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Sony PCWA-C500 manual

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Table of contents for the manual

  • Page 1

    Operating Instructions 5GHz Wireless LAN PC Card PCWA-C500 4-657-719- 11 (1) © 2002 Sony Corporation[...]

  • Page 2

    2 WARNING To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose the unit to rain or moisture. Owner’s Record 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-C500 Serial No.______________ CAU[...]

  • Page 3

    3 About the supplied software THE SUPPLIED SOFTWARE IS SUPPLIED PURSUANT TO THE APPLICABLE END- USER LICENSE AGREEMENT. • Copyright laws prohibit reproducing the software or the software manual in whole or in part, or renting the software without the permission of the copyright holder. • In no event will SONY be liable for any financial damage [...]

  • Page 4

    4 Table of contents Overview ............................................... 5 What you can do with your Wireless LAN PC Card ............. 5 System requirements ..................... 9 About manuals and Help files ............. 10 Accessing Online Help ................ 10 Getting started Unpacking ............................................ 11 Su[...]

  • Page 5

    5 Overview What you can do with your Wireless LAN PC Card The 5GHz Wireless LAN PC Card PCWA-C500 is a wireless network card in a PC card format. You can use the Wireless LAN PC Card to construct a wireless LAN environment for connecting multiple computers. With the Wireless LAN PC Card, you can connect to another computer that has a Wireless LAN P[...]

  • Page 6

    6 With Windows XP: Available networks[...]

  • Page 7

    7 Accessing the Internet from various places in the house (with Access Point Network connection mode) Access Point Network connection mode allows you to construct a wireless network based on an Access Point (optional). By using a computer with a Wireless LAN PC Card, you can communicate with the Access Point, and share files with other computers vi[...]

  • Page 8

    8 High bit rate movie streaming playback * (with Peer to Peer Nework connection mode) Peer to Peer Network connection mode allows computers equipped with Wireless LAN PC Cards to communicate directly, without using a Wireless LAN Access Point. With this connection mode, users can share files directly from one computer to another. Because Peer to Pe[...]

  • Page 9

    9 System requirements To use the software provided, the following hardware and software is required. ❑ A computer with the following specifications: – 128 MB of RAM (or more) – A CardBus-compatible PC card slot – An available CD-ROM drive (for installing the software) ❑ Supported operating system: – Microsoft ® Windows ® Millennium Ed[...]

  • Page 10

    10 About manuals and Help files The following manuals and Help file are provided with this product. ❑ 5GHz Wireless LAN PC Card PCWA-C500 Quick Start Guide for Microsoft ® Windows ® Millennium Edition and Microsoft ® Windows ® 2000 Professional Users ❑ 5GHz Wireless LAN PC Card PCWA-C500 Quick Start Guide for Microsoft ® Windows ® XP Home[...]

  • Page 11

    11 Getting star ted Unpacking Your Wireless LAN PC Card comes with the following items: • Wireless LAN PC Card • PC card case • CD-ROM (Setup disc) • Operating Instructions • Quick Start Guide for Windows Me and Windows 2000 Users • Quick Start Guide for Windows XP Users • Warranty Card • Other printed matter Supplied software and W[...]

  • Page 12

    12 Indicators 12 1 POWER indicator 2 NETWORK indicator Indicator modes POWER NETWORK Description Blinking rapidly Communication in progress (The rate of flashing changes with the amount of data flow.) Blinking slowly in unison Standby (Data transfer is possible, however no data is being sent or received.) Alternating slow blinking Connection not es[...]

  • Page 13

    13 Getting star ted Insert the card in the direction of the arrow. Inserting the Wireless LAN PC Card If you are inserting the 5GHz Wireless LAN PC Card PCWA-C500 for the first time, see Quick Start Guide for details. This section explains how to insert and remove the Wireless LAN PC Card from your computer. You do not need to turn off your compute[...]

  • Page 14

    14 If your computer is already turned on when you insert the Wireless LAN PC card, the driver installation wizard starts automatically. Refer to the Quick Start Guide for details on driver installation. To remove the Wireless LAN PC Card: 1 Close any software that is using the Wireless LAN. 2 Stop PC Card Services on the taskbar or in Control Panel[...]

