Windows Mobile 5.0 changes many features from the previous version but the wireless configuration, at least as it has been implemented on the Dell Axim™ X51 PPCs with built-in wireless is not very different from the Axim X50s. The hardware is almost identical, with a WiFi hardware button on the left side. You can also turn on wireless through the WLAN utility by tapping the WLAN icon on the lower right of the Today page (see arrow on figure X51-1) or by selecting Start, Settings, Connections (tab), and the Dell WLAN Utility (figure X51-2). Most of the instructions below are identical to the WM03SE page but specific suggestions will be made for the X51 as they become apparent.

This gives you a page like X51-3 and tapping "Turn on" will activate the wireless. Also notice the Power save mode options on this page. While this feature does reduce battery usage, having it enabled will cause problems accessing websites on many brands of home wireless routers. Once activated and within range of a wireless network, the PPC will ask you for the type of connection (Figure X51-4). Typically, you should select Work (yellow arrow) for a home network, then tap Connect (green arrow) and you will be automatically connected. If the network is secure, it will then ask you for the key. WEP keys should be entered in hexidecimal format (10 characters for 64-bit, 26-characters for 128-bit). [Note: I suggest you temporarily disable security when first connecting to your home network but it should be enabled once you are sure the connection is working.]

The WLAN icon in the lower right turns green and the connection icon on the top toolbar changes to indicate that the wireless is connected (Figure x51-5).

This may be the only configuration you need, although you may need to tweak the settings depending on how your network is setup. Some issues have been described on AximSite that occur under certain situations and these are described in the troubleshooting section below.

If you have MAC filtering enabled on your router, you will need to enter the PPC's MAC address into its settings. To find the MAC on your X51, open the WLAN and select the Advanced tab. The MAC address is listed as shown in Figure X51-6.

Troubleshooting

See the Check these first: items in the troubleshooting section for a brief summary of things to check if the wireless connection is not working on your PPC. Most of these suggestions are repeated below, but the list on the Troubleshooting page is more concise.

If your PPC does not find your home network, but you are certain it is transmitting, check the following settings on your router:

• If you have an 802.11g or 802.11g enhanced/extended wireless router, make sure it is set to either mixed (B+G) or B-only mode. The enhanced features (allowing transfer rates over 100mbps) in particular may cause problems connecting with an 802.11b device such as most PPCs.


• Check the manufacturer's web site for upgrades to the router's firmware.


• Try connecting with the SSID being broadcast.


• If your PPC is not finding a network, check this solution below

If your PPC states that it cannot connect with the current settings:

• Go into the network settings - Start, Settings, Connections (tab), Connections, Advanced (tab), Select Networks and select "My Work Network" from both of the pull down lists. Then tap the Edit... button under either list. Under the Proxy Settings (tab), the top box (This network connects to the Internet) should be checked but leave everything else on this page blank. After tapping OK, make sure both dropdown lists are still set to My Work Network and OK your way back to the Today page and then soft reset.

If your PPC finds your home network and appears to be connected, but does not obtain a valid IP (as found on the Advanced (tab) page of the WLAN - see Figure X51-6 above):

• Try connecting without any security enabled on your router. Again, broadcast the SSID, turn off WEP/WPA security, and MAC filtering. The easiest way to do this is to reset your router (usually by pressing a reset button on the back for 10 seconds). Just do this during your initial setup. All of these features are a good idea to protect your privacy so they should be enabled one at a time if you connect successfully while disabled.
  
• Several users at AximSite have found they could not connect with their PPCs until the SSID was broadcast, but once the connection was successful, they could then disable the broadcast and continue to make connections.
  
• If you use WEP, you should realize only 64-bit and 128-bit are currently supported on the Axims (as well as the other PPCs with built-in wireless with which I am familar). Do not set the router to 258-bit WEP. Additionally, the main flaw with WEP is with the initiation vector which is transmitted between router and device. This problem means for all practical purposes, 64-bit WEP is just as secure as 128-bit. Since 64-bit just uses 10-character hexidecimal keys (compared to 26-character keys for 128-bit), it will be easier to correctly enter the key on your PPC if you use 64-bit. When entering the key, use the hexidecimal version (usually shown in the router settings if you've used a passphrase to create the keys) since the passphrase may not create the same key on the PPC as it does on the router.
  
