Sony Vaio PCWA-C700 Operating Instructions Manual Download

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Operating Instructions

IEEE802.11a/b Dual Band
Wireless PC Card

PCWA-C700

4-672-859-12(1)

Summary of Contents for Vaio PCWA-C700

Page 1: ...Operating Instructions IEEE802 11a b Dual Band Wireless PC Card PCWA C700 4 672 859 12 1 2003 Sony Corporation ...

Page 2: ...ct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help Declaration of Conformity Trade Name Sony Model No PCWA C700 Respo...

Page 3: ...ware as a result of defective manufacturing SONY will replace it at SONY s option or issue a refund however SONY bears no other responsibility The software provided with this product cannot be used with equipment other than that which is designated for use with Please note that due to continued efforts to improve quality the software specifications may be changed without notice Program 2001 2002 2...

Page 4: ...ws Me or Windows 2000 17 Windows XP 27 Checking the communication status 39 Checking the wireless signal strength 39 Checking network information 39 Using the Wireless Panel 40 Opening the Wireless Panel 40 Additional information Manually installing verifying and removing the supplied software 49 Installing the Wireless LAN PC Card driver manually 49 Installing the Wireless Panel manually 57 Verif...

Page 5: ...r Ad Hoc Network connection mode This greatly facilitates use of the card in various environments and for a range of applications z Hints The network mode can be easily switched using the supplied Wireless Panel software To use the card in Access Point Network connection mode a separately available 802 11a b Wireless LAN Access Point 2 is required With Windows Me or Windows 2000 1 In this document...

Page 6: ...6 With Windows XP Windows XP Service Pack 1 Available Wireless Networks Available Wireless Networks ...

Page 7: ...ny other convenient location in the house Equipping multiple computers with a Wireless LAN PC Card also allows you to exchange files between the computers via the Access Point POWER MESSAGE WIRELESS NETWORK 1 NETWORK 2 z Hint The illustration above shows an example of a system configuration using Access Point Network connection mode Two computers with Wireless LAN PC Cards communicate with the Acc...

Page 8: ...PC Cards to communicate directly This allows playback of streaming data and file sharing in locations where the Wireless LAN Access Point is not present Notes Poor signal conditions may cause movie playback interruptions Smooth movie streaming playback is only possible when using 802 11a 5 GHz A method of playing a file while the download is still in progress ...

Page 9: ...osoft Windows XP Professional Display High color 16 bit color or higher 800 400 pixels or higher Notes Correct operation is not assured for all computers even if satisfying the above system requirements Correct operation in an OS upgrade environment is not assured except for factory provided Windows XP upgrade packages for Sony VAIO series computers For Internet access via the wireless LAN a 802 1...

Page 10: ...g Guide Contains answers to frequently asked questions and commonly encountered problems Go through the points in this guide before contacting the Sony Customer Information Services Center Wireless Panel Online Help This is the Online Help of the supplied Wireless Panel software Refer to it for instructions on how to use the software Access the Wireless Panel Online Help as follows 1 Install the W...

Page 11: ...en networks Normally the Wireless Panel appears as an icon in the taskbar which shows the communication status When using the card for the first time see page 15 for information on how to install the Wireless LAN PC Card driver and the Wireless Panel Notes To install the supplied software on a computer running Windows 2000 log on with a user account listed in Administrators To install the supplied...

Page 12: ...no data are being sent or received Rapid flashing Communication in progress Orange 2 Communication standby Lit Communication is possible but no data are being sent or received Connection not established Red Flashing PC Card is functioning properly but connection to network has not been established Off PC Card is not powered 1 802 11b 2 4 GHz wireless LAN operation 2 802 11a 5 GHz wireless LAN oper...

Page 13: ...to prevent damage to the PC card slot while not in use 2 Insert the Wireless LAN PC Card in the PC card slot Note If your computer has two PC Card slots insert the Wireless LAN PC Card into the top slot If inserted into the bottom slot the antenna of the Wireless LAN PC Card will block the top slot See section If your computer has two PC Card slots on page 14 Push the Wireless LAN PC Card into the...