  • Page 15

    15 Software setup About the software provided The CD-ROM provided contains the following software: ❑ 5GHz Wireless LAN PC Card driver This software is required for 5GHz Wireless LAN PC Card PCWA-C500 operation. ❑ Wireless Panel Wireless Panel is a utility software that displays the status of wireless communications. Normally, it displays the st[...]

  • Page 16

    16 2 Double-click System. The System Properties dialog box appears. z Hint If System is not displayed, click “view all Control Panel options.” 3 Click the Device Manager tab. 4 Select Devices by type. 5 Double-click Network adapters. 6 Double-click Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter. The Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter Properties dialog box ap[...]

  • Page 17

    17 Software setup • Double-clicking Network adapters does not display the Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter. c Remove the Wireless LAN PC Card from the computer, and reinsert it. Then, reinstall the Wireless LAN PC Card driver. • Double-clicking Other devices displays the Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter. c Click Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adap[...]

  • Page 18

    18 3 Click the Device Manager tab, then double-click Network adapters. 4 Double-click the network card you want to disable. 5 Click the General tab, then select the Disable in this hardware profile check box. Windows 2000: 1 From the Start menu, point to Settings, then select Control Panel. The Control Panel appears. 2 Double-click System. The Syst[...]

  • Page 19

    19 Software setup 6 Double-click Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter. The Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter Properties dialog box appears. Note The Wireless LAN PC Card is not working properly if the following occurs: • The Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter is represented in the Device Manager list by a yellow question mark or exclamation point. c [...]

  • Page 20

    20 7 Confirm that the message “ This device is working properly ” is displayed under Device status. Note If the message “ This device is working properly ” is not displayed, the Wireless LAN PC Card is not working properly. In this case, repeat steps 1 to 5, and right-click Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter. Then click Remove to delete the [...]

  • Page 21

    21 Software setup Windows XP: 1 From the start menu, select Control Panel. The Control Panel appears. 2 Double-click System. 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 From the V[...]

  • Page 22

    22 Note The Wireless LAN PC Card is not working properly if the following occurs: • The Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter is represented in the Device Manager list by a yellow question mark or exclamation point. c Right-click Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter, and click Uninstall to delete the Wireless LAN PC Card driver. Then, reinstall the Wire[...]

  • Page 23

    23 Software setup When using a computer that has an Ethernet interface other than a Wireless LAN PC Card, it is recommended that you disable the Ethernet interface to avoid any unexpected difficulties. After completing all of the above steps, perform the following steps. 1 From the start menu, point to Connect To, then select Show all connections. [...]

  • Page 24

    24 4 Select Devices by type. 5 Double-click Network adapters, then click Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter, and click Remove. The Confirm Device Removal dialog box appears. 6 Click OK. The message “To finish removing your hardware, you must restart your computer. Do you want to restart your computer now?” appears. 7 Remove the Wireless LAN PC C[...]

  • Page 25

    25 Software setup 6 Click the Driver tab, then click Uninstall. The Confirm Device Removal dialog box appears. 7 Click OK. You are returned to the Device Manager window. 8 Click to close the Device Manager window. You are returned to the System Properties dialog box. 9 Click OK to close the System Properties dialog box. You are returned to the Cont[...]

  • Page 26

    26 5 Double-click Network adapters, then double-click Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter. The Sony 802.11a Wireless LAN Adapter Properties dialog box appears. 6 Click the Driver tab, then click Uninstall. The Confirm Device Removal dialog box appears. 7 Click OK. You are returned to the Device Manager window. 8 Click to close the Device Manager wind[...]

  • Page 27

    27 Software setup 3 Click 5GHz Wireless LAN, then click Add/Remove. The Confirm File Deletion dialog box appears. 4 Click OK. The program is removed, and the Maintenance Complete dialog box appears. Note If the ReadOnly File Detected dialog box appears, click Yes to delete the file. 5 Click Finish. Note If the Shared File Detected dialog box appear[...]

  • Page 28

    28 5 Click Finish. Note If the Shared File Detected dialog box appears, it is recommended that you click No and keep shared files. Windows XP: Notes • Log on to Windows XP using an account with computer administrator privileges. • Close all programs before removing the Wireless Panel. 1 From the start menu, select Control Panel. The Control Pan[...]

  • Page 29

    29 Wireless LAN connection Initial settings for constructing a wireless LAN Windows Me or Windows 2000 When you install the Wireless Panel onto your computer for the first time, the Wireless Connection Easy Setup Wizard starts automatically after you have installed the Wireless Panel. This wizard makes it easy to set up an initial wireless LAN conf[...]

