Sony Vaio PCWA-C300S Operating Instructions Manual
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Sony Vaio PCWA-C300S Operating Instructions Manual

Wireless lan pc card (ieee 802.11g: 2.4 ghz/54c mbps
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© 2003 Sony Corporation
Operating Instructions
Mode d'emploi

Wireless LAN PC Card

(IEEE 802.11g: 2.4 GHz/54 Mbps)
PCWA-C300S
4-674-967-11(1)

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Summary of Contents for Sony Vaio PCWA-C300S

  • Page 1: Wireless Lan Pc Card

    © 2003 Sony Corporation Operating Instructions Mode d’emploi Wireless LAN PC Card (IEEE 802.11g: 2.4 GHz/54 Mbps) PCWA-C300S 4-674-967-11(1)
  • Page 2 The model and serial numbers are located on the back of the unit. Record the serial number in the space provided below. Refer to them whenever you call upon your Sony dealer regarding this product. Model No. PCWA-C300S Serial No.______________...
  • Page 3 • In no event will SONY be liable for any financial damage or loss of profits, including claims made by third parties, arising out of the use of the software supplied with this product.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    Windows XP. Notes • The user interface of the Sony supplied software may differ slightly from that shown in this manual. • This manual is written based on the assumption that you are familiar with basic operations of the Windows operating system.

  • Page 5: Overview

    Overview Capabilities The Wireless LAN PC Card (IEEE 802.11g: 2.4 GHz/54 Mbps) PCWA-C300S is a PC Card type wireless network card. With this card, you can build a wireless LAN, allowing multiple computers to communicate and exchange data without needing any physical connection. The supplied Wireless Panel software lets you easily configure the card for multiple networks.
  • Page 6 With the Windows XP operating system: Available Wireless Networks Windows XP Service Pack 1: Available Wireless Networks...
  • Page 7 Accessing the Internet from various points within your home (Access Point Network connection mode) With a separately available Access Point you can easily build a wireless network. By connecting a DSL modem, cable modem, or ISDN router to the Access Point, you can access the Internet from the living room, bedroom, or any other convenient location in the house.

  • Page 8: System Requirements

    Direct communication between computers (Peer to Peer Network connection mode) The Peer to Peer Network connection mode enables computers equipped with Wireless LAN PC Cards to communicate directly. This allows file sharing in locations where the Wireless LAN Access Point is not present. System requirements To use the supplied software, the following system requirements must be met:...
  • Page 9 • Correct operation in an OS upgrade environment is not assured, except for factory provided Windows XP operating system upgrade packages for Sony VAIO computers. • For Internet access via the wireless LAN, an IEEE 802.11g or IEEE 802.11b compliant Wireless LAN Access Point (available separately) is necessary.

  • Page 10: Documentation And Help File

    Documentation and Help file This product comes with the following documentation and help files. Operating Instructions (this document) Explains how to install the Wireless LAN PC Card and how to configure all settings of the card. Quick Start Guide This document explains how to install software required to use the Wireless LAN PC Card (IEEE 802.11g: 2.4 GHz/54 Mbps) PCWA-C300S.
  • Page 11 2 On the screen that opens, click “Wireless Panel Online Help”. Access from Wireless Panel 1 Install the Wireless Panel software, following the instructions in this manual. 2 Start the Wireless Panel. 3 Right-click the Wireless Panel icon on your Windows operating system taskbar and click Help on the shortcut menu.

  • Page 12: Unpacking

    Unpacking Your Wireless LAN PC Card comes with the following items: • Wireless LAN PC Card Supplied software The supplied CD-ROM contains the following software. Wireless LAN PC Card driver This device driver is necessary to the operation of the Wireless LAN PC Card.

