I
recently setup in our home a simple network so that my wife and I could
both use the our DSL line at the same time. She has a laptop and
wanted to be able to use the Internet and print without having to save
her work to a floppy and take it to our main computer -- a term commonly
known as "sneakernet." After getting a router recommendation (the
Linksys EtherFast
4-Port Cable/DSL Router) from a friend, I looked into it and it seemed
to be what I needed.
So after connecting everything and configuring my computer, everything
surprisingly worked for the most part as advertised. So now that
I have my little home network going, why not my Visor? Xircom
was working on a SpringPort Wired Ethernet Springboard module that was
due about this time, but it seems that the module has
been cancelled. Xircom's SpringPort page no
longer mentions the Wired Ethernet module. What happened?
Some would ask why an Ethernet module is needed in the first place.
This is a great module for network administrators to test that port that
they just opened to make sure that it's on the right subnet. You
now also can telnet into servers, routers, etc and do all your network
maintenance without lugging around a separate laptop.
It's
also perfect for mobile professionals. How many offices and tradeshows
today have Ethernet connections? I just walk up to an empty port
and plug in. Bingo! I can check my email and check my stocks
without bothering anyone to borrow their computer for a moment.
I also think that Ethernet would speed up HotSyncs. A USB HotSync
is
~23 KB/s.
Ethernet is 10 Mb/s or 100 Mb/s. So what I'm envisioning is that
you have your PC running with Network HotSync configured. You then
plug in a Ethernet module into your Visor and start a network HotSync that
doesn't require a second PC.
A wired Ethernet module isn't for everyone, but I think that there is
enough interest to warrant having the option available. In a VisorCentral
survey during the fall of 2000, over 45% of our readers had a home network.
I'm sure many of these people would like to network their Visor -- I know
I sure do.
