Windows CE Ethernet options
I'm using a Socket Communications LPE (Low Power) Ethernet card in my Windows CE device and it works just great, In fact, in my Sharp Mobilon 5000 machine I've got over five hours connected to the LAN on batteries, no low battery sign in sight. Be careful: if you already have a PCMCIA network card, it may draw a great deal more power than the Socket Communications unit or another card designed specifically for use with a Windows CE device.

For a list of Windows CE-friendly Ethernet cards, check out fellow Windows CE Enthusiast, Chris De Herrera's web site (at http://www.cewindows.net) for his Ethernet FAQ. It's got the names and models of cards that work and in which machines. Some familiar vendors' products work great in some Windows CE devices but not in others.

With the prices of hubs and network cards at an all time low, a lot of people I know are putting networks in at home. As compared to a serial connection from your desktop PC to your Windows CE device (with a maximum speed of 115k), a 10MB/sec Ethernet network connection is very fast.

When you first get connected to your desktop, try installing a new piece of software to your Windows CE device. Because of the high transfer speed, installation of new software is so fast you have to check to make sure it's actually been installed! A backup of a nearly full 16MB Windows CE device takes about one and a half minutes over Ethernet.

Connecting to Ethernet via a cable isn't your only option. Companies such as Proxim produce wireless LAN (Local Area Network) products that allow your Windows CE device to participate on the network wirelessly. Microsoft has included these drivers in the H/PC Pro operating system as well. Other cards should have Windows CE drivers available.

Microsoft has made the steps required to get up and running on a LAN quite simple. They've also included some nice subtle touches as well. For instance, when you're connected and want to synchronize with your desktop machine, Windows CE only gives you names of machines you've previously synchronized with over a serial cable. This is great, because you don't want to have to scroll through long lists of networked machine names to find yours.