Mobile Device/PDA Support at MIT

Support Status

Support is now available from IS&T for mobile devices, including PDAs and smartphones, running the PalmOS and Windows Mobile operating systems. Specifically, the IS&T Computing Help Desk can assist users with:

• getting a wireless connection to MITnet;
• getting MIT email;
• synchronizing the device with their MIT TechTime™ calendar.

Support Status as of October 2007
IS&T will continue to support current users of Palm OS; however, IS&T does not recommend Palm OS when purchasing a new mobile device.

IS&T recommends, and fully supports, Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices.

Members of the MIT community using mobile devices based on operating systems other than Palm OS and Windows Mobile (e.g., BlackBerry, Apple iPhone, Linux, and Symbian) may find the MIT Mobile Partners User Group a good resource for assistance.

The mobile-device market is changing rapidly, and IS&T will continue to evaluate and consider supporting new devices. In the next few months, IS&T expects to provide limited support for the Apple iPhone and the World BlackBerry devices.

MITnet Wi-Fi Connections for Mobile Devices

Several different wireless communication methods are in common use: cellular telephone, Bluetooth, infrared, and a set of standards endorsed by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) under the general name 802.11. These standards are commonly known as high-speed wireless or Wi-Fi.

MITnet's wireless operates on the IEEE standard 802.11b/g. Some MIT labs may use other connection methods, but 802.11b/g on MITnet is the only wireless method supported by Information Services and Technology.

To connect a Wi-Fi mobile device to MITnet:

• your mobile device must have either an integrated or a plug-in 802.11b/g communications interface;
• your mobile device must have a web browser capable of connecting to secure web sites;
• you must have an MITnet/Kerberos username and password.

MIT Wireless Registration
To register your mobile device for wireless MITnet access:

1. You must be on the MIT campus and in a location where you know there is a good wireless signal.
   
   
2. Set your mobile device to obtain an IP address automatically. This is the default setting on most devices.
   
   
3. Make sure that the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi interface is turned on. Unlike laptops, most mobile devices require you to turn on the wireless interface. It is usually off by default to conserve battery life.
   
   
4. Open your device's web browser and go to the MIT home page: http://web.mit.edu/. The MIT host registration page should appear in the browser.
   
   
5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Wireless Roaming
The MIT campus is fully wireless, including dorms. Each campus building, however, is a separate wireless subnet. Since the MIT wireless infrastructure does not support roaming between subnets, users are likely to lose connections while moving from one building to another. Even though mobile devices tend to re-establish connections more easily than other wireless devices (e.g., laptops), it is recommended that users shut down their devices when roaming between buildings and subnets.

Signal Strength
Mobile devices are more susceptible to variations in signal strength than laptop computers. It is possible that a particular office, classroom, public space, or dorm room may be "live" for some wireless devices and "dead" for others.

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MIT Certificates

Palm OS devices do not have the ability to import personal certificates.

It is possible to install MIT personal certificates on Windows Mobile devices, although the process involves multiple steps, and is not supported by the IS&T Help Desk at this time. For those who need to install certificates on Windows Mobile devices, draft instructions are available on the MIT Mobile Devices Wiki.

• MIT Certificates on Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC and 6 Professional [Certificates required]
• MIT Certificates on Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone and 6 Standard [Certificates required]

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Email

Windows Mobile devices include a version of Outlook which works with MIT’s email system. For configuration information, see Windows Mobile at MIT.

For Palm OS 3.5 or higher,  IS&T supports VersaMail and SnapperMail for email. Both VersaMail and SnapperMail use Kerberos authentication, and secure IMAP connections and SSL port configurations.

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TechTime™

MIT TechTime™, based on Oracle Calendar, is MIT's enterprise-wide calendaring system. Accounts on TechTime™ are free to any member of the MIT community with a Kerberos ID.

IS&T supports the following for synchronizing mobile devices with TechTime™:

• IS&T recommends Synthesis SyncML as the preferred and the most reliable application for wireless synchronization on Windows Mobile and Palm OS. IS&T provides SyncML to MIT faculty, staff, and students at no charge.
• Although Oracle Calendar Sync for Palm on Macintosh OS X and Windows continues to be supported by IS&T, it is less reliable and, therefore, not recommended.

Known Issue: The Treo 650 and Tungsten E2 and T5, running Palm OS 5.4, are not compatible with Oracle Calendar Sync for Palm 9.0.4 for Macintosh, and cannot synchronize with MIT's TechTime™.

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Purchasing a PDA

IS&T is not in a position to recommend specific mobile devices for purchase. The decision of what to buy will depend on what you intend to do, and on the carrier you select.

• For information on MIT’s preferred and other cellular service vendors, see Cellular Telephones.
• If you want only the basic functionality of a PDA (e.g., calendar, to-do-list, memo pad, address book), a low-end device should be sufficient.
• If you expect to add extra software (e.g., graphing calculator, word processing or spreadsheet software, printing capability), a device with larger memory and storage capacity may be needed.
• If you expect to connect your mobile device via Wi-Fi to MITnet for web connectivity and email, only supported devices have been fully tested for use in the MIT environment, and only the 802.11b/g wireless connection is supported.

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