Page 14: ...ireless LAN PC Card will block the top slot If you insert the Wireless LAN PC Card into a slot other than the one you usually use the computer treats the card as a new device and automatically begins installing device drivers for it Completing the driver installation makes it possible to use the Wireless LAN PC Card in that slot Installation is performed automatically by the installation wizard Fo...

Page 15: ...k security is an important issue You are urged to consider carefully how best to protect your computer When using a personal firewall function provided by virus scanning or network security software Virus scanning and network security software sometimes includes a function called a personal firewall that is designed to prevent illegal access by outside entities Depending on the software the securi...

Page 16: ... the instructions of the wizard to complete the installation of the Wireless LAN PC Card driver and Wireless Panel z Hints For information about how to insert the Wireless LAN PC Card see page 13 For details about how to confirm the driver installation and how to remove the driver and Wireless Panel see pages 67 and 70 What to do next Configure the LAN environment When using Windows Me or Windows ...

Page 17: ...ter using the Wireless Panel For information on how to use the Wireless Panel see page 40 You can also configure the card without using the wizard Refer to the Wireless LAN Online Help for details You can also start the wizard at any time other than immediately after installation of the Wireless Panel To do this double click InitSetup exe in the folder where you installed the Wireless Panel The de...

Page 18: ...ct in Access Point Infrastructure Network connection mode 1 Check the box Use Easy Setup Wizard and click Next The Connection mode screen appears 2 Select Access Point Network and click Next The following screen appears ...

Page 19: ...ection mode and when changing an existing Network Name you can use up to 32 alphanumeric characters including symbols z Hints Opening the Network Name drop down list will show the Network Names of any Access Points within range You can then select a Network Name from the list When using the Sony 5GHz Wireless LAN Access Point PCWA A500 the default Network Name SSID of the Access Point is shown on ...

Page 20: ...r to Peer network the setting must be the same for all computers on the network Key If data encryption WEP is enabled for the Access Point enter the encryption key WEP key here Because this key functions as a password that enables communication with the network the key entered here must be exactly the same as that set for the Access Point Only computers for which the key has been configured correc...

Page 21: ...een showing the selected settings appears 5 Verify that all settings are as desired and click Next When connection is complete the Wireless Connection Easy Setup Wizard completion screen appears Note If an error message is shown read the message carefully and click Back to correct the settings ...

Page 22: ... the setup procedure is now complete If you want to change the Access Point settings refer to the manuals of the Access Point for information on how to proceed When using the Sony 5GHz Wireless LAN Access Point PCWA A500 proceed to step 7 Note To use an Access Point to connect to the Internet you must change the Access Point default settings ...

Page 23: ...d displays the Access Point home page setup page Notes If you are using Internet Explorer any proxy setting will automatically be disabled for the IP address of the Access Point When using another browser make sure that the browser does not use a proxy server for the Access Point IP address The default IP address of the PCWA A500 is 192 168 11 1 The content of the Access Point home page setup page...

Page 24: ...terrupted To resume communication the settings of the computer must be changed accordingly 9 When Access Point settings are completed double click the icon in the system tray The Wireless Panel screen appears 10 Click the Network List tab select a wireless network from the list and click Register The Register Network dialog box appears 11 If you have enabled Data Encryption WEP for the Access Poin...

Page 25: ...Peer to Peer Network connection mode 1 When the Wireless Connection Easy Setup Wizard starts check the box Use Easy Setup Wizard and click Next 2 Select Peer to Peer Network and click Next 3 Configure the Network Name SSID Channel and WEP items An explanation of the respective item is shown here 1 2 3 ...

Page 26: ...nel with low usage When connecting to an existing Peer to Peer network changing the channel has no effect The channel automatically will revert to the one used by the Peer to Peer network 3WEP See page 20 for details 4 When all items are configured click Next A confirmation screen showing the selected settings appears 5 Verify that all settings are as desired and click Next The network settings ar...

