iPad and the Overdrive, Solving Dropped Connection/Password Issues
Hey All, while the rest of the world is geeking out on the new iPhone 4 and OS4 update, I’ve been twiddling with the iPad and figuring out how this device might integrate into an everyday tech workflow. I wanted to pass along something that I learned after some trial and error, mainly how to end the maddeningly dropped connection issues between the iPad and the Sprint Overdrive.
I’m constantly on the road, and for me the Sprint Overdrive is a godsend. Often times I need to be in touch with a client and the iPhone just isn’t enough. With the Overdrive I can get on pretty much anywhere there’s coverage and I don’t have to hassle with free networks that can be so overloaded with traffic that they barely crawl along. With the the iPad+Overdrive, I’ve been experimenting with leaving the ten pound MBP+adapter+case setup behind and traveling a little lighter. I already had the Overdrive, and AT&T gets enough of my money as it is, so I was looking forward to the dynamic duo helping me save some weight while still being productive on the road, until the Pad and Overdrive started taking lessons from the hippee generation and dropping out all over the place.
(I so hate hippees.)
For those of you that haven’t experienced this hopefully rare form of frustration, consider yourself blessed. My excitement of have the iPad for presentations and the such was squarely knocked on the head when, after firing up my Sprint Overdrive and entering my password I would find the iPad prompting me again after about two minutes to reenter my password again.
And so on. And on. Ad Nauseam.
Now the first clue that it was an Overdrive issue was that this did not occur with other wireless networks, ruling out the “Bad iPad WiFi” diagnosis. A further clue was an Apple support doc detailing that the iPad prefers WPA encription (newer) to WEP (older) for security. A further support doc called “Tips and Tricks for the iPad” on the Sierra Wireless support page. Sierra, the Overdrive mfr. again highlighted this setting, but after that I was still having no luck, and just about to reset the Overdrive when it dawned on me to reset the iPad’s Network Preferences, and viola! No more dropped/password issues. A relatively simple fix, really, but still annoying all the same. Here’s to hoping you can resolve this quicker.
Oh, a few screenshots to speed things along:
First off, go to your browser and type in the address of the Overdrive’s homepage, which will be something like “192.168.0.1″ Enter your admin password and go to “Advanced Settings” then to the “WiFi” tab. Enable “WPA/WPA 2 Personal security and enter a password. Save the settings. The Overdrive will reboot and you can move on to step two below.
Now pick up the iPad and go to Settings. You’ll get a page like this:
Navigate to “General” then “Reset” which will get you here:
Reset the “Network Settings” and you should be good to go. If not, a general reset on the ‘Pad or resetting the Overdrive may be in order.
Hope this helps you out techs, and I’ll post later how the stylist’s brain exploded when I placed the iPad on set with a screen showing her the set she was working on in almost real time. No more getting up and walking over to the monitor, or me stringing up a separate screen just for on set work!!!
Get out and enjoy the summer rays, and if anyone else is Pad playin’ on set, be sure to write in let us know.
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Pingback by iPad and the Overdrive, Solving Dropped Connection/Password Issues … | Workflow — June 30, 2010 @ 3:42 pm
hey eric, glad to see you are playing around with the iPad on set. I’ve taken a similar approach except that I am not using the Overdrive. I am using a jailbroken iPhone and MyWi app from the Rock Store which turns my iphone into a wireless network using the 3G for internet (hopefully the Iphone 4 will be easy enough to jailbreak as well).
On set I have setup a seperate dedicated router because 1.) Ad Hoc Networks are slow and 2.) Ad Hoc networks do not broadcast very far. This allows me to have Wireless N running b/t the two devices and I can keep an ipad with the art director or right up on the photog, which in turn makes his shoot a little bit more discreet if he is one of those dudes who is super conscious of his work.
Comment by Eric Isaac — June 30, 2010 @ 3:57 pm
oh and Angry Birds, its a great IPad Game. check it out! Also netflix streaming is pretty rad!
Comment by Eric Isaac — June 30, 2010 @ 3:57 pm
Hey E, missed you last night! How about some Set Cart pix of your Pad in action?
Comment by Eric Zepeda — June 30, 2010 @ 5:20 pm
[...] Now the first clue that it was an Overdrive issue was that this did not occur with other wireless networks, ruling out the Bad iPad WiFi diagnosis. A further clue was an Apple support doc detailing that the iPad prefers WPA encription …This Blog [...]
Pingback by Ipad and the Overdrive, Solving Dropped Connection/Password Issues … — June 30, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
Didnt know about sprint overdrive… Sounds pretty cool.
I’ve been playing a bit with some iPad image transfers. Nothing on set yet but here’s kinda what I’m up to. I bought a eyefi x2 pro sd card. Works pretty good.. transfers basic jpegs to a laptop in about 3-4 seconds. I’ve been able to send my jpegs over to the iPad successfully using shuttersnitch. I set up a automator action that FTPs the jpeg from the a lightroom auto import folder to shuttersnitch on the iPad. Shuttersnitch is supposed to work directly the eyefi card but it not working for me (not sure why but I’m not the only one according to shuttersnitch’s forum). In any case I can shoot tethered or use the eyefi card and software and still have the end result of having the jpegs on the iPad.
One more thing – iPad 3GS is jailbroken and running Myfi so I can theoretically bring the whole deal on location and set up my own network.
Haven’t checked out many games yet but I love pandora while retouching and hulu is pretty cool!
Cheers and thanks for the good blog!
Comment by David Anderson — July 20, 2010 @ 8:15 pm
Update: so I figured out how to transfer directly to the iPad from my eyefi card to my iPad using shuttersnitch… The problem was that I needed to go into iTunes while connected to my iPad and change the default name to have no ilegal characters like apostrophes or spaces. This may seem like gibberish to you techs, but if you are using eyefi at all it could be helpful. So far I’ve only been using my g10 and just toying around. But this should definitely work with a camera such as the mark3 with the compatible SD card slot.
Comment by David Anderson — July 24, 2010 @ 10:17 pm
Thank you David for the tip on how to get the iPad to work with the Overdrive using the Shuttersnitch app. I couldn’t figure that out to save my life. It finally works!
Comment by marcw911 — July 31, 2010 @ 6:58 pm