Year: 2005

No comments

Security in a Mobile World part-4 Posted

  By , , ,

Today I posted the last part of my four part article “Security in a Mobile World”.   This article part, as well as the prior 3 parts, can be found at Mobility Today.

Security on the PocketPC platform is a great deal different than your laptop. Security issues considered minor on the Laptop platform like Physical Access, Application/Data Access, and Theft/Loss Mitigation are more substantial on the PocketPC platform, because the PocketPC is infinitely easier to steal than a laptop. And larger issues on the Laptop like Firewalls, AntiVirus, and AntiSpyware become less predominant because the PocketPC platform offers less of a potential target for hackers. Because there is currently more interest in cracking Windows PC data and applications, the PocketPC platform is relatively safe, but that will change soon enough.

If you would like to read the entire 4th part of this article, click here.

No comments

Security in a Mobile World part-3 Posted

  By , , ,

Today I posted the third part of my four part article “Security in a Mobile World”.   This article part, the prior 2 parts, and the remaining  part will continue to be published at Mobility Today.

It is a well known fact that most every Laptop user could stand to improve their privacy (and overall security) when utilizing their PC for everyday use. This installment is geared towards getting you started on the right path towards accomplishing this goal.

If you would like to read the entire 3rd part of this article, click here.

No comments

Security in a Mobile World part-2 Posted

  By , , ,

Today I posted the second part of my four part article “Security in a Mobile World”.   This article part, the prior part, and the remaining 2 parts will continue to be published at Mobility Today.

Public wireless hotspots are, by definition, meant to be public, and so it goes that private hotspots are meant to be private, regardless as to whether or not the hotspot is encrypted to keep unauthorized users out. This is the same as recognizing the difference between a grocery store and a residential home. A grocery store is open to the public, and you can walk through the door and browse among the aisles to your hearts content. Likewise, it is generally understood that it is completely unacceptable for someone to just walk into another person’s home unannounced. It needs to be understood and accepted that a private Wi-Fi LAN is essentially an extension of someone’s personal property.

If you would like to read the entire 2nd part of this article, click here.

No comments

Security in a Mobile World part-1 Posted

  By , , ,

Today I posted the first part of my four part article “Security in a Mobile World”.   This article part, and the following 3 parts will continue to be published at Mobility Today.

Security is a multilevel concept, in both the mindset and it’s practical application. The mindset refers to keeping the concepts of security at the front of your mind while you go through your daily activities. The practical application is Security itself. For now, I will only attempt to touch on the important levels (under the heading of Practical Application) that Mobile Users need to consider in today’s environments. Later I will touch on the mindset aspect of Security.

If you would like to read the entire 1st part of this article, click here.

No comments

"Wi-Fi Companion" as a Troubleshooting Utility

  By ,
"Wi-Fi Companion" will assist those who would assist you, as well as your fellow users in helping you isolate the cause of most Wireless WiFi problems.

Once you have it installed, please unplug your iPAQ’s battery for 30seconds, then replace it. This will cause a core-reset of the wireless adapter, and force a Soft Reset on the iPAQ itself. No data is lost on a Soft-Reset.

Once you have turned on your iPAQ and have re-enabled your wireless adapter, and are within "Wi-Fi Companion", please go to the Router Tower icon in the lower right-hand corner and create a profile for your home Router connection. Check the OK button and return to the main view. When your iPAQ has "associated" with the Router/AP (a period wherein the two units are negotiating your iPAQ’s IP Address assignment), you will see a lightning-bolt connecting the two units.

After this, assuming your profile is correct, you should see your iPAQ obtain a valid IP Address (which is defined as something other than an IP Address of 169.254.n.n). Please press and hold on the PDA icon in the upper left-hand corner and pick IP Addresses, and please report back to us what the various settings are:

IP Address:
Subnet Mask:
Gateway:
DNS Server:
WINS Server:
DHCP Server:
Domain Name:
Lease Obtained:
Lease Expires:
MAC Address:
Device Name:

Additionally, on the main "Wi-Fi Companion" screen, please advise of the following settings:

1.) Do you see the name of the Wireless LAN you wish to connect to? If not, click on the Router tower icon to go to the "Wi-Fi Finder" screen and build a profile specific to the Router/AP you wish to connect to. Click OK to return to the main screen.
2.) When the iPAQ is associated with the Router/AP, is there a key & lock icon on the upper half of the lightning bolt going towards the PDA icon?
3.) What is the signal strength (100%? 60%?).
4.) Does this signal strength get better the closer you get to the Router?
5.) What is the channel assignment shown to the lower right of the Tower icon (in a black circle).
6.) Go back to the "Wi-Fi Finder" screen. What is the mode that "Wi-Fi Companion" is detecting (shown on the upper-right corner of the profile)?
7.) Do you have WEP enabled on the Router? If you do, please Disable it for now.
8.) Do you have MAC Address Filtering enabled? If you do, please Disable it for now.

No comments

Anatomy of the DHCP assignment process

  By ,
I.) There are two ways to configure your Network connection.

1.) The first (due to it being a "default" setting for most network adapters) and best way to configure your network connection is to enable a process called DHCP (for "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol"), also referred to as a "Dynamic IP Assignment", because the DHCP server can change assignments on an "as needed" basis.

2.) The second way it to manually specify your settings, also referred to as a "Static IP Assignment", because the system will forever keep your manual assignment until you tell it otherwise.

Continue reading

No comments

Product Review of Cirond’s "PocketWinC" WiFi utility.

  By

Today I published my first Product Review, about a piece of software that assists users in finding and connecting to WiFi Hotspots on Mobility Today.

After installing this program, most users will realize just how powerful their wirelessly equipped iPAQs are; well above the standard established by Microsoft’s “Zero Configuration Networking”, the iPAQ will become a portable WiFi Scanner and hotspot detector (Hotspotter). Additionally, the program makes a great troubleshooting utility for WiFi related problems. By my calculations, Microsoft’s ZC Networking only sees about 4 out of 10 WLANs (or 40% of the actual networks available) in a test area here in my hometown. After having loaded PocketWinC, I was able to see all 10 WLANs. This was confirmed by double-checking with another Laptops with scanner software loaded.

To see the full product review, click here.

No comments

How to setup an E-mail Account on your PDA

  By ,
Before we begin, you will need to collect the following information. Most of it will come from your ISP or account provider, some of them are personal choices:
1.) Your username.
2.) Your provider’s server info. This will be in the form of pop.isp.com and smtp.isp.com
3.) You will need to know what connection type you are using (“work” or “the internet“). More on this setting here.
4.) Here’s a very important page: Most e-mail servers now-a-days require an outgoing mail authentication. You will need to confirm with your provider if this is required or not.
5.) Decide whether or not you want to choose “Get message headers only”, or “Get full copy of message”.
  • Headers only means that the e-mail header info (to, from, and subject line) is downloaded first. You must then chose those e-mails which interest you and then manually download the body of the message as a separate step. This is a better choice if you get tons of mail and lots of spam, and only intend on reading certain messages.
  • Full copy is getting the whole message in one fell swoop. This is appropriate if you are expecting to read every e-mail you receive and have very little spam.

Continue reading