Newt Tech
Newt Tech
The Newton (and the iPad) is Truly Wireless with Sprint’s Overdrive
I'd like to have an iPad. I would want it to have 3G for connectivity outside of my home--and therefore away from my wireless network...the device is too full-featured, in my opinion, to be lacking some sort of always-on Internet connectivity everywhere you'd like to take it.
But...the 3G option adds additional expenses--the iPad with 3G is more than $100 extra, and AT&T requires a monthly data plan charge for the 3G service (although there is no contract required).
I have found what I believe is a better way...using a mobile wireless ("mifi") network to connect as many as five of my Internet-enabled devices...including my Newton MessagePad 2100!
I've had a broadband PC card modem for my AlBook for some time...it works great 99% of the time (although not "officially" supported by neither Apple nor Sprint)...the problem is, with it I can connect only one computer to the Internet at one time. While it is true that I can "share" my connection with other Macs in my network, that requires they be physically connected by ethernet cable.
The device I am referring to is the 3G/4G Overdrive by Sprint...although from what I can tell the Verizon offering is similar in nature. The Overdrive allows connection to at least five wifi devices--printers, computers, smartphones, etc.
The device is small and fits in your pocket...with the Sprint-recommended silicone sleeve it resembles nothing so much as a hockey puck--almost exactly the same size, weight, and color. There is a small LCD-type display on the front that monitors the general health of your connection...for example it tells you if you're connected, what the signal strength is, what's your battery level, is it 3G or 4G, and how many other users are accessing it...and so on.
The cost per month is the same as my broadband PC card modem--$59.99, with a 5GB cap on the 3G service. (The salesperson at the Sprint store said that later this year or next--when my geographical area starts 4G service--I'll enjoy up to four times the speed of 3G with no data usage cap.) Presently Sprint has 10 US cities with 4G coverage.
Another plus is that with an Orinoco wifi card and Noguchi's driver, my Newton becomes a truly mobile computer, able to send and receive emails and access the Internet virtually anywhere. And since the Newt uses kilobytes instead of megabytes, I can use it more often without as much concern over the 5GB data usage cap.
So...I got the Overdrive charged and set up, which is very easy and requires very little effort...in fact, much much less than setting up a typical home wireless Internet router. I was able to get it connected quickly to each of my other wifi devices in turn--including an HP iPAQ rx3715, a Dell Inspiron 8600, and a Apple TiBook--without any glitches.
And, a visit to my nearby Apple store gave me the opportunity to try connecting an iPad with wifi to it. At first I had some difficulty, for a couple of reasons: I wasn't used to the iPad and its virtual keyboard setup--you have to toggle between an alphabet keyboard and one that's made up of numbers and symbols, and my recently-created password is a mixture of all, requiring switching back and forth with every keystroke; and the password isn't shown when you enter it on the iPad to connect (and there's no option to show it), just dots (which admittedly is standard for most setups, though). Soon enough I was up and running there in the Apple store, surrounded by curious onlookers, connected through the Overdrive and accessing websites and Internet video with good 3G speed.
Connecting the Newton, though, a bit later on that day...that was another story.
The problem lies in the security setup on the Overdrive. Choosing WEP 128 bit (WEP is the highest form of security the Newton can use), you MUST enter some combination of 13 characters as your password...this string is obviously then also your password on all the other devices. Well, Noguchi's wireless driver has a bug in it that won't allow a password entry as a string...only hexadecimal numbers will work. I tried a text string-to-hexadecimal converter...the Newton wouldn't accept the hexadecimal result. With such a created hex number, your first values are always zeroes...and you need to prefix "0x" (or "00") to the hex converter's result--but all together that's just too many characters for the Newton. I experimented with many possibilities and combinations before finally giving up.
I was able to successfully connect without any security...but that's certainly not an acceptable option.
So...what's the solution? Thinking it through, it occurred to me...use MAC address filtering with no security. While not as convenient as allowing anyone you invite to join the network with the correct password, it does offer unparalleled protection...as only devices with the MAC addresses you specify can gain access. To set the MAC filtering requires a small change in the Advanced settings (to enter each device's MAC address that you want to allow access)...and removing the Security login.
The Overdrive device will help me to save some $$ by allowing me to choose the less expensive iPad 32GB with wifi; to avoid AT&T's charges for 3G usage; and for the same monthly fee to do away with an Internet connection that was basically limited to one machine. I can connect my Newton to it for Internet and email access basically anywhere. And, later on when I purchase my iPhone it will also benefit by allowing me to augment that device's coverage area, wifi-connecting it to the Overdrive and avoiding the 3G coverage issues that reportedly dog iPhone users.
The Newton is packing its bags and standing a little taller today...thanks to the Overdrive it’s truly ready to be a valuable communications tool--anywhere.
Monday, April 12, 2010