4-680-222-11(1)

Wireless

Broadband Router

Troubleshooting Guide

This document provides solutions to common problems encountered with the Wireless Broadband Router.

Please refer to this guide before contacting SonyCustomer Information Services.

The PCWA-AR800 consists of:

 

• Broadband Router Unit

PCWA-R1

• Wireless LAN Access Point

PCWA-A820

In this document, we refer to the Broadband Router Unit as the Router Unit and to the Wireless LAN Access Point as the Access Point.

The PCWA-AR800 can be used at frequency settings of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Change this setting as necessary. (By default, the PCWA-AR800 is set to 2.4 GHz.)

PCWA-AR800

©2004 Sony Corporation Printed in Japan

Contents

 

Preparations

 

 

 

 

 

 

• No communication between the computer and

 

 

 

........................................................................Wireless Broadband Router

Case 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connections

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•

.....................Cannot display the Setup Page (an error message appears)

Case 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Router Functions

 

 

 

 

•

The Internet Gateway is shown as a network connection.

 

 

 

What does this mean? ................................................................................

Case 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•

....................................................................Cannot connect to the Internet

Case 2

 

• I changed the LAN settings of the Router Unit, but I can no longer

 

 

 

........................................................connect to the Router Unit or network

Case 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Access Point Functions

 

 

 

•

Clicked the “Refresh” button under “Access Point List”, but nothing

 

 

 

 

appears in the list ........................................................................................

 

Case 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•

....Several Access Points are listed, but I do not know which one to select

 

Case 2

 

•

The user name and password input dialog box appears despite

 

 

 

the lack of settings ......................................................................................

Case 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•

............Unable to connect after Access Point functions settings are made

Case 4

 

•

If “Easy Setup” is used after “Advanced Setup”,

 

 

 

.........................................what about items not included in “Easy Setup”?

Case 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miscellaneous

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•

Forgot settings ............................................................................................

Case 1

 

•

The power cord is plugged to the AC outlet, but the indicators

 

 

 

..................................................................................................do not light

Case 2

 

•

After pressing the Quick Setup switch, the Status indicator

 

 

 

starts flashing red ........................................................................................

Case 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•

..............................Computer firewall function and browser proxy settings

Case 4

 

Preparations
Case 1 No communication between the computer and Wireless Broadband Router
1Are you attempting to establish a connection at a frequency of 5 GHz?

The default wireless broadband frequency setting is 2.4 GHz. If you want to establish a wireless connection at 5 GHz, access the Access Point Setup page through a wired network, and change the frequency setting to 5 GHz (802.11a). Refer to the separate Quick Start Guide for details about how to display the Access Point Setup page.

2Was your computer properly configured for wireless communication?

When using the Access Point functions under factory default settings, configure the computer as follows.

The factory default settings of the Access Point function are:

•Network Name (SSID):

The 6-character identifier printed on the label inside the rear cover of the Wireless Unit zHint

For details about the location of the network name (SSID), refer to procedure 3 of the Quick Start Guide.

•Security settings

Encryption (WEP): Disabled

•IEEE 802.11 Mode: 11g, 11b (High multicast rate)

With the Windows Me and Windows 2000 operating systems, perform setup as described in the documentation provided with your Wireless LAN PC Card.

With the Windows XP operating system, proceed as follows.

1

Click “Start”, and then click “Control Panel”.

2

In “Control Panel”, click “Network and Internet Connections”, and then click

 

“Network Connections”.

 

zHint

 

If “Network and Internet Connections” does not appear, click “Switch to Category View” on the left.

3

In the “Network Connections” window, right-click the icon of the wireless network to

 

which you want to connect, and click “View Available Wireless Networks”.

4 In the “Connect to Wireless Network” dialog box (with Windows XP SP1, the “Wireless Network Connection” dialog box), select the Access Point from “Available Wireless Networks”, and click “Connect”. (When using the Access Point functions under factory default settings, check the 6-character identifier printed on the label inside the rear cover of the Wireless Unit.)

3Are the network name (SSID) and security settings configured correctly?

To connect to the Access Point, the network name (SSID) and security settings must be the same at the computer and the Access Point.

zHint

When using the Access Point functions under factory default settings, use the settings listed in 2above. With the Windows Me and Windows 2000 operating systems, verify the Access Point network name (SSID) and security settings of the wireless LAN PC card as described in its documentation.

With the Windows XP operating system, proceed as follows to verify the settings.

