Introduction

Ever since I got my new HP iPAQ h2210, I was thinking that it would be really convenient to get a hold of a Wi-Fi enabled CompactFlash card for the PDA. While scavenging through the local CompUSA, I came across a deal for the Linksys WCF12 Wireless CompactFlash Card and thought "Why not? it's cheap!" So having bought this card for a low price, it was time to write a short review on the card and my experiences with it and the new Windows Mobile 2003 OS on the HP iPAQ h2210. Let's dive right in shall we?

Package and Specs

The card comes in a simple cardboard box containing the following contents:

• One Instant Wireless CompactFlash Card
• One Setup CD ROM including the Windows CE drivers and the User Guide
• One Quick Installation Guide
• One Registration Card

Front of the box	Back of the box	and it's contents

The system requirements as listed by Linksys includes:

• One Pentium Class (200MHz or higher) processor
• CD ROM Drive
• 64 MB of RAM
• Windows 98, ME, 200, or XP
• Microsoft ActiveSync Utility
• PDA with Microsoft Windows CE 3.0 or higher and an available Type I CF Slot

Supports:

• 802.11b, DSSS, and 2.4GHz Compliant
• Supports 128 bit WEP Encryption Security
• 11 channels
• 2.37"(W) x 1.70"(H) x 0.13"(D)

Here are some pictures of the card:

The CF card in it's case	Front of the WCF12
Another shot of the front	Rear of the WCF12

Installation

Installing the Linksys CompactFlash is a four step process:
1. Run the setup application on your PC and have it configure itself to be installed the next time your PDA is synced to the system.
2. Connect the PDA and Sync it
3. Configure the Software Drivers on the PDA
4. Insert the CF card

This sounds easy enough right? Wrong - at least wrong if you are users of Windows Mobile 2003. Though the drivers installed without any errors, it would not work properly under Windows Mobile 2003 (a.k.a Pocket PC 2003). The Linksys Wireless Utility could not be executed and thus there was no way to even configure the drivers to look for the Wi-Fi network of mine.

After playing with the driver install for nearly 20 minutes, I decided to utilize the web to see if anyone had similar problems. A brief search on both Brighthand.com's forums and the HP forums brought the solution to bear. Apparently other users of the CF card were having trouble with the new OS also and Linksys was not being very helpful in getting new drivers out. Some keen insight from other users brought the solution to light - use new drivers from Senao instead of waiting around for Linksys. You can find these drivers here:
http://www.senao.com/service%20&%20support/drives%20download.htm or specifically:
http://www.senao.com/service%20&%20support/drives/Drivers/WLAN_ForWinCENET400.zip

All you will have to do is unzip the drivers and execute the setup application. This will install the drivers via Microsoft ActiveSync. Once the drivers are loaded, you need to insert the CF card into the PDA. However, Windows Mobile 2003 will then complain that it does not recognize the device and ask for a device name. Enter the string "wlannds.dl" and continue. You'll then see that your wireless card is recognized. Be warned - do not attempt to use the Senao software utiltiies. They will not work at all. You’re better off removing any shortcuts made to the application on your PDA.

Since I was using third party drivers instead of actual Linksys drivers, I had to use the built in Windows networking applet to configure the card.

Inserting the card	into the iPAQ h2210

Performance

The WCF12 performed well when it did find wireless networks to connect to on the h2210. Under Windows Mobile 2003, the wireless card would sometimes fail to connect to regional wireless networks when the PDA would power back up. I would often need to remove and reinsert the CF card back into the h2210.

However, once it did find a wireless network (and assuming you don't turn off the device), it was able to connect to the network with ease using the driver solution outlined in the earlier section. All of the network related applications worked flawlessly in conjunction with the WCF12. The built in Windows wireless networking applications are too bad to use in lieu of any Linksys utilities.

The cards' performance was decent although we did not perform any scientific study as to how far it could detect signals. I was able to obtain signals from my Belkin Wireless-G router up to approximately 100 feet from the router (through 2 floors and some rooms). In outdoor settings, the WCF12 was able to find a next door Starbucks signal in the Barnes and Nobles store. (70+ feet away).

However without proper drivers in place, it appears that the WCF12 draws a fairly high amount of power and thus your PDA's battery life will suffer. With the card in place and operating, I was able to get approximately 2+ hours of battery life from my iPAQ h2210 before needing a recharge. I did have an instance where my PDA was completely drained during power save mode in 2 days. How I wish Linksys would come out with drivers for the new OS.

Looking for wireless networks

Summary

The Linksys WCF12 Wireless CompactFlash card is an adequate 802.11b solution for PDA users. Unfortunately if you are using a Windows Mobile 2003 Operating System on your PDA, I would suggest looking at some other vendor since Linksys does not have drivers for this OS as of yet (though you could use the Senao drivers). Once the card is installed, it performed decently though it oftened required a reinsertion into the PDA to get it to connect to regional wireless networks. Pocket PC 2002 users will probably have better luck with this card but I would still rather opt for a vendor that offers good support. Though you might be able to find this card on rebate from Linksys, I would think twice before jumping in and purchasing this wireless adapter. This may end up back on Ebay soon. If you have any comments or questions, please post them in our forums. If you have success under Windows Mobile 2003 or Pocket PC 2002 - please do share them because I would love to think that this card could be better than this.

Pros:
Cheap
When it works - it works
Small (it better be!)

Cons:
No Windows Mobile 2003 drivers
Eats up batteries
Sometimes requires resets

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