  • Page 30

    30 1 Select the Use Easy Setup Wizard check box, and click Next. The Connection mode panel appears. 2 Select Access Point Network, and click Next. The Network Setup panel appears. 3 Configure Nickname, Network, and WEP. Items to be configured: • Nickname This is the nickname for the network. You can enter up to 20 ASCII characters (alphanumeric c[...]

  • Page 31

    31 Wireless LAN connection • Network Name The Network Name is an ID used to identify wireless networks, and is also referred to as the “ SSID ” . When connecting to a 5GHz Wireless LAN Access Point PCWA-A500 that is set to the factory default settings, enter the factory default Network Name for Access Point that is printed on the ID label at [...]

  • Page 32

    32 [ASCII/Hex] This is the format for entering the password (WEP key) required when connecting to networks where WEP is enabled. You can select ASCII (alphanumeric characters, and may include symbols) or Hex (hexadecimal notation). [Length] This is the length (bit length) for the WEP key (password) required when connecting to networks where WEP is [...]

  • Page 33

    33 Wireless LAN connection 5 Confirm your settings, then click Next. The Connected with access point panel appears when communication with the Access Point is established. (It may take some time before a connection is established.) Note If an error message is displayed, the settings are not correct. Read the error message carefully, and click Back [...]

  • Page 34

    34 Notes • If your web browser is configured to use a web proxy server, set the web browser proxy setting so that the browser does not use a proxy server for the Access Point IP address. (The factory default Access Point IP address is 192.168.11.1.) • Depending on the firmware version of the Access Point, the Access Point setup page may differ [...]

  • Page 35

    35 Wireless LAN connection 9 Change the computer settings to match those you set for the Access Point. 10 Click Next. The settings that you selected are displayed. 11 Confirm your settings, then click Next. Communication with the Access Point is established. z Hint Refer to the Windows Help or your Windows documentation for information on sharing f[...]

  • Page 36

    36 3 When all of the items are set, click Next. The settings that you have made are displayed. 4 Confirm your settings, then click Next. Your settings are saved. This may take several minutes. 5 When the Completing the Wireless Connection Easy Setup Wizard panel appears, click Finish. 6 Configure each computer to be included on this peer to peer wi[...]

  • Page 37

    37 Wireless LAN connection Windows XP Note Before configuring the Wireless LAN PC Card Perform the following steps to confirm that the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings check box is selected. This option is selected as the default setting. 1 From the Start menu, select Control Panel, then double-click Network Connections. 2 Righ[...]

  • Page 38

    38 Note Refer to the Wireless Panel Online Help on how to register additional networks. 4 From Available Networks list in Connect to Wireless Network, click the network that you want to connect to. z Hint Network Names of Access Points within communication range are listed in Available Networks. The factory default Network Name of the Access Point [...]

  • Page 39

    39 Wireless LAN connection 6 Click Connect. Communication with the Access Point is established. If you are not going to change the Access Point settings, this completes all the necessary settings. If you want to change the Access Point settings, follow the instructions below. Note To use Access Point to connect to the Internet, you must change the [...]

  • Page 40

    40 8 Set up the Access Point following the onscreen instructions. z Hint To use the online help, click the question mark icon on the page. WARNING If you change the Network Name (SSID) or WEP settings for the Access Point, communication between the Access Point and the computer will be lost because the Access Point and computer settings do not matc[...]

  • Page 41

    41 Wireless LAN connection 3 When the computer is connected to a wireless network: Double-click the Received Signal Level indicator on the taskbar to display the Wireless Panel and click Network List to display the Network Connections window. Then, right-click “ Wireless Connection * ” (where the asterisk represents a number. This number varies[...]

  • Page 42

    42 5 Click the Wireless Networks tab.[...]

  • Page 43

    43 Wireless LAN connection 6 Click Add. The Wireless Network Properties dialog box appears. 7 Enter a Network name (SSID) for this network (up to 32 characters, and may include symbols). The Network name is an ID used to identify wireless networks, and is also referred to as the “ SSID ” . When connecting to a Peer to Peer network, enter the sa[...]

  • Page 44

    44 8 Select the Data Encryption (WEP enabled( check box, and clear the The key is provided for me automatically check box. Note WEP is a function designed to prevent unauthorized access to your network data. When the Data Encryption (WEP enabled) check box is not selected, data is not encrypted. While you can set up a wireless network without encry[...]

