Handtops, UMPC - New OQO WIFI Drivers!!! Dated 11/11/04

12/14/04 + bkervaski

link

Thanks yyl and dacostud!!!

Recent Blog: My First Impressions / Mini Review

edited: Dec 17 2004 + Chris

What frustrates me about so many comments in this thread and others is that people say "my WiFi performance is way better"... What the hell does that mean? We need some more quantitative analysis. How is it better? How is it worse? How many feet are you getting from your WiFi and Bluetooth connections before they drop.

The problem is that one person's definition of "great" could be another person's definition of "crap". Please post useful measurements. Or better yet, if you're gauging WiFi performance, use something like the Odyssey client to determine the Signal Strength (in dB) with the old drivers and with the new from the same distance from the base station.

Only by comparing some hard facts will we be able to determine with certainty if something new has appeared that is worth complaining to OQO about (if you're one of the old unit owners).

12/17/04 + Chekote

It is slightly better for me, I havent tried it at home since I got the new drivers, but I do notice a difference at work, although it isnt a *huge* difference.

Example:

There is an access point in the office directly below mine

* With my TC1000 I use to get a weak signal, and no drops.
* With the original OQO driver I got occasional connection that would drop almost instantly.
* With the new OQO driver its pretty much identical to my TC1000 experience.

Recent Blog: Flipstart Camera

12/18/04 + mikecane

And, most importantly, can you go to Bryant Park in NYC and use the free WiFi there with no problem?

12/19/04 + tino

My initial experience with the Bluetooth/WiFi problem was that WiFi would 'work' when everything was arranged just right, but that the Bluetooth wouldn't work at all -- by which I mean that keypresses from a keyboard located four inches away were not registered -- unless I turned off the WiFi. With the network turned off, though, Bluetooth worked without problems.

My experience yesterday afternoon, with the replacement OQO, was quite different: The Bluetooth was working fine, but I could not get a WiFi connection to actually work. Running 'ipconfig' in the CLI showed that the OQO had got an address from the DHCP server, but the Windows Wireless Networks tool said that it was still acquiring an address. Pings to the gateway failed. This would all seem to point to a software problem, as the DHCP server had clearly responded but Windows was not able to properly use the interface for some reason.

I tried this several times with the same result, even after a reboot. When I turned off Bluetooth, I got a network connection within ten seconds. This was all about four feet away from the AP, and the network was WEP-protected.

I just did a range test with and without the WiFi on. I plugged the OQO into its power adapter and put it on the supplied metal stand. I oriented the OQO so that it was facing me, and I raised the screen. I then walked backwards holding the Stowaway keyboard at chest height while hitting keys.

With the WiFi on, the range was about 20 feet. With the WiFi off, the range was about 25 feet, at which point I ran into a wall. I went outside and tried the keyboard, and got nothing. Either there's something in the window coatings that's attenuating the signal, or the range in these conditions is 25.5 feet.

The same results were observed with the screen lowered and with the OQO running on battery power. However, the range was at least 25 feet with the WiFi on when the OQO was on the plastic Stowaway stand instead of the metal OQO one.

These differences are too minor, and my environment too uncontrolled, to draw any precise conclusions from this information. Suffice to say that the Bluetooth range of my OQO is at least 20 feet, and that having the WiFi radio turned on appears to have a small effect on the Bluetooth range under my test conditions.

12/19/04 + tino

While I was in an experimenting mood, I tried something else in an attempt to get to the bottom of the problem I had at the client's office the other day. Most of the wireless networks I deal with are unencrypted, but the one in this particular office uses 64-bit WEP.

At home, I set up a spare access point with 64-bit WEP, and tried to connect it it. I got the same result I got yesterday afternoon, namely that I apparently got an address from the DHCP server, but that Windows hung up on actually setting up the network. It was communicating with the AP, but something else wasn't happening.

Without moving the computer, I uninstalled the 'OQO Bluetooth Radio' device in the Device Manager. Within seconds, the WEP-encrypted network was working.

I then reinstalled the Bluetooth device and paired my keyboard, mouse, and phone, after which the network connection was still there. Both the Bluetooth and the WiFi worked normally at that point.

I tried this several times with slightly different configurations, and I am pretty confident in saying that with Bluetooth active, I cannot initiate WEP WiFi connections; with Bluetooth inactive, they work 'normally' (i.e. just like on an unencrypted network, which means the connections are dropped relatively often and Windows says that it's 'acquiring network address' every few minutes -- even when it's not configured to use DHCP).

