CF-VDW07 Wireless Display Install/Config

Okies... some time ago, I had a CF-VDW07 & charger fall into my lap... I spent some time puttering around with it, thinking how cool the whole "Carputer" thing would be; downloaded several bits of software for it, (including one from the Canadian Panasonic site that's SUPPOSED to be for ANY brand of laptop) and never actually got it working.

On the TB, the closest I got was a warning message saying "wireless adapter not found"; with my HP ZE2000 & using a Linksys WMP11, I was able to get as far as "Connecting" & then eventually both would timeout. During the negotiation process I could ping the CF-VDW07 handheld.

I'm guessing this would be due to a limited selection of compatible hardware for the software; but I don't know much more than this.

I'm also guessing the handheld requires its own WiFi adapter; I see in its config menu the default is 802.11b / Ad Hoc, but I have no idea what WiFi adapters are compatible.

So...

What all do I need to get this working?

Hey... is it possible that Mini-PCMCIA WiFi card Grimreaper has:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=338894

is the one I'm looking for?

mnem
Come on, feel the noise...

 

MNEM
I've got one and I have had it working with the CF-07. I am planning to get it going on the CF-30. I'll let you know what I've got when I get home tonight. In the mean time:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=203882
And here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=280551

Good to see you back.
CAP

 

Cap'n -

Yeah, I looked over that thread pretty closely in my search on the handheld; however, I didn't see much detail on the actual hardware & software used.

I'm sure it's something I can figure out (with a little help from my friends); I'm just not completely understanding HOW this thing works. It looks like a simple thin client over an Ad-Hoc WiFi connection; but evidently there's something I just don't grok...

mnem
No, No, no... YOU radio waves over THERE, and YOU OTHER radio waves over HERE...

And I thought herding CATS was difficult...

 

I don't know the CF-VDW07. But maybe there is a problem with the security of ur Wifi (WPA-PSK....WEP...). Had u tried it without security and without ur firewall? Is there a MACfilter active?

Nice 2 c ur jokes again.Had missed ur verdicts....

 

MNEM,
I've not yet tried it on the CF-30, but I think harveya's fix was the Cisco card. I picked one up on your favorite auction site for around $12, just haven't had time to screw with it. Worked like a charm with the CF-07 on our trip out west.
People we ran into were blown away by the GPS running Streets and Trips and Topo on a split screen, and when I fired up the aircard and got my email in a scenic overlook in Yosemite they went away babbling. In a rental Jeep no less. The ultimate carputer, and its a Toughbook.
CAP

 

Cap'n -

I found the post where Harveya outlined his hardware; he got one of the OEM "Panasonic Wireless Display Interface Kit wifi cards (CF-VWLS071) which is actually a Lucent PC24-E 802.11b wifi card..." he used Orinoco drivers for that card & all is well. I assume that since Pen!sonic markets the card as an interface kit, it is intended to be used all by itself, not as part of any other wireless networking, which would make sense since it needs to be configured as an ad-hoc network. Is there any other software I need besides the application? Time to dig around in the moldy oldies box; then maybe do some wireless "probing".

mnem
Alien anal probes? Where do I sign up?

 

It’s a networking issue I believe

I’m terrible at networking but Rob looks like he knows his stuff

I bet if he had one in front of him that he could figure it out

Alex

 

I am an expert on networking... thats my strongest point... I love the stuff and yes if I had it in front of me then yes I could figure it out .

 

a TRUE network specialist could troubleshoot the problem over the phone!! So... I suggest you get his number and call him up... LIKE NOW... WERE WAITING... DID I MENTION HES A DRAGON.. D-R-A-G-O-N!!

 

wow... okay then

 

MNEM,
Right, its been a while. I got the Cisco card for another project I'll get to some day. The MeiWDS app should be the only one you need. Do you need manuals?
I've got them on PDF in the Toughbook folder.
CAP

 

Wonder where these came from :rolleyes2:

 

*Chuckles to himself (a sound not unlike a jet engine huffing before it explodes) and unplugs the ball of blinky LEDs clutched in Doobi's paws*

Ummm... remember that Japanese cartoon that was giving all those kids seizures?

*Points at Doobi*

mnem
*Brews Doobi a nice relaxing cup of Apricot Mango Tea*

 

*twitches* Im ok.. Im ok...