Page 27: ... double click Network Connections z Hint If Network Connections is not displayed click Switch to Classic View 2 Right click Wireless Network Connection is a number that differs according to the computer settings and select Properties from the shortcut menu 3 Click the Wireless Network tab 4 Confirm that the box Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings is checked If not place a check m...

Page 28: ... 3 From the Available Wireless Networks list in the Connect to Wireless Network dialog box select the Access Point to which you want to connect z Hint The Available Wireless Networks list shows the names of Access Points within communication range of the computer When using the Sony 5GHz Wireless LAN Access Point PCWA A500 the default Network Name SSID of the Access Point is shown on the ID label ...

Page 29: ... is enabled only computers configured with the correct encryption key WEP key can join the network For security reasons it is strongly recommended that you enable this feature The setting can be made individually for Access Point Network connection mode and Peer to Peer Network connection mode When connecting to an existing network consult your network administrator regarding the proper settings F...

Page 30: ... key in the Network key field The input is shown only as asterisks For verification the same string must be entered once more in the Confirm network key field Data Encryption WEP at selected Access Point is disabled Select Allow me to connect to the selected wireless network even though it is not secure check box For security reasons enabling data encryption is recommended ...

Page 31: ...ess Point default settings 6 When using the Sony 5GHz Wireless LAN Access Point PCWA A500 click the AP Setting button on the Status tab of the Wireless Panel For information on how to open the Wireless Panel see page 40 For information on the AP Setting button see page 44 Your Web browser starts and displays the Access Point home page setup page Notes If you are using Internet Explorer any proxy s...

Page 32: ...or its Online Help Help regarding Access Point settings can be opened by clicking Note If you change the Network Name SSID and Data Encryption WEP settings of the Access Point the settings will no longer match those of the computer and communication will be interrupted To resume communication the settings of the computer must be changed accordingly 8 When Access Point settings are completed right ...

Page 33: ...ure Using the product in Peer to Peer Network connection mode 1 Click Start and click Connect To Show all connections The Network Connections window appears 2 Right click Wireless Network Connection is a number that differs according to the computer settings and select View Available Wireless Networks from the shortcut menu The Connect to Wireless Network dialog box appears z Hint If the computer ...

Page 34: ...34 With Windows XP Service Pack 1 3 Click Advanced The Wireless Network Connection Properties dialog box appears is a number that differs according to the computer settings ...

Page 35: ...35 Wireless LAN connection With Windows XP Service Pack 1 4 Click Add The Wireless Network Properties dialog box appears ...

Page 36: ...cters long When connecting to an existing network consult your network administrator regarding the proper settings 6 Check the box Data encryption WEP enabled and remove the check mark from the box The key is provided for me automatically Note The data encryption WEP function serves to prevent unauthorized access to the network When the function is enabled only computers configured with the correc...

Page 37: ...se this key functions as password that enables communication with the network the key entered here must be exactly the same as that set for the Access Point Only computers for which the key has been configured correctly can join the network The number of characters depends on the Key format and Key length settings see table above Key format This is the format for entering the password WEP key requ...

Page 38: ...1 Click OK The setting are saved and the computer automatically connects to the newly registered network z Hint For additional information on the wireless network capabilities of Windows XP refer to Windows XP Help and Support Click Start and click Help and Support enter wireless into the Search field and click the green arrow icon You may also wish to consult the Windows XP documentation ...

Page 39: ... Wireless LAN PC Card is not inserted or not recognized correctly Peer to Peer Communicating in Peer to Peer Network connection mode Checking network information To obtain information about the network to which you are connected proceed as follows Double click the signal level indicator in the taskbar The Wireless Panel main screen appears and information about the network connection is shown For ...

Page 40: ...es To use the Wireless Panel under Windows 2000 for modifying communication settings log on with a user account listed in Administrators You cannot modify settings when logged on with any other account On a computer running Windows XP communication setup and network switching are not performed with the Wireless Panel but with built in functions of Windows XP However the Wireless Panel can be used ...