  • Page 13: Installing The Supplied Software

    Installing the supplied software This section explains how to use the supplied CD-ROM to install the Wireless LAN PC Card device driver and Wireless Panel. You must insert the Wireless LAN PC Card into your computer before installing the device driver and Wireless Panel.
  • Page 14 Important Computer Firewall Functions When using the Windows XP “Internet Connection Firewall” function Enabling the Windows XP “Internet Connection Firewall” you from being able to access your computer through wireless communication. (This function is inactive under the Windows XP operating system default settings.) Because of this function, you may not be able to connect to your network when you change your Access Point settings.
  • Page 15 When using the Wireless LAN PC Card in Access Point Network Connection mode, turn on the Access Point. Insert the supplied CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive of your computer. The Easy Installation Wizard starts automatically. Hint If the Easy Installation Wizard does not appear when you insert the supplied CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive, double-click “Setup.exe”...
  • Page 16 If you are using an external CD-ROM drive, follow the instructions on the screen and copy the contents of the CD-ROM to your hard disk. When the copy is complete, click “Main Menu”. The Main Menu of the Easy Installation Wizard appears. Click “Install Driver”.
  • Page 17 Insert the Wireless LAN PC Card in the PC card slot. You do not need to turn off your computer when you insert the Wireless LAN PC Card. Insert in arrow direction To PC Card slot Notes • If your computer has two PC Card slots, insert the Wireless LAN PC Card into the top slot.
  • Page 18 When installation is complete, the following screen appears. Click “Continue”. Click “Install Software Utility”. The utility installation starts.
  • Page 19 Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation. This completes the installation of the software. Once Wireless Panel is installed, system taskbar. What to do next Make Access Point connection settings. When using the Windows Me or Windows 2000 operating system, proceed to page 20.

  • Page 20: Making Access Point Connection Settings

    Making Access Point Connection Settings After installing the necessary software, you must make the necessary settings to establish a connection with the Access Point. If you want to establish a connection in Peer to Peer Network connection mode, refer to the Wireless Panel Help for details about the necessary settings.
  • Page 21 1Network Name (SSID) This is a unique ID used to identify wireless networks. 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.
  • Page 22 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.
  • Page 23 Wait until the Wireless LAN PC Card connects to the Access Point. When the Wireless LAN PC Card establishes the connection with the Access Point, the following screen appears. This completes the Access Point connection settings procedure. Hint You can change the connection settings and network connection mode from Wireless Panel.

  • Page 24: Windows Xp Operating System

    Windows XP operating system After installing the necessary software, you must make the necessary settings to establish a connection with the Access Point. If you want to establish a connection in Peer to Peer Network connection mode, refer to the Wireless Panel Help for details about the necessary settings.
  • Page 25 Hints • If the computer is not connected to a wireless network, an “x” is shown for the “Wireless Network Connection *” icon in the “Network Connections” window. • If you have installed Windows XP Service Pack 1, see page 26. From the “Available Wireless Networks”...
  • Page 26 Hints • ASCII and hexadecimal characters are automatically identified. • The data encryption (WEP) function serves to prevent unauthorized access to the network. When the function 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.
  • Page 27 • Data Encryption (WEP) at selected Access Point is disabled Select the “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.) Click “Connect”. Connection to the Access Point is established. If the Access Point has already been configured, the setup procedure is now complete.

  • Page 28: Removing The Wireless Lan Pc Card And Precautions When Inserting It

    Quit any software accessing the wireless LAN (e.g. Internet Explorer). Click Click “Safely remove Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter” or “Stop Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter” on the shortcut menu that appears. If your computer has two PC Card slots Notes •...

  • Page 29: Checking The Communication Status

    Checking the communication status Checking the wireless signal strength The communication status is shown by the signal level indicator on your Windows operating system taskbar. Meaning of indicator appearance Checking network information To obtain information about the network to which you are connected, proceed as follows.

  • Page 30: Using The Wireless Panel

    Using the Wireless Panel The Wireless Panel is a software application that shows information about the communication status of the computer connected to the wireless network. Normally, the Wireless Panel runs in the background and only shows the radio signal condition by means of the signal level indicator on your Windows operating system taskbar.

