Putting this here --- hopefully it helps someone in the future.
It seems many people here use a C3 MUX --- it was the first kind of Chinese Clone MUX that was available, and these have been generally pretty reliable. As well, these MUXes used a Serial DB9 connection to communicate with a laptop running HHT-Win (Hand Held Tester, Windows emulation) so using an old Dell D630 has been pretty common (because these are among the last laptops to have a Serial DB9 connector on it)
However, more recently, the availability of quality C3 MUXes and cable has become somewhat more limited, and for that and other reasons, I have purchased a C4 MUX. After tinkering around with C4 MUXes, I have learned that there seems to be various flavors of Chinese C4 MUXes in the way that these connect to the laptop that you are running SDS on.
C4 MUX for example:
It seems many people here use a C3 MUX --- it was the first kind of Chinese Clone MUX that was available, and these have been generally pretty reliable. As well, these MUXes used a Serial DB9 connection to communicate with a laptop running HHT-Win (Hand Held Tester, Windows emulation) so using an old Dell D630 has been pretty common (because these are among the last laptops to have a Serial DB9 connector on it)
However, more recently, the availability of quality C3 MUXes and cable has become somewhat more limited, and for that and other reasons, I have purchased a C4 MUX. After tinkering around with C4 MUXes, I have learned that there seems to be various flavors of Chinese C4 MUXes in the way that these connect to the laptop that you are running SDS on.
C4 MUX for example:
- NO WIFI C4 MUX MODELS - These connect to the laptop with a green rollover cable. I have found the green rollover cable to be exceedingly reliable.
- EARLIER WIFI C4 MUX MODELS (perhaps pre-2020 or 2021) - These can also connect to the laptop with the green rollover cable (reliable.) You can also connect to the laptop with WIFI, which seems to be somewhat more painful and involved that more recent models. You have to first connect the mux to your laptop w the green cable, then set a static IP on the laptop for the wifi adapter, then go into a funky sw program that sets up the MUX, then manually set two SSIDS for the mux to broadcast … “Road24” and ”Workshop” ….. and then set static IPs for the MUX to use when using those two SSIDs, the unplug then green cable and the hope the laptop connects to the MUX and never touch that shit again.
- MORE RECENT WIFI C4 MUX MODELS (perhaps 2021 and later or those that advertise "DOIP") - More recent C4 MUXes dispense with all that pain and have a small WiFi access point built in and broadcast the SSID "XC4 PLUS ****" and have a DHCP server built in. So, all you need to do to connect the laptop to the MUX is associate the laptop to the SSID and *bam* you are done. That said, these can also connect to the laptop with the green rollover cable (reliable.) If you wish to use WiFi, though --
HOWEVER --- note of caution --- if you are using a Dell D630 (as a opposed to a more modern laptop) then please be advised that the builtin Intel PRO 3945ABG WiFi card is junk. I spent a few hours trying to figure out why my D630 wouldn't connect. I pored over the Internet and made sure I was using the latest drivers (from both 10/2009 and 12/2009) and finally just got a new WiFi card (for $6) and replaced the WiFi card. That did the trick...... for about 3 feet of range.
The ancient Intel 3945ABG is junk and has a really hard time with the low power 20 MHZ channel width 2.4 GHz radio (no 5 GHZ here!) inside the modern C4 Clone MUXes. Do yourself a favor an upgrade the WIFI radio in the D630 to a somewhat less obsolete USB unit like this one for only $11.61 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RN44SHW
It is oooooodles more reliable that the junk Intel 3945ABG chipset (man the bad old days of WiFi really came back to me troubleshooting this) and works great on the Dell D630.
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