Definitely not a problem of interference, then, but of a driver defect. There's nothing different about the radio signal involved in a WEP network vs. an unencrypted one, unencrypted networks work 'fine' (see above), and Bluetooth + WEP works 'well' when Bluetooth is enabled after the WEP connection is active.

edited: Dec 19 2004 + tnkgrl

*tino*

> My initial experience with the Bluetooth/WiFi problem was that
> WiFi would 'work' when everything was arranged just right, but
> that the Bluetooth wouldn't work at all -- by which I mean that
> keypresses from a keyboard located four inches away were not
> registered -- unless I turned off the WiFi. With the network
> turned off, though, Bluetooth worked without problems.

This is exactly what I've been experiencing! OQO thinks it's a frimware problem...

Recent Blog: Bluetooth hack for the Asus 701 (Eee)

12/21/04 + bkervaski

@tino

Weird, I'm using the 11/11 drivers and tried basically the same thing. The only thing I have to pair is my Motorola v710 phone. I had connectivity via wifi the entire time. I use 64-bit wep as well.

Hopefully, a few BIOS updates alter, this will all be resolved.

OQO definitely needs to get going with some releases. It's taking too long.

Recent Blog: My First Impressions / Mini Review

12/22/04 + Chris

I just installed the 11/11 drivers last night and here is my assessment:

- They add no new signal/range improvements. I still get the same signal level measured in dB that I did before and range is the same.
- They do appear to allow for a quicker recovery if the connection is dropped. This is of marginal advantage because when this starts happening, even a quick reconnection isn't much help because the connectivity (i.e. loading a web page) stalls so often that it's really unusable.
- I do not have a problem with Bluetooth and WEP WiFi. (I have a ThinkOutside KB and a bluetooth mouse and I can turn those on in any order before or after making a 64-Bit WEP WiFi connection with my Microsoft MN-500 base station without issue). For those having this problem, perhaps try using a different WiFi client like the Odyssey client. That's what I use. I like it a lot more than the built-in Windows WiFi manager. If you use it, uncheck the "Let Windows Manage My Wireless Connections" in your wireless network settings and also stop and disable the Wireless Zero Configuration service.
- For the record, my bluetooth range is over 15 feet with WiFi enabled which is way more than necessary... It's almost better than my WiFi range

Let's hope for some new drivers with some real improvements soon!

edited: Dec 22 2004 + tnkgrl

Tech support mentioned that the WiFi/Bluetooth interference problem is a firmware problem on some units. A solution is pending.

Recent Blog: Bluetooth hack for the Asus 701 (Eee)

12/22/04 + Chris

tnkgrl said: "Tech support mentioned that the WiFi/Bluetooth interference problem is a firmware problem on some units. A solution is pending."

Did they say if the culprit is the bluetooth firmware or the WiFi firmware? Hopefully there is a scheme to update the firmware. If not you may be looking at RMA #6 (if I'm able to keep track!)

edited: Dec 22 2004 + tnkgrl

*Chris*, I'm guessing it's a Bluetooth firmware problem... Or else it's going to be RMA #4 (i.e. 5th unit - not counting the seperate AC adapter RMA for my 3rd unit)!

Recent Blog: Bluetooth hack for the Asus 701 (Eee)

12/22/04 + yyl

It feels like the WiFi/Bluetooth interference is only with some newer RMA units which coincidentally also have better WiFi signal(?). People with older units who have installed new WiFi driver have no such problem. Sounds like OQO engineers tweaked something in the firmware to improve WiFi.

If it is a firmware problem, maybe OQO can release an update that users can install and run on their own, without returning the unit back to OQO.

12/22/04 + tnkgrl

I hope so

Recent Blog: Bluetooth hack for the Asus 701 (Eee)

12/23/04 + garylm

I just installed the 11/11 driver, and it made a huge difference around the house. Now I'm connected down the hall, upstairs, downstairs, in bed, and in the shower. Watch out!

It must have been something to do with multipath, and perhaps antenna switching.

Recent Blog: Travelling With the OQO

12/23/04 + bkervaski

I'm not sure if it's the drivers or the Cisco Aironet 1200 AP I put in, but my WIFI experience has greatly improved.

Recent Blog: My First Impressions / Mini Review