How can I make my PDA wireless?

Gem+Dave+Kaci

I am planning to install a wireless network in my house (802.11g) and I wondered if there was any way I could make my Axim x50 wireless? I was pretty sure I saw an SD card somewhere which gave the PDA wireless capabilities but I can't find it now (maybe it was just a dream??)

Can anyone help?

bonzer

Sorry if I am saying something really really dumb but have you checked that your Axim X50 hasn't already got wireless built in? The 520Mhz and 624Mhz versions of the X50 have 802.11b already installed which will work fine on your 802.11g network.

The 416Mhz version of the X50 doesn't have it, so I'll presume this is what you've got. In which case, as you state, you can get an SD card with wireless. These are mainly produced by SanDisk, although I think there are now other brands. This one has 256Mb of flash built in as well.

http://www.sandisk.com/retail/256mb-wifi-sd.asp

A friend has one of these which works fine on our 802.11g network.

Alternatively, I think your Axim has a compact flash slot. A wide range of manufacturers make wireless cards for this standard which are usually much cheaper than SD. You can also get them for 802.11g, I have not seen an SD card that supports this but could be wrong. I have a Linksys compact flash wireless card in a previous Axim model.

For either type of card, ebay will usually provide.

Regards

Bonzer.

Gem+Dave+Kaci

Thanks for the reply. I've got the 416Mhz (unfortunatly - didn't think I'd need the wireless capability) and I'm not sure if it's got the compact flash slot or now. It's got an SD slot and a larger slot behind but I think that's for accessories. It's definitly not got wireless built in - only Bluetooth.

bonzer

Gem+Dave+Kaci wrote:

Thanks for the reply. I've got the 416Mhz (unfortunatly - didn't think I'd need the wireless capability) and I'm not sure if it's got the compact flash slot or now. It's got an SD slot and a larger slot behind but I think that's for accessories. It's definitly not got wireless built in - only Bluetooth.

The specs I'm reading on the web say the 416Mhz version has got a compact flash slot. That's probably the larger slot you can see. You're looking for a slot usually on the top of the device about 4.5cm wide. It may be hidden by a plastic cover that you have to pull out. Down inside the slot will be a connector with 2 rows of 25 thin pins.

A CF wireless card can be had for about half the price of an SD card but the trade-off is it's bigger.

Regards

Bonzer

Gem+Dave+Kaci

Thanks for all the info!!!

Just checked and it has got a CF slot so the final question is - where can I get a CF wi-fi card cheap!!

I've been following some SD card auctions on eBay and they're about £45 - £50 incl. postage so if I can get a CF card for £25 or less then i'd be happy!!

bonzer

Gem+Dave+Kaci wrote:

Thanks for all the info!!!
I've been following some SD card auctions on eBay and they're about £45 - £50 incl. postage so if I can get a CF card for £25 or less then i'd be happy!!

I can't say I've nosed round the online shops much, but I've previously sourced a couple of these cards on ebay new for shy of the 25 quid mark including all costs without a problem. Just been searching for "wireless compact flash" or "wireless CF" etc. Perhaps I have been lucky. When I checked briefly the other day there seemed to be several new cards available that would sell for this kind of figure.

If you're not finding the CF prices competitive then maybe I'd go with the SD version. They are smaller.

Regards

Bonzer

pin

One thing to note about the SD Wifi cards is they (at present) don't support the more secure WPA security. There are two main makers of SD Wifi cards: SanDisk and Socket. I have a Sandisk one, and while on the box it says it supports WPA, it sure does not.

It basically supports in own form of WPA which no other company supports, especially the companies making wireless routers. However it does have WEP security support.