Trouble-free wireless network CF cards ... anyone? Options

[Cyburbia]

I just can't get the Netgear MA701 that's bundled with my Zaurus to recognize any networks. The card is recognized and it lights up, but even when I place it next to my wireless network, nothing is detected. My network was detected once, but only for a few seconds; it still wouldn't connect. I've followed the instructions at http://notebook.zaurus.net, and still nothing.

I bought the Zaurus partly for the geek factor, but I'm not a Linux guru. Can anyone recommend a wireless compact flash card that doesn't require any drivers, kernel recompiles, config file changes, new ROMS, sed, awk, or other heavy duty mods? I just want to plug it in, and have it work.

[VeeDubb]

Well, I think you are going to be disapointed if you want flawless WiFi without installing a better rom than the sharp ROM.

The sharp ROM basicaly sucks IMNSHO.

If you want to keep the flavor of the sharp ROM without all the bug and instabilities and incompatabilities, I highly reccomend the latest tkc rom. TKC2.0alpha3 is alph in name only. It is a very stable and capable ROM and my ma701 worked fine until I needed cash and sold it.

Also, OZ, expecialy the newer beta ROM's work realy well, though if you have a 5600 beware, there have been many bad reports about these.

With tkc and OZ I never had to do anything but plug the card it. That was it. When connecting to protected networks, the gui netowrking apps that come pre-installed on both of those roms were more than enough to get connected without doing anything hard, and in OZ, I didn't even need to click the litle icon to bring up the network, just stick the card in and go.

[bMindful]

cyburbia,

I use the Socket low pow WLAN CF card with Sharp ROM 3.10 and all it needed was the spectrum24driver and it's been plug/play g2g - never a problem with any access point ever.

and, r u 100% your prob isn't a config issue.

-b

Hi,

I have the SL5600, running the stock Sharp ROM (1.0). I have th SMC EZ Connect CF WiFi card, and it works without a hitch. First time I plugged it in, I got an icon in the lower right I could click on to connect with. The only config thing I had to do was add my WEP key.

I would highly recommend this card, as it seems to have excellent range compared to other WiFi handheld devices I have seen, and works flawlessly with my Zaurus. The 5500 might be a different story - hard to say.

The model number is "SMC2642W".

Have fun!

-jb

[V-Man]

I have the NetGear card and it works flawlessly on the 5500 with the 3.10 rom. I have heard that some of the cards are a bit fragile and can get bent causing problems similiar to what you are experiencing. I think that you unfortunately got a bad card . If you can exchange the card, I would go that route before considering laying out more cash for a different card. Some of the other cards are physically more robust and some are better in power management. The pros and cons of the various cards have been discussed at great length in these forums and on the Sharp forums. Let us know how you come out. The Z is a great machine for wireless use.

V-Man

[Cyburbia]

Thanks for the suggestions ... but like so many other Zaurus links I've come across, everything is dead. I can't find the TKC2.0alpha3 rom (the site it's hosted on, http://community.zaurus.com, is dead). Same thing with the Spectrum24 driver; zauruszone is also dead.

A Hawking card works ... but only with OpenZaurus, which doesn't do me much good because OpenZaurus doesn't include Opera, and I can't get it to sync with my PC. So ... back to the Sharp ROMs, and wait until the TKC ROM appears somewhere ... anywhere.

Can't return the NetGear card: it was bundled with the Zaurus.

[dawest]

I have the AmbiCom WL1100C-CF that has worked flawlessly for months and months with the sharp 3.10 and 3.13 roms... never had any issues on my home network or at work! The best $30 I ever spent!

Be Well
DW

[qx773]

I've used an SMC EZ Connect wireless compact flash card without problems.

[offroadgeek]

I've had 100% trouble free usage from both the d-link 660w (used daily for over a year, now dead) and now an ambicom card. Previous to buying the ambicom card, I bought the netgear card and couldn't get it to work with my 760 or 5500 out of the box (needed to modify wlang file) so I gave it to my brother and bought the ambicom card.

[superbondbond]

I've been using a Linksys WCF12 under OZ 3.2 and it works great. Also, I ran across an Opera package a while back, so you needn't worry about that (I'll just have to track down where exactly I got it... I'll post later if I do)

[undrwater]

Cyburbia,
I've noticed that the MA701 doesn't sit snugly in the CF slot, so that not all the pins seem to align (or something like that). Try holding the card back or forward a bit in the slot and see if it recognizes the Access Point. If that works, you can add some electrical tape to make the thing fit more snugly in the slot.

[freckface]

I am also using the Netgear MA701 card with the sharp rom and have had nothing but sucess. I have also noticed the behaviour you describe when trying to use a "broken" wifi card. I like the netgear, and would go so far as to suggest you buy another one...

[decay]

How does the cacko ROM compare in terms of using WiFi out of the box? I cannot get the Symbol card in my860 to see my already functional wireless LAN for anything! I've turned WEP on & off, used infra & 802.11b, specified the SSID % specified "Any" - I'm fresh out of ideas! Anyone have a thought on this or similar experience?

[datajerk]

Hi,

I have the SL5600, running the stock Sharp ROM (1.0).  I have th SMC EZ Connect CF WiFi card, and it works without a hitch.  First time I plugged it in, I got an icon in the lower right I could click on to connect with.  The only config thing I had to do was add my WEP key.

I would highly recommend this card, as it seems to have excellent range compared to other WiFi handheld devices I have seen, and works flawlessly with my Zaurus.  The 5500 might be a different story - hard to say.

The model number is "SMC2642W".

Have fun!

 -jb

I have the same, no problems with Sharp ROM on 5500, OZ on 5500, and Cacko on my 860.

[jchung]

I've had the Netgear MA701 working on all ROMS that I've tried (Sharp, Cacko, OZ, Cacko X11, TKC) and it's worked on both 5500 and C700 without any configuration or problems.

the only thing I dont like is that the power drain is pretty high, but I dont use it that often..