I expressly purchased an Asus eee PC 4G/701 to act as a PC host for my new VP2 wireless. Surfing the net, there seems to be little in the way of info on these things, so I thought I'd start this thread in case any one else is considering this neat little device.
I’ll start with some pros and cons:
PROS:
- CHEAP! Picked up an open box with 512 megs and 4 gig SSHD for under $200
Even full retail is in the $300 range
- self-contained and tiny! Not much larger than a thick DVD movie case
- low cost to operate
- silent
- integrated LCD screen
- no integrated modem that I needed for dial-up since the remote location where it is going has no broadband
- There are three USB ports that I’ll use for modem, Davis USB logger and webcam
- Supports SD cards that can act as hard drives. How kewl is that?
CONS:
- small screen
- came with Linux that while it worked great won’t easily support my Davis Weatherlink SW
- does not seem to have access to the RTC in BIOS so you cannot shut it down and restart; needs to be in stand-by which is really OK
- Solid state hard drive is small and may not last as well as platter style
- USB port only – no serial
So far I’ve managed to install XP Pro and the Davis Weatherlink software. Works as advertized. As soon as I decide on my wx station USB vs. serial logger thing, I’ll hook the two up!
If anyone else is considering. using one of these, feel free to chime in!