Page 41: ...ss Panel Status tab page 41 Network List tab page 44 Setting tab page 47 Status tab 1 Status indicator icon The icon type indicates the type of network to which the computer is connected Network mode Data encryption Access Point Peer to Peer Network Network Off On 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ...

Page 42: ...d or the Access Point is not connected to the Internet For details refer to the Wireless LAN Quick Guide or the Troubleshooting Guide Frames Sent Shows the total number of network data frames that have been sent Frames Received Shows the total number of network data frames that have been received Link Rate TX Shows the transmission rate Link Rate RX Shows the reception rate Throughput TX Shows the...

Page 43: ...the Windows XP wireless configuration functions Wireless Zero Configuration service in order to optimize throughput for real time playback of streaming data 5 Graph scale This is a scale for transmission and reception link rate and throughput Normally the transmission and reception throughput will be about half the link rate 6 Status indicator graph Shows the signal level RX link rate and TX throu...

Page 44: ...e used when you are using the Sony 5GHz Wireless LAN Access Point PCWA A500 or another 5GHz Wireless LAN Access Point which supports this feature As of February 2003 9 Show Graph Hide Graph button Lets you turn the status graph on an off The default setting is off Network List The Network List tab shows a list of 802 11a b wireless networks operating within communication range of the computer You ...

Page 45: ...re shown as colored icons and Access Points outside communication range are shown as gray icons Network mode Status Access Point Peer to Peer Network Network Connected Data encryption On Data encryption Off Not connected Data encryption Off Data encryption Off Registered If the network has been registered with the Wireless Panel a check mark is shown here Note This is shown only under Windows Me a...

Page 46: ...ependently for the 802 11b 2 4 GHz and 802 11a 5 GHz bands Select the On Off status according to the environment you are in Take special care if you are using your computer in locations where radio emissions are prohibited such as outdoors 802 11a band or within an aircraft 802 11a and 802 11b bands Be sure to set wireless signal transmission to Off with these buttons in such cases 3 New Register ...

Page 47: ...s selected from the list Clicking the button brings up a confirmation message letting you delete a registered network The currently connected network cannot be deleted Note This function is available only under Windows Me and Windows 2000 4 Scan button Clicking this button causes the computer to scan again for 802 11b 2 4 GHz 802 11a 5 GHz wireless networks operating within communication range The...

Page 48: ...hecked the computer automatically connects to the registered network with the strongest signal if the current connection is interrupted Clicking brings up a list in which you can specify the priority for automatic connection Note This function is available only under Windows Me and Windows 2000 5 Change the TCP IP setup when Wireless LAN setup is changed Check this box if you want to automatically...

Page 49: ... computer has only one PC card slot and it is currently used copy the setup folder from the supplied CD ROM to the hard disk of your computer before inserting the Wireless LAN PC Card The following explanation assumes that a folder called Temp was created on drive D and that the data was copied to this folder 3 Insert the Wireless LAN PC Card into the PC Card slot of the computer See page 13 for d...

Page 50: ...50 Windows Me 1 Select Specify the location of the driver and click Next 2 Check the box Specify a location ...

Page 51: ...3 Click Browse and specify the location of the driver in the dialog box that appears z Hint If the WirelessLAN folder from the CD ROM has been copied to the Temp folder on drive D enter D Temp WirelessLAN 4 Click OK 5 Click Next ...

Page 52: ...52 6 Click Next The driver is installed 7 Click Finish Restart the computer Windows 2000 1 Click Next ...

Page 53: ...evice and click Next 3 Check the box Specify a location and click Next 4 Click Browse and specify the location of the driver in the dialog box z Hint If the WirelessLAN folder from the CD ROM has been copied to the Temp folder on drive D enter D Temp WirelessLAN 5 Click OK ...

Page 54: ...54 6 Click Next The driver is installed 7 Click Finish ...

Page 55: ...55 Additional information Windows XP 1 Select Install from a list or specific location and click Next 2 Check the box Include this location in the search and click Browse ...

Page 56: ...g box that appears select the folder that contains the driver and click OK z Hint If the WirelessLAN folder from the CD ROM has been copied to the Temp folder on drive D select D Temp WirelessLAN 4 Click OK 5 Click Next ...

