my schedule, calendar, task list etc. reside in Outlook 2002. I can also synchronize files, grab the latest AvantGo Web pages, install new applications on my IPAQ, and perform backups. In fact, I can do anything that I can do over USB and do it faster!
Setting up wireless 802.11b connectivity for the Pocket PC takes a little extra effort, but the results are well worth it. I run my home network behind a hardware gateway device that let's me share my AT&T Broadband connection with several computers. This type of device is commonly called a NAT box, which means it performs Network Address Translation, dynamically assigning private IP addresses to computers and other Ethernet devices.
Note I've found that even if you set up your gateway device to use dynamic addressing, you can also assign static IP addresses to individual devices. These gateway devices normally let you specify the starting range of IP addresses offered to Ethernet clients on the network. This lets you reserve addresses for special devices by letting you configure them statically. You can then statically set an IP address at the beginning of the range for a specific device.
The LAN address for my gateway device was 192.168.0.1 and I specified that DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) addressing start with 192.168.0.3. Then I configured my Windows XP Professional-based ThinkPad, to use a static IP address of 192.168.0.2.
Selecting Wireless Equipment for ActiveSync
I've found that the current crop of Windows CE 3.0 client software drivers can be finicky about the brand of gateway they connect to if Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption is used. (WEP encryption is part of the 802.11 standard.) For my home/small office use, using the same brand PCMCIA adapter in my IPAQ as the brand of the gateway device seems to work best. When I wrote this column, I was using a 3Com Wireless Residential Home Gateway with a 3Com Air Connect PCMCIA in my IPAQ and the designated ActiveSync host computer (my ThinkPad) was equipped with an Orinoco 802.11b wireless card which has great in-box support under Windows XP and is totally interoperable with my other 802.11b equipment.
Pocket PC Wireless Set up
Depending on the wireless PCMCIA (or Compact Flash) 802.11b adapter you select for the IPAQ, setup of the access point/Station ID on the IPAQ will vary. The 3Com Windows CE driver installer places an Air Connect folder in the Pocket PC Programs menu, which contains the utility to configure the access point or specify an ad hoc (no access point involved) connection. I entered the station name (103 in the image below) of the wireless LAN I wanted to connect through and made no entry in the Mandatory AP address field.
Note The IPAQ must be in PC card sleeve with the 3Com wireless card inserted in order to specify or change the configuration.
The next step is to specify the type of connection on the Pocket PC. On my IPAQ, I selected Start, Settings, and then Connections and tapped Network Connections. I then tapped the 3Com Air Connect entry to open the Adapters window.
Next, I configured a static IP of 192.168.0.44 (well beyond the number of DHCP assigned clients I would ever have), a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 (identical to the subnet configured on the gateway device) and specified the gateway device's LAN (or internal) IP address, 192.168.0.1, as the default gateway.
Although I could have set my Pocket PC to use DHCP for dynamic addressing, specifying a static IP in this manner can save time as the connection does not need to be renegotiated each time.
The last step was the most important. This configuration parameter enables the transparent ability to synchronize between the Pocket PC and the designated host computer. Tap the Name Servers tab and in the WINS field, enter the IP of the designated host sync computer. I entered 192.168.0.2, which had been assigned statically to the Windows XP-based computer.
When prompted, I ejected the 3Com PCMCIA card and then quickly reinserted it and was ready to go!
Let's Get Connected
On my IPAQ, I selected Start, Programs, Connections, and tapped ActiveSync. The machine name of the designated host machine (that I'd specified by entering its static IP in the WINS field) was automatically displayed in the Connect to field and it was a easy as tapping Connect to establish the connection and begin the first 802.11b wireless synchronization session. (And for future sessions, I could just navigate to ActiveSync on the IPAQ and then tap Connect).
It's really that easy! And it's amazingly fast over an 11mb wireless Ethernet connection.
ActiveSync in Close Quarters
IrDA (Infrared) synchronization also lets me avoid cables and does not require an add-on sleeve or wireless Ethernet adapter. I've ensured good connectivity using IrDA or 802.11b wireless by configuring my ActiveSync settings to use Infrared or Network Connections, as well as the default USB. To enable these settings, simply click the ActiveSync icon in your task tray and then click Connection Settings. In the Connection Settings window, verify that the list shows the Infrared Port (IR). These settings (as shown in the image below) allow me to connect three different ways: through USB, Infrared, or over the Network using my 802.11b wireless card.
Setting up for the initial Infrared wireless session is easy. From the Connection Settings window shown above, click Get Connected, or from the ActiveSync status window, click File, and then click Get Connected. A wizard opens.
Turn on your Pocket PC and point its IrDA sensor at the IrDA sensor in the host PC. Select Programs on the Pocket PC Start menu, then Connections. Tap the IR icon on the Pocket PC and then, on the host computer, click Next in the Wizard window. Using this timing sequence, you should successfully make an IrDA connection on your very first attempt and synchronization should start immediately. After you've made the initial IrDA connection, synching simply involves turning on your Pocket PC, clicking Start, Programs, Connections, and tapping the IR icon.
And in the Very Near Future
 | Microsoft Pocket PC 2002 Software will be available on new devices later this year and IPAQ owners can order a low-cost update from the Compaq Web site now. |  | |
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I'm eagerly awaiting the availability of an upgrade for my IPAQ to the next generation Pocket PC operating system which has the look and feel of the Windows XP graphical user interface. I already know that it will enhance usability and navigation on the Pocket PC. Microsoft Pocket PC 2002 Software will be available on new devices later this year and IPAQ owners can order a low-cost update from the Compaq Web site now.
I've already had a taste of what the interface has to offer because I've been using the Stardock PocketBlinds program which integrates completely into the Windows CE 3.0 interface and provides a Windows XP–like GUI (as you can see from the images accompanying this column). I'm pleased that my IPAQ will be upgradeable and I can't wait to try the built in 802.11b and Enterprise connectivity functionality that the new Pocket PC 2002 operating system is equipped with. Stay tuned!
Barb Bowman enjoys sharing her own experiences and insights into today's leading edge technologies. She is a product development manager for AT&T Broadband Internet Services, but her views here are strictly personal.