 

Okies... I remember finding the software here:

http://www.panasonic.ca/english/customercare/downloads.asp

But I've ALSO found that they have manuals for the Handheld, for Network Configuration, AND for upgrading to XP. Also, there's software to be able to use on laptops OTHER than TB, which I mentioned before...

However, I also just found THIS site, which states that these can ALSO be used with Vista...

http://www.nobeltec.com/products/prod_tb_wnd.asp

Now if THAT's so... then I might finally be able to make real use of my Vista-powered-Dell-XPS-m1330-with 6-months-left-on-warranty-so-I-don't-want-to-multiboot-it-just-yet...

That would be sweet...

mnem
SCHWANNNNNNNGGG!

 

Rob,
They came from 5 years of downloading every piece of Toughbook info I could find surfing on those 12 hour night shifts on the dredge when all I had to do was confirm a dredge move every 40 minutes or so. I've got over 800mb in the Toughbook folder in my documents on the CF-30. I found some on a Russian web site. Do you need a CF-27 manual in French, German, or Italian?
CAP

 

LOL I was kidding because I had about 3.5GB worth of it until Panasonic made me "delete" it off my web server, then "delete" it off my hard drive too:rolleyes2: :wink: - I thought maybe u ganked it from my site

 

Yes I did get the Panasonic Wireless Display adaptor Card however it ended up only working intermittently. The Cisco Aironet 350 card was the permanent fix. Works straight away every time.

 

Harveya,
Where you been mate? Its good to see you around. Any updates on your install? Is that spindly little goosneck holding up. We put almost 6500 miles on my rig this fall, the RamMount worked great. It drew a lot of envious looks out in the canyon country in Utah and the Colorado mountains where we did a fair amount of offroading with it.
CAP

 

Hi Cap, yes been otherwise engaged building and modifying 3 websites plus work has been a . Plus had to spend some time working on the truck - oil seals a Snorkel and some wiring for my aux lights and my recovery light bar - I'm part of a 4x4 response group here - since the floods in 2007 there has been quite an expansion in 4x4 response groups.

Anyway the spindly goose neck is holding up good, going to fit a stabilizer bracket onto the dashboard from it as there is a little too much movement but it isn't in danger of falling off. Have still to mount my docking station in the load area but I think I am going to wait as I am going to be building a drawer system for the back when the weather improves and will mount it as part of that. The screen is excellent though, in daylight it is very visible, must be a transflective screen I guess.

Just been playing with Windows 7 on my spare Hard drive caddy, loaded up first time and quite surprised that it is quite fast, startup and shutdown considerably faster and running apps about the same as XP. Guess it's all kind of academic though as you can't get Windows 7 or Vista drivers for the graphics chipset or the touchscreen so I will be living with XP SP3 until I can afford a 29 or 30 in a few years time. Anyway it aint broke so I guess I don't need to fix it.

Glad you got some good miles in, Canyon Country is great, never been to Colorado though I hear it is pretty great too. Did you get down to Moab?

I've had a few envious glances at my touchscreen setup although the Laptop on the back seat don't look exactly professional.

One other thing I did get done was to put a combo 10/100 and Modem card in place of the old 10/100 card so now I've got Internal Wireless, Bluetooth, Lan and Modem working (sorry a bit off topic).

back to the Wifi card for the VDW07, if it doesn't work first time and you have all the settings correct (Adhoc, IP address set etc) then to me it is one of two things, either your Firewall is blocking it (I had to turn off the firewall, set up the connection and then turn back on the firewall to learn it - I am using Windows Live Onecare as Norton slowed the machine down terribly) or the card is knackered. It should work really easy with the Panasonic Wireless Display Interface Card but while mine worked for a while it crapped out in the end. The Cisco works well plus it is a pretty robust card (unlike a lot of Cisco kit - think they must have outsourced the manufacturing to someone different for a change). When I have the laptop in the vehicle I just boot up the laptop with the card in - I have set it to not recognise the screen closing so it will boot up shut. I then switch on the wireless screen after a couple of minutes to allow the toughbook to have booted up (the card loads pretty late in the bootup sequence) and within about 15 seconds it has synced up and loaded the screen. Good to go from there.

Cheers
Andy

 

Andy,
Our annual trips out west always involve 4 or 5 days in Moab one way or the other.
CAP