Page 57: ...cess Point and connect it to a power outlet when using the Access Point Network connection mode Complete installation of the Wireless LAN PC Card driver See page 49 Exit all other Windows programs 1 Go to the WirelessLAN folder copied from the CD ROM and double click Setup exe Depending on your computer s settings the file name Setup exe may be displayed as Setup If there are multiple files named ...

Page 58: ...he Wireless LAN PC Card PCWA C700 was installed and enabled and then the Wireless Panel only was uninstalled and is now being reinstalled Under Windows XP the Wireless Panel starts automatically and the icon appears in the taskbar Under Windows XP installation of the Wireless Panel is now complete 6 Click OK to start the Wireless Connection Easy Setup Wizard Under Windows Me and Windows 2000 the W...

Page 59: ...een installed properly perform the following steps Windows Me 1 Click Start and click Settings Control Panel Control Panel appears 2 Double click the System icon z Hint If the System icon is not shown select View all Control Panel options 3 Click the Device Manager tab 4 Click View devices by type 5 Double click Network adapters ...

Page 60: ...ireless Network Adapter c Remove the Wireless LAN PC Card Then repeat the installation process Double clicking Other devices displays Sony 802 11a b Wireless Network Adapter c Click Sony 802 11a b Wireless Network Adapter then click Remove to uninstall the driver Repeat the installation process 7 Confirm that the message This device is working properly is displayed under Device status Note If This...

Page 61: ...ws 1 Click Start and click Settings Control Panel Control Panel appears 2 Double click the System icon z Hint If the System icon is not shown select View all Control Panel options 3 Click the Device Manager tab and double click Network adapters 4 Double click the network adapter to disable 5 Click the General tab then select the Disable in this hardware profile check box 6 Click OK to close the Pr...

Page 62: ...tem Properties dialog box appears 3 Click the Hardware tab then click Device Manager The Device Manager window appears 4 In the View menu click View devices by type 5 Double click Network adapters 6 Double click Sony 802 11a b Wireless Network Adapter The Sony 802 11a b Wireless Network Adapter Properties dialog box appears ...

Page 63: ...Network Adapter then click Remove to uninstall the driver Repeat the installation process 7 Confirm that the message This device is working properly is displayed under Device status Note If This device is working properly is not shown the Wireless LAN PC Card is not working correctly Perform steps 1 5 right click Sony 802 11a b Wireless Network Adapter then click Remove to uninstall the driver Aft...

Page 64: ...pter to disable 3 On the File menu click Disable 4 Click to close the Network and Dial up Connections window Windows XP 1 Click Start and click Control Panel Control Panel appears 2 Double click the System icon The System Properties dialog box appears z Hint If the System icon is not displayed click Switch to Classic View 3 Click the Hardware tab then click Device Manager The Device Manager window...

Page 65: ... 11a b Wireless Network Adapter c Remove the Wireless LAN PC Card Then repeat the installation process Double clicking Other devices displays Sony 802 11a b Wireless Network Adapter c Right click Sony 802 11a b Wireless Network Adapter then click Remove to uninstall the driver Repeat the installation process 7 Confirm that the message This device is working properly is displayed under Device statu...

Page 66: ...ialog box Control Panel appears 11 Click to close Control Panel If the computer you are using incorporates another Ethernet interface besides the Wireless LAN PC Card disable the other interface as follows 1 Click Start and click Connect To Show all connections The Network Connections window appears 2 From LAN or high speed Internet select the network adapter to disable 3 On the File menu click Di...

Page 67: ... Double click the System icon The System Properties dialog box appears z Hint If the System icon is not shown select View all Control Panel options 3 Click the Device Manager tab 4 Click View devices by type 5 Double click Network adapters 6 Click Sony 802 11a b Wireless Network Adapter then click Uninstall The Confirm Device Removal dialog box appears 7 Click OK to uninstall The message To finish...

