Wireless Options for Windows CE

Windows CE supports a variety of wireless connectivity options. From cellular to CDPD and wireless LAN connectivity you can stay connected at the office or out on the move. This article will cover options for wireless connectivity for the Handheld PC, Professional Edition and Pocket PCs.

Types of Wireless Connectivity

Wireless connectivity can be divided between "building coverage" and nationwide wireless. Building coverage (also referred to as "wireless LAN") offers high-speed wireless access in a limited area (sometimes called a "campus"). It is great for applications that will be used in a specific location such as a warehouse, office or even at home. Nationwide wireless refers to the ability to access the Internet or other resources when you are away from your home or office or even in another city.

"Building coverage" or wireless LAN

Building coverage is local to a specific area. Individual wireless access points will be spaced throughout the campus area, providing anywhere from 100 to 1000 feet of wireless LAN coverage each. Wireless LANs offer relatively high-speed access to the Local Area Network (from 1 megabits per second (mb/s) to 11mb/s depending on the distance and the features of the hardware used). Examples of wireless LAN technologies include Proxim's and RangeLAN2 (www.proxim.com). Other 802.11b hardware vendors include Symbol Technologies (www.symbol.com), Lucent Technologies (www.lucent.com) and Aironet (www.aironet.com). Both 802.11b and Proxim are supported on the Handheld PC, Professional Edition while only 802.11b is supported on the Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC with PC Card slot and the Symbol PPT-2740. At this time, no other Pocket PCs support campus wireless options.

Nationwide wireless

Nationwide wireless offers the ability to stay connected when you are out of the office. Examples of nationwide wireless include cellular, CDPD, paging and other networks. Cellular options include CDMA (code division multiple access) and GSM (global system for mobile communications). There are multiple solutions for connecting to both CDMA and GSM phones to Windows CE devices, including serial cables, and CompactFlash cards from Socket Communications (www.socetcom.com) and Xircom (www.xircom.com). A cellular connection via GSM or CDMA is similar to using a modem to dialup the Internet. Your data call is initiated on your cell phone. Then your cellular provider will dial the destination mobile number using a standard modem. Once you complete the handshaking, you are connected and ready to go. Cellular allows you to dial up a specific network connection, including a RAS server on your network. CDPD (cellular digital packet data) allows you to connect directly to the Internet using your CDPD provider's ISP. You can not dial up to your own RAS server using CDPD.

Considerations for choosing a wireless technology

Deciding which technology fits your needs requires some research. Each option has different features and limitations so make sure you research the capabilities of your wireless carrier. The overriding factor in choosing wireless technology has to be the ability to access the service. I recommend that users review coverage maps early on when deciding on a wireless strategy. There's nothing worse than finding a good technology match and then realizing that there is no coverage where you need it.

As you can see there's many options for you to keep in touch using your PC Companion via wireless. Wireless broadens your ability to keep in touch using your PC Companion. You have many different options to stay connected whether you are in the office or out in the city.