Strangely, connectivity quality has always been less effective at home. I live in an apartment that's completely open on one side and bounded by earth on the other. In effect, the back of my apartment is below ground level. As a result, the signal effects of the 802.11b devices tend to be wacky. In one room, access is excellent. Meanwhile in another room closer to the access point, access can be downright terrible. As such, I didn't originally have particularly high hopes for the Xircom device.

Interestingly, I found the Xircom device to work moderately well, compared to the other 802.11b devices I use. Although the signal did tend to be somewhat intermittent, I could generally use the device in almost all places throughout the house.

Recommendation
I like the Xircom device, but I can't give it an unreserved recommendation. It's a little bigger and bulkier than I'd like, and at $299. it's substantially more expensive than the wireless PC card I have in my laptop. In fact, Xircom sells a wireless PC card for $138.99, less than half the price of their wireless product for Palm OS devices.

Here's the bottom line: it's a little too big and a little too expensive, but it works well and is the only solution right now. If you really need to use 802.11b, the Xircom Wireless LAN Module will do the job, even if it takes a little bite out of your wallet.

Steve Niles is Senior Editor for ZATZ Publishing. He is also an independent filmmaker and freelance writer. For more information, visit http://www.sn-films.com.