Wlan Documentation Gap!

[keith w. reiss]

Please reply if you are aware of a source for WLAN UTILITY for the AXIM X50v. It is a Texas Instrument OEM product to Dell, but the embedded Dell documentation has absolutely no instruction as to the meaning of the parameters involved or how to use them. Neither can I locate such information on the TI web site.

Also, the paper copy of the user guid (Dell) has nothing at all. This in a word is disgraceful.

Any Help Appreciated... Keith Reiss

[grapeape]

Where did you find any user configurable parameters for wlan? Are you asking for the meaning of the connected results, if you have any in particular you need let me know perhaps I can help define them for you.

Documentation is lacking for wlan probably on purpose, since there are really only two user configurable settings, turn on/off and power save mode. The additional tabs are simply informational screens for packet quality, signal strength, and other things that really arent going to be helpful for the average user.

[keith w. reiss]

Where did you find any user configurable parameters for wlan? Are you asking for the meaning of the connected results, if you have any in particular you need let me know perhaps I can help define them for you.

Documentation is lacking for wlan probably on purpose, since there are really only two user configurable settings, turn on/off and power save mode. The additional tabs are simply informational screens for packet quality, signal strength, and other things that really arent going to be helpful for the average user.

Thanks,
It is awfully stark, then. For example, how do you select one of several mutually opportune systems with which to connect? But the utility creator or Dell might have done well to describe the parameters that are indeeed displayed if not accessible. After 30 years or so building software oriented systems (e.g., spacecraft and ground systems), we've learned not to put anything in sight that you don't want people to diddle with. If there is no useful information or control content, it shoud therefore be invisible. Then the user simply and brainlessly presses the on/off button!

Obviously WLANs are not in my vocabulary, but was curious...Thanks! :)

[grapeape]

I know how that goes..unfortunately learned it the hard way with my previous job. We created a testing module for the network (mmds high speed wireless) and decided to use a stripped down interface for users to "test" their connection. Unfortunately it wasnt stripped down enough to prevent many of the "hidden" parameters used in engineering to be exposed by its log files, shortly after people began tweaking with settings in the ini that were not ment to be touched. As a result we had to roll trucks armed with signal meters to track down installations that were now out of spec and causing interference between channels. That was probably one of the worst weeks as an engineer in my life. :)

Anyway as far as choosing which network to connect to, unfortunately even with the exposed parameters there is no way of telling how much pipe is available behind the connection. The second tab can be useful though as you can see if there is an exposed ssid...generally if there is it ends up being the default password for the network, since generally speaking if no one has bothered to hide the ssid they likely havent figured out password settings either :)