Page 68: ... Control Panel appears 2 Double click the System icon The System Properties dialog box appears 3 Click the Hardware tab then click Device Manager The Device Manager window appears 4 On the View menu click View devices by type 5 Double click Network adapters and double click Sony 802 11a b Wireless Network Adapter The Sony 802 11a b Wireless Network Adapter Properties dialog box appears 6 Click the...

Page 69: ...Panel Control Panel appears 2 Double click the System icon The System Properties dialog box appears z Hint If the System icon is not displayed click Switch to Classic View 3 Click the Hardware tab then click Device Manager The Device Manager window appears 4 On the View menu click View devices by type 5 Double click Network adapters and Double click Sony 802 11a b Wireless Network Adapter The Sony...

Page 70: ...askbar before proceeding z Hint For information on how to install the Wireless Panel see page 57 Windows Me Note Exit all programs before running the uninstall process 1 Click Start and click Settings Control Panel Control Panel appears 2 Double click the Add Remove Programs icon The Add Remove Programs Properties dialog box appears 3 Select Wireless Panel and click Add Remove The Confirm File Del...

Page 71: ...the uninstall process 1 Click Start and click Settings Control Panel Control Panel appears 2 Double click the Add Remove Programs icon The Add Remove Programs dialog box appears 3 Select Wireless Panel and click Change Remove The Confirm File Deletion dialog box appears 4 Click OK The software uninstall process is carried out and then the InstallShield completion dialog box appears 5 Click Finish ...

Page 72: ...ntrol Panel Control Panel appears 2 Double click the Add or Remove Programs icon The Add or Remove Programs window appears z Hint If the Add or Remove Programs icon is not displayed click Switch to Classic View 3 Select Wireless Panel and click Change Remove The Confirm File Deletion dialog box appears 4 Click OK The software uninstall process is carried out and then the maintenance completion dia...

Page 73: ...uent vibration Locations where the transmission of radio waves may be obstructed by metal plates or concrete walls Operation If the Wireless LAN PC Card is moved directly from a cold location to a warm locations or if it is placed in a very damp environment moisture may condense on the parts inside The Wireless LAN PC Card may not operate properly if moisture condensation occurs Cleaning Clean the...

Page 74: ...n describes how to get help and support from Sony as well as troubleshooting tips for your Wireless LAN PC Card About Sony s Support Options Sony provides several support options for your Wireless LAN PC Card Operating Instructions explains how to use your Wireless LAN PC Card Troubleshooting Guide contains answers to frequently asked questions and solutions to common problems Wireless LAN Quick G...

Page 75: ...tails see Capabilities on page 5 Channel A part of the frequency spectrum to be used for wireless communication Only client computers and Access Points set to the same channel can communicate with each other Client A computer connected to a LAN Local Area Network Also may be called a client computer DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol DHCP lets network administrators centrally manage and auto...

Page 76: ... individually for each Access Point and Peer to Peer Network to connect to When roaming among multiple Access Points is used all Access Points must be configured for the same Network Name SSID and WEP encryption key TCP IP Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol TCP IP is the network communications protocol that is used to communicate over the Internet TCP is a connection oriented protocol...

Page 77: ...ng Instructions to connect it properly The Wireless LAN PC Card is not properly inserted into your computer c See the instructions on page 13 of this manual to insert it properly Communication between the Access Point and your computer are not established c Check the communication status using the Wireless Panel For details on how to check the status see Checking the communication status page 39 T...

Page 78: ...king radio transmission within the communication range c Remove the obstacles or change the installation location Channel 14 is used for the IEEE 802 11b band c Channel 14 is limited to 2 Mbps c When using an Access Point reset the Access Point to its defaults For further information about how to reset the Access Point see the Access Point Operating Instructions c When using a Wireless LAN PC Card...

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Page 80: ...pc email html The Sony fax back service provides you with answers to commonly asked questions You can use this automated service to request a list of available topics and then select the topics you want to receive To contact the Sony fax back service call 1 877 760 7669 The Sony Customer Information Services Center offers information about your Wireless LAN products and other Sony products that wo...

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