HP iPAQ 210 – Connecting to the Internet with a Modem

This article describes how to use a modem with your new Pocket PC so that you can do some practical and fun things such network synchronize with your desktop pc back at the office or chat with your friends on Microsoft’s MSN® Messenger while you’re sitting on the beach in Hawaii.
Figure 1: Left, a screenshot of Connections Manager’s configuration screen. Right, a screenshot of the “Internet Settings” screen. This is where you will add a modem; more than one modem can be added.

What You Need
Pocket PC 2002
ActiveSync 3.1/3.5
ISP (Internet Service Provider)
Compact Flash Modem

Languages Supported
English (and others if applicable)

Setting up the Modem
Before you start setting up a modem on your Pocket PC, make sure that you have all the applicable information: a phone number to the ISP (Internet Service Provider) and compatible Pocket PC modem. If you need a static IP address, have that information as well as DNS (Domain Name Service) server addresses handy.

Now you’re ready to begin. Tap the START menu, then select SETTINGS and tap on the Connections Manager icon. The first screen displayed will look familiar if you have already read the article Using the Connection Manager (Article 10, Figure 2, left screenshot or Figure 1, left screenshot below).

1. Make sure that “Internet Settings” is selected in the first connection option.
2. Tap the “Modify…” button (Figure 1, left screenshot).
3. Tap “New…” on the next screen (Figure 1, right screenshot).

4. Insert the Modem into the CF (Compact Flash) slot on the Pocket PC.
5. Enter a name for the connection such as “Earthlink Dialup” or “Targus 56k Modem”
6. Select the modem in the pop-up list (Figure 2, left screenshot) and baud rate.
7. Tap “Next” (Figure 2, left screenshot). Advanced options are described later.
8. Enter all applicable phone number information. This includes country code, area code, and phone number to your ISP (Figure 2, right screenshot). Then tap “Next”.

Figure 2: Left, the first screenshot when creating a “New…” modem. Advanced options are described later in this article. Right, the second screen of the setup wizard.

9. Select any options in Figure 3, left screenshot (below) that you would like to use. Many people will find that these default options are adequate. If you need to enter any extra modem commands this is the screen to do it.
10. Tap “Finish”.

Figure 3: Left, a screenshot of the last screen in the “New…” modem setup wizard. Right, now you’re new connection name (as you named it) will appear in the “Internet Settings” screen (reference back to Figure 1 to see the before screenshot on right).

Advanced Connection Options
While creating a new connection for your Pocket PC’s modem, there was a button labeled “Advanced…” on the second screen (Figure 2, left screenshot). The “Advanced” options provide manual control over the following settings: port, TCP/IP and DNS.

Figure 4: Left, a screenshot of the “Advanced…” options for a modem. The Port Settings tab will be useful to those users who need to log into their ISP using a terminal window after connecting. Right, a screenshot of the Name Servers option which will be valuable to users using a static IP or for Pocket PC 2000 users that want to network synchronize their Pocket PC.

A missing feature of Connections Manager is that it does not allow you to create a connection script. This means that if the service you are dialing into does not support Microsoft Authentication (entering your username/password before dialing) you may need to manually enter your username and password with a terminal window. This is done after connecting to the ISP and enabled by checking the “use terminal after connecting” option (Figure 4, left screenshot).

TCP/IP, DNS/WINS Options
Most ISPs will automatically assign your Pocket PC an IP number and provide Name Server information when connected. Pocket PC 2002 users don’t have to change any of these settings unless you want to specify a static IP address, DNS server or WINS server. If this sounds foreign to you than it’s best to just skip over this option.

Pocket PC 2000 users
If you’re using an older Pocket PC device running the Pocket PC 2000 operating system and plan to network synchronize, then there’s a small gotcha involved. In order to locate the desktop pc, you have to specify your desktop pc’s static IP number in the WINS option under “Advanced…” located in the “Name Servers” tab. Simply tap the “Use specific server address” circular button and then enter the DNS server addresses as well as your desktop pc’s static IP address as the WINS server. However, you will now have to also specify the DNS servers manually. Check with your system administrator if you do not know what they are.

It’s Time To Dial: Using Dialing Locations
When you first tap the Connections Manager icon in the SETTINGS screen two tabs will appear on the bottom of the screen. The left tab displays your connection settings (Figure 1, left screenshot), and the right tab will display the dialing options screen. These settings can be modified so that it is quick and easy to dial from “home” or “work” where the process might be slightly different.

For example, at home you might want to disable call waiting before dialing, and at work you need to dial a 9 for access to an outside line. The Dialing Locations settings allow you customize this information.

Figure 4: Left, a screenshot of the “Dialing Locations” options. Right, a screenshot of the “Dialing Patterns” options.

Making the Connection
Now that you have finished setting up a modem there are two ways to dial your ISP and make a connection to the Internet. The first is by running a program that is Connections Manager aware such as Pocket Internet Explorer or Microsoft MSN® Messenger which will automatically look for an Internet connection and start one if necessary. Otherwise you can tap the “Connect…” button in Figure 1, left screenshot.