KB 73
Using iPass with unsupported platforms.
Article:73 Created:2000-08-10 18:54:06 Categories: Travel
Question or Symptom
This is information from the iPass site on using iPass with unsupported platforms. Note: iPass makes a client for WindowsCE, and PalmOS PDAs. Please see our iPass documentation page for more info. The following information is old, but being supplied as it has pointers to useful info on the phonebook format and scripting info of how the iPass software works.
Resolution
Windows CE and Psion
Currently, iPass does not offer formal support for Windows CE or Psion handheld devices, and does not provide technical support for these platforms. We are investigating full-function dialers for handhelds which include two features critical to iPass users: support for scripting, and remote phone book updates.
Some technical users may want to use an unsupported work-around appropriate for connecting each device to the Internet via the iPass network with their handheld devices. These work-arounds normally require that the user locate and manually enter a script to identify the dial-in user as an iPass user.
(This scripting is handled invisibly and automatically on iPass dialers for and automatically on iPass dialers for Windows 95/98/NT and Macintosh.)
Handheld users can follow these directions for Windows CE and Psion. This can give access to iPass' entire network of 5000+ POPs.
Psion Series 5 Work-Around
Psion New Zealand has created a dialer (unsupported) for Psion that includes scripts and is found at http://www.psion.co.nz/.
Windows CE Work-Around for iPass Network Connections
Chris De Herrera's Windows CE Website offers a workaround solution which is described in an article posted on his website "Getting Connected to iPass with Windows CE".
iPass does not currently support Windows CE because Windows CE dialers can not implement dial-in scripts and the majority of iPass POPs require the running of scripts after modem negotiation.
The contents of the scripts, however, can be entered manually. There are some users doing this successfully, although we do not recommend that non-technical users attempt this work-around. If you want to try accessing the iPass network via Windows CE, you you need to contact your iPass ISP partners or iPass Solution Partner and ask for the following files:
ipass.ipb imp-w95.scp moz-w95.scp ntt-w95.scp sci-w95.scp uun-w95.scp
All files with .scp extension are script files. As stated earlier, most of iPass POPs require the running of one of these files (scripts). POP-specific is provided in the ipass.ipb phonebook. The contents of the scripts are case sensitive.
An entry from the ipass.ipb may look like the following, with fields separated by |.
108|DZ|213|2|741200|Algiers||104408|sci-w95.scp|S104408/||0|
(You can open *.ipb files with WordPad or similar applications.)
This is the detailed explanation of each field:
ISP code|country code|TAPI country id|area code|phone|city|region| unique POP id|script file|username prefix|username suffix|flags|price
First, you will first need to identify the city/state (field 6 & 7) you want
to dial into, the POP number (field 3, 4, 5), the prefix to insert in front
of the username (field 10), and the script to run after the modem negotiates
(field 9). If the prefix and script fields are blank, then they are not
required to access that number.
For example, to connect to the above location from within Algiers, dial 741200. After modem picks up, run through the contents of the sci-w95.scp script and enter in S104408/username@domain with password when called upon to do so by the script.
Once again, this manual way of connection is not the easiest. iPass delivers full-function client dialers for Windows 95/98/NT and Macintosh that transparently handle all required scripting, making connections to the iPass network quick and simple. As we locate appropriate dialer software for handheld platforms, we will build in similar scripting features that will make Windows CE even easier to use as your worldwide computing device.
Related URLS
http://www.cewindows.net/wce/ipass.htm
Related KB articles
KB 71 Can I use iPass with my Windows CE PDA?
