Solid Know How™

This article is written specifically for Palm O/S handheld computers, such as the Janam XP30, that were successfully synching wirelessly before, but now the signal can not get through to Solid MultiConnect. If you want to set up a new Local or External Sync connection instead, please read Article#116: Janam Palm OS Wi-Fi Sync Setup Guide.

Description: Even though the handheld computer’s screen shows, “Connecting with the desktop using WLAN,” eventually the handheld computer will time out and display the message, “The connection between your handheld computer and the desktop could not be established. Please check your setup and try again.”
This problem is most often caused when the Internal IP Address of the office PC that runs Solid MultiConnect has been changed within the WLAN network.

Resolution: Thankfully, this is an easy issue to resolve. The first step is to verify what the Internal IP Address is of the office PC that runs Solid MultiConnect so that it can be compared to the address that the handheld computer is trying to sync to.

1. On that office PC, click on the ‘START’ button, and go to ‘All Programs / Accessories / Command Prompt’, which will open a black command prompt window.
   
   
2. Now type in ‘ipconfig’ and use the [Enter] key to display the office PC’s Internal IP Address, which will be listed as the ‘IPv4 Address’ on Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, which is typically but not always in the format of 192.168.#.###.
   
   
3. To compare this Internal IP Address to that which the handheld computer is using, from the HotSync screen on the handheld computer, tap on the word ‘HotSync’ in the top left corner to display an Options menu. From this menu, select ‘Primary PC Setup’ and compare the office PC’s Internal IP Address to that which is entered in the ‘Primary PC Address’ field on the handheld computer.
   
   
4. Make any necessary changes to the IP address on the handheld computer, and use the [OK] button to return to the HotSync screen. Ensure Solid MultiConnect is open on the office PC with at least one TCP connection listed as, “Listening on port TCP 14238,” and try the sync again.
   

Prevention: Every computer on a network is given a unique Internal IP Address to identify it amongst the other PCs on that network. Internal IP Addresses can change automatically as computers, such as laptops and other mobile devices, are added and removed from that WLAN network. Although there’s no easy way to guarantee prevention of this Internal IP Address change from ever happening, the risk can be reduced by regulating what computers are allowed to use the company’s wireless network. This will reduce the chance of a Internal IP Address conflict, which could cause the office PCs Internal IP Addresses to change.