  • Page 31: Manually Installing, Verifying, And Removing The Supplied Software

    Manually installing, verifying, and removing the supplied software Installing the Wireless LAN PC Card driver manually Notes • To install the supplied software on a computer running the Windows 2000 operating system, log on with a user account listed in “Administrators”. To install the supplied software on a computer running the Windows XP operating system, log on with a user account with administrator access privileges.
  • Page 32 Windows Me operating system: 1 Select “Specify the location of the driver” and click “Next”. 2 Select the “Specify a location” check box.
  • Page 33 3 Click “Browse” and specify the location of the driver in the dialog box that appears. Hint If the “Driver” folder from the CD-ROM has been copied to the “temp” folder on drive C, enter “C:\temp\Driver\WinMe”. 4 Click “OK”. 5 Click “Next”.
  • Page 34 6 Click “Next”. The driver is installed. 7 Click “Finish”. Restart the computer. Windows 2000 operating system: 1 Click “Next”.
  • Page 35 2 Select “Search for a suitable driver for my device” and click “Next”. 3 Select the “Specify a location” check box and click “Next”. 4 Click “Browse” and specify the location of the driver in the dialog box. Hint If the “Driver” folder from the CD-ROM has been copied to the “temp” folder on drive C, enter “C:\temp\Driver\WinXP2K”.
  • Page 36 6 Click “Next”. The driver is installed. 7 Click “Finish”.
  • Page 37 Windows XP operating system: 1 Select “Install from a list or specific location” and click “Next”. 2 Select the “Include this location in the search” check box and click “Browse”.
  • Page 38 3 In the dialog box that appears, select the folder that contains the driver and click “OK”. If the “Driver” folder from the CD-ROM has been copied to the “temp” folder on drive C, select “C:temp\Driver\WinXP2K”. 4 Click “OK”. 5 Click “Next”. Hint...

  • Page 39: Installing The Wireless Panel Manually

    6 Click “Finish”. Installing the Wireless Panel manually Note When using the Windows 2000 operating system, log on with a user account listed in “Administrators”. When using the Windows XP operating system, log on with a user account with administrator access privileges. Before installation •...
  • Page 40 Go to the “WPanel” 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 “Setup” in the same folder, double-click the one with the following icon. Click “Next”.

  • Page 41: Connecting To The Access Point With Wireless Panel (Windows Me/2000 Operating System)

    Connecting to the Access Point with Wireless Panel (Windows Me/2000 operating system) Double-click The Wireless Panel screen appears. Click the “Network List” tab, select a wireless network from the list, and click “Register”. The “Registering Network” dialog box appears. If data encryption (WEP) is enabled for the Access Point, select the “WEP”...

  • Page 42: Verifying Wireless Lan Pc Card Driver Installation

    Verifying Wireless LAN PC Card driver installation To verify that the Wireless LAN PC Card driver has been installed properly, perform the following steps. Windows Me operating system: Click “Start”, point to “Settings”, and click “Control Panel”. Control Panel appears. Double-click the “System”...
  • Page 43 Note The Wireless LAN PC Card is not working properly in the following cases: • “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter” is shown with an “X” or “!” symbol. c Click “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter” and click “Remove” to uninstall the driver.
  • Page 44 Click “OK” to close the “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter Properties” dialog box. The “System Properties” dialog box appears. Click “OK” to close the “System Properties” dialog box. Control Panel appears. Click If the computer you are using incorporates another Ethernet interface besides the Wireless LAN PC Card, disable the other interface as follows.
  • Page 45 Click the “Hardware” tab, then click “Device Manager”. The “Device Manager” window appears. In the “View” menu, click “Devices by type”. Double-click “Network adapters”. Double-click “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter”. The “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter Properties” dialog box appears.
  • Page 46 Note The Wireless LAN PC Card is not working properly in the following cases: • “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter” is shown with an “X” or “!” symbol. c Right-click “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter” and click “Remove” to uninstall the driver. Then repeat the installation process.
  • Page 47 If the computer you are using incorporates another Ethernet interface besides the Wireless LAN PC Card, disable the other interface as follows. Click “Start”, point to “Settings”, and click “Network and Dial- up Connections”. The “Network and Dial-up Connections” window appears. Select the network adapter to disable.
  • Page 48 Note The Wireless LAN PC Card is not working properly in the following cases: • “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter” is shown with an “X” or “!” symbol. c Right-click “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter” and click “Remove” to uninstall the driver. Then repeat the installation process.
  • Page 49 Click “OK” to close the “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter Properties” dialog box. The “Device Manager” window appears. Click to close the “Device Manager” window. The “System Properties” dialog box appears. Click “OK” to close the “System Properties” dialog box.

