WIFI CONNECTION MANAGERS (mini review)

**liquid_smoke** · 01-16-2006, 04:26 AM

tired of the crappy connection manager software that came with my wifi card (linksys).
I searched for 3rd party wifi connection software and supriseingly there really arent a whole lot to choose from.

The two apps i did find work very well and leaps and bounds above the crap that comes with linksys hardware. They are both wifi HOTSPOT connection software so i guess the quality and ability to connect to a network has to be better than the stock stuff you get with the hardware.

BOINGO: been using this app for as long as ive had my carputer and it has never given me problems, easy to use. While driveing around it will alert you to available wifi connections it detects or auto connect to any previously configured connections.
There is a hotspot service they sell but you dont have to use it to use there software.

TMOBILE CONNECTION MANAGER: just found this little gem tonite, even though ive had tmobile for about 2 years now, lol. Anyway, like the BOINGO software there is a hotspot service associated with the app, but you do not have to use it or pay for anything to just use the software to connect to free wifi networks.
The app is very easy to use and offers pretty much the same features as BOINGO, with the added features of supporting EDGE pc cards and GPRS pc cards. I dont have either so im assumeing you have to have the EDGE service from TMOBILE to actually use this part of the software.
The app is skinable, unlike boingo, so hopefully ill be able to make a skin for it to intergrate with RoadRunner. The skin file is zip password protected so as soon as i figure out a way to crack the password(anyone with info PM me) , ill take a look at how the skins are setup and make one.

so in short, if you dont like the connection software that came with your wifi adapter or if your still using the windows zero wireless connection crap, give these two apps a try and save yourself some grief.

tmobile

boingo

**Enforcer** · 01-16-2006, 05:52 AM

Originally Posted by liquid_smoke

The skin file is zip password protected so as soon as i figure out a way to crack the password(anyone with info PM me) , ill take a look at how the skins are setup and make one.

I don't see a skin zip file, where is the file installed or downloaded from?

I should be able to do the necessary at home this evening.

**liquid_smoke** · 01-16-2006, 10:32 AM

this is the path to the application
C:\Program Files\T-Mobile\Connection Manager

the skins are
T-mobileMultimodeHigh-Tech.skx
T-MobileMultiModeClassic.skx

rename the files to .zip and you can open them with winzip or winrar

**b8bboi** · 01-16-2006, 10:45 AM

liquid_smoke, does it auto-connect to APs if you set one of the preferred connections to "any"?

**Enforcer** · 01-16-2006, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by liquid_smoke

this is the path to the application
C:\Program Files\T-Mobile\Connection Manager

the skins are
T-mobileMultimodeHigh-Tech.skx
T-MobileMultiModeClassic.skx

rename the files to .zip and you can open them with winzip or winrar

OK, I'll have a look when I get home. about 90 mins from now.

**liquid_smoke** · 01-16-2006, 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by b8bboi

liquid_smoke, does it auto-connect to APs if you set one of the preferred connections to "any"?

both of the apps will auto connect to any previous connection that you have allready connected to. If you have never connected to the AP it will notify you of it and ask if you want to connect to it.

I havent been driveing around with the TMOBILE app yet, but ive been using Boingo for a few years and it will autoconnect, switch to a different network if its priority is higher than the network you are already connected to etc.

The only annoying thing with BOINGO and when you setup autoconnect, is when you leave out of the area of the connection (my home) it will notice the connection dropped and try to reconnect to it (but its not there anymore) then it will ask you (since it couldnt auto reconnect) if you want to turn off the autoconnect for that AP, well ofcourse you dont want to, so you say no, and it will keep trying to connect to that last AP even though your like 10 miles away.
This only seems to happen though when the apps main window is minimized to the tray area. If you show the full window it recognizes the AP is nolonger available.
This may have been fixed in a recent update. I havent updated the version in my car in a while.