Sending Files via Infrared

Because infrared (IR) is a line-of-site technology, your equipment needs to be positioned with the infrared transceivers pointing directly at each other. And infrared won't go through walls and floors the way radio frequency technologies like 802.11 will.

To send data between two computers you need: a built-in infrared port, commonly found on most laptops, or an add-on infrared port, such as those sold by Extended Systems (see Figure 5.4).

Figure 5.4. An Extended Systems infrared transceiver for printing wirelessly (www.extendedsystems.com).

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TIP:

Note that the standard called IrDA (Infrared Data Association) is used by many laptops and PDAs. Some Palm OS PDAs use another infrared technology, however, so check into the model you're considering if infrared data transfer and printing is important to you.


Here's how to transfer data between computers using Windows Direct Cable Connection software that's built into Windows 98. First you need to enable the Infrared capability on a laptop or other device with an infrared transceiver. Here's how:

  1. From the Control Panel (Start, Settings, Control Panel), double-click Infrared.

  2. Click the Options tab and choose Enable infrared communication. Remember the ports shown at the top of the dialog box on which infrared will be enabled (Figure 5.5). You'll need this information later.

    Figure 5.5. Enable Infrared capability.

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  3. Choose Start, Programs, Accessories, Communications.

  4. Choose Direct Cable Connection. If you don't see this applet, you might need to install it from your Windows operating system disk. (Open the Windows Control Panel and open the Add or Remove Programs applet. Click Windows Setup tab, and then choose Communications. Click the Details button and select Direct Cable Connection.)

  5. The Direct Cable Connection wizard appears (Figure 5.6).

    Figure 5.6. Start the Direct Cable Connection wizard.

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You'll be asked what port you want to use. Choose the port that Windows enabled in Step 1. The wizard will then step you through creating a wireless infrared connection to the other PC.

In Windows XP, infrared capability is enabled by default on a PC with an infrared transceiver. Align your laptop, digital camera, or PDA so that the two devices are within a meter of each other, with their red windows facing each other. When they are close enough to communicate, an icon appears in the taskbar graphics/05inl01.gif that shows the devices can communicate.

You can trade data between a PDA and laptop using infrared, but the interfaces are so unwieldy (and compared to 802.11b, so much slower) that you will be much better off to use (802.11b).



Complete Home Wireless Networking. Windows XP Edition
Complete Home Wireless Networking. Windows XP Edition
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2002
Pages: 118

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