  • Page 50: Uninstalling The Wireless Lan Pc Card Driver

    If the “System” icon is not shown, select “View all Control Panel options”. Click the “Device Manager” tab. Click “View devices by type”. Double-click “Network adapters”. Click “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter”, then click “Remove”. The “Confirm Device Removal” dialog box appears. Click “OK” to uninstall.
  • Page 51 On the “View” menu, click “Devices by type”. Double-click “Network adapters”, and double-click “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter”. The “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter Properties” dialog box appears. Click the “Driver” tab, then click “Uninstall”. The “Confirm Device Removal” dialog box appears.
  • Page 52 On the “View” menu, click “Devices by type”. Double-click “Network adapters”, and Double-click “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter”. The “Sony 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter Properties” dialog box appears. Click the “Driver” tab, then click “Uninstall”. The “Confirm Device Removal” dialog box appears.

  • Page 53: Uninstalling The Wireless Panel

    Click to close the Device Manager window. The “System Properties” dialog box appears. Click “OK” to close the “System Properties” dialog box. Control Panel appears. Click to close Control Panel. Uninstalling the Wireless Panel To uninstall the Wireless Panel, proceed as follows. Note Exit the Wireless Panel with the icon on your Windows operating system taskbar before proceeding.
  • Page 54 Windows 2000 operating system: Notes • With the Windows 2000 operating system, only users with administrator access privileges can uninstall software. Log on to the Windows 2000 operating system with a user account listed in “Administrators”. • Exit all programs before running the uninstall process. Click “Start”, point to “Settings”, and click “Control Panel”.
  • Page 55 Windows XP operating system: Notes • With the Windows XP operating system, only users with administrator access privileges can uninstall software. Log on to the Windows XP operating system with a user account with administrator access privileges. • Exit all programs before running the uninstall process. Click “Start”...

  • Page 56: Precautions

    Precautions Safety Do not drop or cause a mechanical shock to the Wireless LAN PC Card, as this may damage the unit. Installation Do not expose the Wireless LAN PC Card to the following conditions: • Unstable surfaces • High humidity or poor ventilation •...

  • Page 57: Specifications

    The Sony e-mail support service answers your questions by electronic mail. Just send your question in an e-mail message and a customer service representative will reply. To send a question to Sony e-mail support, fill out the e-mail form at http://www.ita.sel.sony.com/ support/pc/email.html...

  • Page 58: Glossary

    1-877-760-7669. The Sony Customer Information Services Center offers information about your Wireless LAN products and other Sony products that work with your computer. To contact the Sony Customer Information Services Center, call 1-877-760-7669. Open 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.
  • Page 59 LAN (Local Area Network) A network which is accessible only to its members, unlike the Internet which is open to an unlimited number of people. A LAN may be built for different purposes. For example, you can build an office LAN that is accessible only to members of the same department or a home LAN that is accessible only to family members.

  • Page 60: Troubleshooting

    Troubleshooting Read the Troubleshooting section of this guide before calling Sony Customer Information Services. If you still cannot resolve your issue after reading this section, call Sony Customer Information Services. Symptom My computer does not detect the Wireless LAN PC Card.
  • Page 61 Symptom Cause/Remedy There is interference with other Access Points. Data transfer speed is slow c Try changing the Access Point channel setting. The network is handling a large amount of simultaneous traffic. c Try again when the network load is lower. Communication distance is long.
  • Page 64 Just send your question in an e-mail message and a customer service representative will reply. To send a question to Sony e-mail support, fill out the e-mail form at http://www.ita.sel.sony.com/support/pc/email.html The Sony fax-back service provides you with answers to commonly asked questions.

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