• WPA-PSK is also supported in Windows Mobile 5.0 and has fewer potential security problems but may not be supported on your router. You should use a passphrase of at least 16-20 characters for a good level of security.

The default settings work for most home wireless networks once you've selected "Work" when the network is initially found and you've entered the encryption key (if applicable). There are some additional settings you can reach by selecting Settings on the Main page of the WLAN utility (figure X51-7) to arrive at the Configure Wireless Networks page (Figure X51-8)[see the Note below if you do not see the X51-7 page]. If you have other networks available (these may commonly be called Linksys or Default), these are probably wireless networks set up by your neighbors. Previous versions of Windows Mobile included a check box on this page labelled "Automatically connect to non-preferred networks." and unchecking it would stop your Pocket PC from trying to connect to these networks. Since this is no longer available, it appears as though PPCs running WM5 will always ask before making a connection (although I have not confirmed this).

No Configure Wireless Networks page: tapping on Settings may take you to the "Configure Network Adapters" page (Figure X51-9) instead of the "Configure Wireless Networks" page. This happens when wireless is not active (solved by tapping Turn on in the WLAN utility) and also has been known to occur when the Odyssey client is active. Try turning off this application and the wireless adapter, do a soft reset, then reactivate WiFi.

If you are within range of multiple networks, you can chose a specific network from the Configure wireless networks page by holding the stylus on the name of the network. This will bring up a window with choices of "Connect" and "Remove" (Figure X51-10).

Another group of settings are available if you tap on the name of your network (Figure X51-11). The Network Key tab is where WEP keys can be entered (Figure X51-12). Even though the box for the Network key: only appears to hold 20 characters, the entries do scroll as you enter additional numbers up to the 26-characters necessary for WEP-128.

Lost (or not found) connection

• If you are sure there is an active wireless network, but you are not getting an active Internet connection:
  1. Go to the Dell WLAN Utility, select the Config Tab to see page X51-13 and see if there is any indication of a signal on the "Signal Quality" indicator.
     
     

     

     
     
  2. If not, turn off all wireless via the Wireless On/Off button on the left of the X50v (see p. 17 of manual). You will get a dialogue box "Disabling Wireless" (it also turns off your Bluetooth).

  3. Do a "Soft" reset of the X50v (quickly press the "Reset" button as indicated on p. 19 of the manual).

  4. When the system has rebooted and you are at the Today screen, turn on the Wireless On/Off button. You will see a dialogue box "Enabling Wireless".
     Wait a couple of minutes, check again the Config tab of the WLAN Utility for signal strength. If it is there, then go to the Advanced tab to see the IP address, which in default configurations of various routers will be 192.168.(1 or 2).1xx where xx depends on the actual address assigned by the router/AP's DHCP server.
  
  While this does not totally resolve the problem, it does allow a quick resolution that lasts for a few days without having to do a "hard" reset with all that implies.

Problem router?

• D-Link DI-514 router: Several members at AximSite have had difficulty getting their X50s to work with this D-Link model. One of them has been told by Dell customer service that there is a conflict between these devices as well. I haven't seen a definitive solution, but you should make sure you have the latest firmware for the router.

Odyssey Client

Dell has included Funk Software's Odyssey® Client since an early ROM upgrade on the X30 and on the original releases on the X50 and X51. I am unclear from the discussions thus far on AximSite why some users have found it immensely helpful for home network use while others have been unable to use it and think the WLAN is better.

The Client is particularly useful on corporate and some university sites that use "Enterprise-Level Security" such as EAP-TTLS, PEAP, EAP-TLS, Cisco’s LEAP, and EAP-MD5 since these are not supported by the WLAN utility.