  • Page 45

    45 Wireless LAN connection Viewing communication status Viewing the signal reception level You can check the level of the signal you are receiving using the Received Signal Level indicator on the taskbar. Communication status indicator icons for the Access Point: Excellent Good Intermediate Acceptable Poor Out of range No card (The wireless LAN PC [...]

  • Page 46

    46 Viewing detailed network information You can use the Wireless Panel utility to view detailed information about the network your computer is connected to. Double-click the Received Signal Level indicator on the taskbar. The Wireless Panel main screen appears, indicating the status of the network that your computer is connected to. For details on [...]

  • Page 47

    47 Wireless LAN connection Using Wireless Panel Wireless Panel is software for displaying the status of wireless communications. Normally, it runs in the background, displaying the status of your wireless connection as an icon on the taskbar. You can get more detailed connection information by displaying its main screen. When using an operating sys[...]

  • Page 48

    48 Displaying the main screen of the Wireless Panel To display the main screen of the Wireless Panel, double-click the Received Signal Level indicator on the taskbar. The main screen of the Wireless Panel appears, displaying the status of the network that your computer is connected to. z Hints • For details on the Received Signal Level indicator,[...]

  • Page 49

    49 Wireless LAN connection Status tab 1 Wireless Status This area displays the communication status of the Wireless Panel. Nickname The Nickname of the network that computer is currently connected to. (Created by the user.) If the Nickname is longer than 13 characters, the first 12 characters are displayed and remaining characters are denoted by an[...]

  • Page 50

    50 Rate Indicates the data transfer rate. Frequency Indicates the communication channel and frequency currently being used. Connection Mode Indicates the connection mode for the connected network. “ AP Network ” is displayed if the network uses Access Point, and “ Peer to Peer ” is displayed if the network consists only of computers connect[...]

  • Page 51

    51 Wireless LAN connection AP Scan tab 1 Wireless Status Displays all networks operating within the communication range of your computer. Selected In this column, “ >>> ” indicates the currently selected Access Point. Nickname Nicknames for networks registered in the Wireless Panel. For networks not registered in Wireless Panel, this c[...]

  • Page 52

    52 WEP Indicates whether the data is encrypted or not. Ch Displays the network channel that is currently being used by the network. 2 Network List button / Network Registration button Windows Me/2000: Network List When none of the networks on the list is selected, this button appears as Network List. Clicking the Network List button opens the Netwo[...]

  • Page 53

    53 Wireless LAN connection 3 Scan button Clicking the Scan button updates the Network List by searching for all wireless networks that are currently in range. Note This button is not displayed when you are using Windows Me. 4 AP Setup button View the status or change the setting of the Access Point by accessing the Access Point ’ s internal confi[...]

  • Page 54

    54 Signal Log tab 1 Signal Log Displays the signal status and signal rate for signals as a graph. The red line indicates the data reception rate, the green line the transmission rate, and the blue line the signal level (strength). 2 Wide Plot button / Narrow Plot button This button toggles between the Wide Plot and the Narrow Plot display modes. Wh[...]

  • Page 55

    55 Additional inf ormation Precautions Safety Do not drop or cause a mechanical shock to the 5GHz Wireless LAN PC Card PCWA-C500, 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 • Excessive dust • Direct sunlight or extreme [...]

  • Page 56

    56 Specifications Protocol support TCP/IP compliant Standard IEEE802.11a/IEEE802.11 Radio frequency 5.15 to 5.35 GHz Modulation method OFDM (IEEE802.11a compliant) General Power requirements 3.3 V DC (supplied from the computer through the PC card adapter) Current Peak current at transmission: 560 mA Peak current at reception: 400 mA Connector PC C[...]

  • Page 57

    57 Additional inf ormation ❒ 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 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 info[...]

  • Page 58

    58 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. PPPo[...]

  • Page 59

    59 Additional information 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 Cause/Remedy My computer does not detect the Wireless LAN PC Card. Other computers on the wire[...]

  • Page 60

    60 Symptom Cause/Remedy I cannot remember the WEP Key. No communication is available even though my computer is located within 150 feet (50 m) of the Access Point, in direct line of sight. 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[...]

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    Printed in Japan ❒ 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.sony.com/wirelesslansupport/ ❒ The Sony fax-back service provides you with [...]