Remote HotSync How To Guide

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Psion 56k Travel Modem for Palm, Handspring Visor, and Psion (5 Star Customer Rating)	You need: (a) A Palm device (well, duh) (b) A modem (this can be a Palm Modem, like those at left, or a cell phone with an internal firmware modem as I explain here or some other kind of modem connected to your Palm). (c) A phone line (this can be a 'normal' landline or a cell phone airline - it doesn't matter because what you're going to do is call your computer on the number of the phone line your PC's modem is attached to).
Palm V Series Modem	1. Turn on your PC (the PC you normally HotSync with) and launch the HotSync Manager: you'll see the little red and blue arrows in your system tray. The HotSync application on the computer you are going to HotSync with must be running, and be set for a 'modem' HotSync. Click the HotSync Manager icon and choose Modem (see image at right - make it so there's a little tick next to the word 'modem'). This will set your computer's modem to auto-answer mode. Phroaw! You need it like that because your going to call it from your Palm.
	2. Turn off any screensavers and power saving features on your PC, but leave your computer turned on, the modem turned on and your phone line plugged into the modem. Your PC and HotSync Manager are now sitting awaiting your Palm's phone call. 3. On your Palm, tap 'Applications' and slect the 'Prefs' icon. Choose 'Modem' from the drop-down menu in the upper right corner. Make sure that the modem you are using with your Palm is selected from the list of modem types. You must also enter the telephone number of the modem connected to your PC using the HotSync applet on the Palm. If you're using a data enabled cell phone with a firmware modem, you'll select your phone. For setting this up with a cell phone (with intenal modem), check out this page.
Palm III Series Modem I'm not to sure if you can get this at Amazon any more.	4. Run HotSync on your Palm by selecting the HotSync icon under 'Prefs' and selecting the HotSync 'button' on your Palm screen. Choose 'Enter Phone #' and enter the phone number for the line your PC's modem is connected to. 5. There is no '5'! You're already HotSyncing! Just note that a remote HotSync done in this way will take about twice as long as a local (i.e. in your cradle) HotSync - you can speed it by not not HotSyncing everything. But this is cool becuase you can now HotSync with your PC even if your thousands of kilometers away! You can also set up your PC so that it automatically connects to the Internet and downloads your mail every so often so that your e-mail inbox is kept up to date for your next remote HotSync. Now, dialling directly to your ISP by modem requires you to install third-party Palm applications. I talk about these here and show you how to set them up here.

Belkin F5F500
Serial Infrared Adapter

IntelliSync - super-duper Syncing software for Palm.

If you're using a Desktop PC with no Infrared port...try something like this:

Belkin F5F500 Serial Infrared Adapter - IrDA speed up to 115.2 Kbps

1. Make sure that the IR Port is actually turned on!

2. Open the Palm HotSync Manager and select --> Setup --> Local. If you were syncing using the Palm Cradle before, the COM port settings would be switched to COM1 or COM2. Select the COM port to which you've selected your IR. This is easier when using a laptop with a built-in infra red port.

3. Check under Preference --> General on your Palm. Make sure your Palm has IR receiving on.

4. On your Palm, goto HotSync and choose "IR to a PC/Handheld" on the pull-menu.

Now you HotSync your Palm.

If you have problems, check that your laptop has enabled IR under BIOS (you might have to check your user's manual on how to get into bios setup). Make a note of which COM it was set for. Then in Windows 98 (this is harder in WIndows 95) open the Control Panel --> Infrared --> Option to enable it. For full instructions, folow the link above.

The sync speed is considerably lower, but if you're syncing without severe urgency (which you always do because you plan ahead :-) ), it is very convenient.

C. InfraRed HotSyncing and Windows 2000

In Windows 2000 Microsoft changed the way infra red is handled. Windows 2000 no longer sets the IR port on your PC like a COM port anymore - the OS recognises the IR port, but does not assign a COM port to it. Palm software needs the IrCOMM protocol (a virtual COM port for IrDA) to do IR sync with a PC. Microsoft says they will not (and do not) support IrCOMM on Windows 2000.

What this means is that devices the devices that use infra red via the IRDA standard (like your Palm device and many newer cell phones like my Nokia 8210) can no longer communicate with a device running Windows 2000. This is, of course, mad, as the IRDA standard was developed to be exactly that: a standard that would enable a range of infra red devices to inter-operate. As the Palm HotSync Manager only supports COM ports, both the HotSync Manager won't let you hotsync via infra red, nor can other IR devices communicate with Windows 2000. Palm talks about it here but don't hold your breath in any way: http://www.palm.com/support/helpnotes/win2k.html

Microsoft will maintain that they have decided not to use an internationally agreed upon standard to prohibit Palm users syncing via IR with Windows (WinCE owners couldn't anyhow) but to enable their infra red file sharing bullshit (which can be implemented whilst still maintaining the IRDA standard). The 261million IRDA-enabled devices that will ship this year will not work with Windows 2000: I'm still awaiting Micro$oft's reasons for this decision.

You *may* find this Deja thread illuminating...where some guy says he got it working with his Ericsson with some workaround. Dunno about this - sounds a bit weird, but I don't wish to crush you totally.

HTH

Doctor Salami

Please consider posting any questions you may have to my Wireless Palm On-Line Forum.
I answer lots of questions and this way, others will be able to check for answers.

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