Re: [NTLK] Wireless Card

> > I got all the drivers installed on the newton, NIE2 and the wavelan driver,
> > Im not sure how to setup a software base station in osx...the instructions
> > on wikiwikinewt are a bit complicated. I got internet sharing to route my
> > wired internet to my wireless card, but im not sure how to connect to that.
> > How would i go about fixing this?
>
> Poke around Apple's web site. Start here:
> http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=132
>
> I use an AirPort and my Newton found it perfectly after I filled in the
> SSID name. I just wish the WiFi software implemented scanning.

Some more things to consider:

1. You will be configuring your desktop as an access point, not as a
client. As you work through the documentation you must keep this in mind or
you will keep going down the wrong path. At the access point you will
establish a network name, called an SSID, which you must enter manually on
the Newton by clicking on the Setup button as you insert your WiFi card.

2. Hiroshi's 802.11b WaveLAN driver is free without WEP. (see
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wired_Equivalent_Privacy>) To use WEP you
must pay him, and lately he has dropped out; you cannot pay him, so you
cannot use WEP. The setting to use WEP is global to a WiFi network (common
SSID); you cannot set it individually for each client. AFAIK, even if you
could pay him his driver does not do the newer and stronger WPA (see
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_Protected_Access>).

3. One of the benefits of WEP and WPA is that they make it difficult for
outsiders to use your access point. The best way to prevent unauthorized
use is to limit access to a list of MAC addresses. Look for this feature in
the program that configures the access point. I have not found a way to get
the MAC address from the Newton. It should be printed on the WiFi card. Six
pairs of hexadecimal digits (0-9, A-F) often written with dash or colon
separators. This does not prevent someone from reading your network traffic
-- WEP and WPA do that.

4. I keep a list of SSIDs I use in a note. If my location has changed I
copy the correct SSID to the clipboard and paste in into the Setup field
when I insert my WiFi card.

5. Hiroshi's driver does not support SSID scanning, so you must know the
SSID and enter it yourself. For the traveler this is a great opportunity
for some social interaction, just like asking a stranger for the time. My
experience has been that young, attractive women have no idea what you are
talking about, and their boyfriend will resent your attempt to use her
laptop almost as if it were her lap. If you are hopelessly anti-social you
can buy a WiFi scanner. Compare features -- you will want one that shows
the SSID. The cheaper ones only claim to show signal strength. The one from
Targus costs more but specifically states that it displays the SSID.

6. You cannot use the Newton at a T-Mobile Hot Spot because to get access
you need to logon via an SSL-capable web browser. This may be true of other
locations, such as universities.

Gary Dunn
Honolulu

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