1

Open the “Connect to Wireless Network” dialog box (with Windows XP SP1, the

 

“Wireless Network connecion” dialog box) as described in2 above.

2

Select the network name (SSID) of the Access Point from “Available Wireless

 

Networks”.

3

Make sure that the security settings of the Access Point match those of the

 

computer.

4

Click “Connect”.

If the connection is not established, reset the Access Point functions to the factory default settings as described in “Miscellaneous”, “Case 1: Forgot settings”, and then set up the Access Point functions again as described in the separate Quick Start Guide.

4Can the IP address of the computer be acquired?

With the computer setting “Obtain an IP address automatically” enabled, perform the following steps. For information on how to set the IP address of the computer, see Windows Help.

Windows Me operating system

1

Click “Start”, and click “Run”.

2

In the dialog box used to specify the file name, enter “winipcfg” (exclude the

 

quotation marks) and click “OK”.

3

From the list in the “IP Setup” dialog box, select the Wireless LAN interface that you

 

are using (PC card, computer internal wireless LAN, etc.).

4

Make sure that an IP address is shown in the “IP address” text box.

5

If the IP address is “0.0.0.0” or an address starting with “169.254.” is displayed, click

 

“Release”, and then “Renew”.

Note

If an IP address starting with “169.254.” is displayed, a suitable IP address was not obtained with “Obtain an IP address automatically” and your Windows operating system assigned an address to the wireless LAN PC card or Wireless LAN Converter. In this condition, correct network connection is not possible. Perform the setup again as described in the separate Quick Start Guide.

Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems

1

Click “Start”, point to “Programs” (“All Programs” when using the Windows XP

 

operating system) and then “Accessories”, and click “Command Prompt”.

2

In the command prompt window, enter “ipconfig /all” (exclude the quotation marks)

 

and press the Enter key.

3

Verify the IP address setting information of the Wireless LAN interface that you are

 

using (PC card, computer internal wireless LAN, etc.).

zHint

The “Description” field shows the name of the Wireless LAN interface.

4 If the IP address is “0.0.0.0” or an address starting with “169.254.” is displayed, enter “ipconfig /renew” (exclude the quotation marks) and press the Enter key.

A new IP address is assigned.

Note

If an IP address starting with “169.254.” is displayed, a suitable IP address was not obtained with “Obtain an IP address automatically” and your Windows operating system assigned an address to the wireless LAN PC card or Wireless LAN Converter. In this condition, correct network connection is not possible. Perform the setup again as described in the separate Quick Start Guide.

Connections
Case 1 Cannot display the Setup Page (an error message appears)

If entering “http://192.168.11.1/” in the address field of the Web browser does not open the Setup Page, check the following.

1Can the IP address of the computer be acquired?

See “Preparations”, “Case 1: No communication between the computer and Wireless Broadband Router”, item 4.

2Are the Access Point and Router Unit power connections correct?

When powered properly, the Status indicator of the Router Unit is lit and the Status indicator of the Access Point is flashing slowly.

3Is the AC adapter power switch on?

Make sure that the AC adapter is properly connected and verify that the power switch is on.

zHint

When the AC adapter power switch is on, the LED on the adapter is lit.

Power switch a: Off

? : On

To power outlet

LED

Cable modem or DSL modem

4Is the Ethernet cable correctly connected?

Make sure that an end of the Ethernet cable is connected to a LAN connector of the Router Unit. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to your computer.

zHint

The Ethernet port of your computer is on its back panel.

5Is the Windows XP “Internet Connection Firewall” function enabled?

If the “Internet Connection Firewall” function is enabled, communication may not be possible. See “Miscellaneous”, “Case 4: Computer firewall function and browser proxy settings” for details.

6Is the Web browser of the computer used for the Wireless Broadband Router setup configured to use a proxy server?

Make sure that there are no proxy settings enabled for the IP address of the Wireless Broadband Router. See “Miscellaneous”, “Case 4: Computer firewall function and browser proxy settings” for details.

•Sony, VAIO, , , and the Eco Info logo are trademarks of Sony Corporation.

•Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

•In this document, Microsoft® Windows® Millennium Edition is referred to as Windows Me, Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional is referred to as Windows 2000, Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition and Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional are referred to as Windows XP.

•Netscape is a registered trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation.

•All other names of systems, products and services are trademarks of their respective owners.

•In the document, the ™ or ® marks are not specified.

Printed on 100% recycled paper using VOC (Volatile Organic Compound)-free vegetable oil based ink.

Continued on next page