Review on Socket Low-Power Ethernet CF+ Card for Quick Synchronizing. Link follows story.
Socket Low-Power Ethernet CF+ Card for Quick Synchronizing
By Craig Peacock
In this review, I take a look at the Socket Communications Low-Power Ethernet (LP-E) CompactFlash? CF+ network adapter and how I use it in my Pocket PC.
What's Hot
This low-power, battery-friendly card doesn't drain batteries really fast.
The Pocket PC software has Ethernet drivers built in for NE2000-compatible cards. Because the Socket LP-E card is one such card, I didn't need to install any drivers to get it working.
Pocket PC Requirements
None; just your device, the LP-E card, and you?re all set.
Languages Supported
At present English is the only language supported.
Figure 1: Socket Low-Power Ethernet CF+ Card
When I first plugged in the card, a dialog box popped up on the screen. Because I had a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server on the network, I just had to tap OK and the card automatically was allocated a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network address. I opened up Microsoft© Pocket Internet Explorer and could instantly browse the Internet. I thought, wow, this is easy.
With the Ethernet card working, I decided it was about time I synchronized my Pocket PC with my desktop computer over the new high-speed Ethernet connection.
To set up ActiveSync© for Ethernet:
1. Tap Start, Settings, and Connections.
2. Select ActiveSync.
3. Change the connection method to Network Connection.
4. Tap the Connect button.
On my Pocket PC, some information flashed on the screen. It was so quick that I didn't initially realize it had completed the synchronization just fine. With my Ethernet connection, I'd synchronized about 100 changes in less than a few seconds.
The Socket LP-E card had some Pocket PC drivers in the box and, when I installed them, there were a few extra utilities installed on my device. Found in the Settings area of the Pocket PC, these utilities display useful network information such as the card?s IP address and server details such as Windows© Internet Naming Service (WINS) and Domain Name System (DNS), which machines use to help find other machines on a network.
Figure 2: Useful IP information provided by Socket LP-E.
Auto-Launch is a great feature that is included with the Socket LP-E card. It allows you to specify an application to start up as soon as you plug in the card. ActiveSync is a good choice here, although it could be anything.
When I installed the Socket LP-E card into my Pocket PC, I could access the Internet through the shared modem I have on my LAN at home and also synchronize with my PC in seconds.
Gotchas
On some networks, setting up a new connection isn?t as easy as it was for me. You may have to ask your network administrator for some help.
If you are having trouble setting up the card using the Pocket PC?s built-in drivers, use the Socket ones as they provide more troubleshooting information.
With a network card installed, your Pocket PC won?t automatically power down. I left mine installed and on all night once and was greeted with a low-battery warning in the morning.
Where to Buy
Beyond.com
Conclusion
The Socket LP-E card makes synchronizing your PC and Pocket PC very quick and easy. Also, it's battery friendly.
microsoft.com |
