Wireless Lan connectivity

[annaandliam]

My Vaio's wireless Lan connectivity won't turn on, any solutions?

[Blencogo]

Hi Anna Hi Liam
Welcome to Club Vaio

You don't give us much to go on. Can we have a few more details please.

1. What model Vaio do you have?
2. In Device Manager -> Network Adapters is your wireless adapter shown as working OK?
3. Is the actual switch on the front of your Vaio turned on?
4. Is the wireless light illuminated?
5. If you double click on the wireless icon in the task bar, is WiFi 2.4GHz ticked?
6. Has it ever worked?

[BrianVAIO]

Bit of a hijack, as I'm having wi-fi issues with my CS11Z/T. Since getting my CS back from Sony recently (noisy fan issue -- the slip of paper I got with the PC indicated the fan had been replaced and the BIOS updated), I've been plagued with a wi-fi connection problem, "connected with limited access". This is very annoying, and, google as I might, I cannot solve the issue where this error repeatedly occurs and then, having suggested that the problem is that I haven't turned the wi-fi switch to "on" (when, of course, it is on), Vista says that it cannot find any networks.

Anyone having any similar problems? Could it be linked to the BIOS update that my computer had when it was with Sony for the fan repair? I noticed that some other settings on my computer had been changed when I got it back; for example the Google sidebar was docking on the right, like when I first got the PC, not on the left, the setting it was on when I sent the PC to Sony.

Wi-fi connectivity was pretty much faultless before I sent the laptop to Sony for the fan repair; I can't recall having any issues with it at all.

[pachapm36]

My answer:
Note I run WIN-XP-Home on a Sony VGN-A517S

One thought is to run the LAN set up wizard first to "reconnect" your computer to the WiFi lan again. If that quick fix fails then the longer discussion may be needed.

Blencogo's advice to BrainVAIO I agree with as well. Please more details if possible and quote error messages with what you are doing at the time.

[BrianVAIO]

My answer:
Note I run WIN-XP-Home on a Sony VGN-A517S

One thought is to run the LAN set up wizard first to "reconnect" your computer to the WiFi lan again. If that quick fix fails then the longer discussion may be needed. 

Blencogo's advice to BrainVAIO I agree with as well. Please more details if possible and quote error messages with what you are doing at the time.

Think that advice was to Anna and Liam. Anyway, I'm just browsing, all appears to be going smoothly and then I find that pages won't load (signal strength is excellent). The message about being connected with limited access is visible if I hover the cursor/pointer over the connection icon in the system tray or when I click on that. Then I try to diagnose the problem using the link provided by Vista and I get advised that I should switch on the (already on) wi-fi button. Switching the button off and then on again does not solve the issue. Often, there is no response when I hover over or click on the system tray icon. (Oddly enough, I'm actually connected now but that system tray icon is inactive and has a red "x" on it -- first time I've noticed that behaviour.) Restarting the PC often does not correct the problem. It generally takes a restart or two and a few attempts to connect and diagnose the problem before Vista decides on one of those diagnosis attempts that all is well and lets me connect.

[Thalamus.]

Hi BrianVAIO,

next time you have this problem try rebooting your wireless router, this seemed to solve a similar problem for my neighbour..

[BrianVAIO]

Hi BrianVAIO,

next time you have this problem try rebooting your wireless router, this seemed to solve a similar problem for my neighbour.. 

Hi Thalamus. I have tried that a couple of times, though not every time the fault occurs. I have only done it at the same time as restarting the PC, so I'll try that as a solution on its own, without restarting the PC or doing any other settings change. There has been no problem with the router talking to any of the other kit that uses it. I can reach for a WinMobile phone or DSi to browse for tech support ideas for this fault, and my wife's iBook doesn't miss a beat. If it is something a router reboot would help, it seems it'd be a foible of Vista, which is disappointing.

I'm not sure why, but I think the fault is happening more when the PC is in "Power saver" power plan than when in "VAIO optimized".

[Blencogo]

Hi BrianVaio,

If it happens more in the power saving mode, try going to your wireless adapter in Device Manager -> Network Adapters and double-click on it. Go to the Power Management Tab and unckeck the box next to 'Allow the PC to turn off this device to save power' and see what happens.

[BrianVAIO]

Hi BrianVaio,

If it happens more in the power saving mode, try going to your wireless adapter in Device Manager -> Network Adapters and double-click on it. Go to the Power Management Tab and unckeck the box next to 'Allow the PC to turn off this device to save power' and see what happens.

 

Thanks, Blencogo, that looks like an interesting thing to tweak. I've made the change. Are you suggesting that using one of the power saving modes would encourage the PC to turn off the network adapter more than VAIO Optimized would? I wonder why, though, that when the error first arises the PC still reports excellent signal strength, but that I'm connected with limited access. I'll see how it goes. Wireless networking is a dark art to me, though up until this issue I seem to have been very lucky in getting things set up and running well first time.

(I've actually been doing a fair bit of browsing with an ethernet cable plugged in this past couple of weeks.)

[Russbod]

Hi guys sorry to jump in on this thread but I am having a similar problem! I have a Vaio VGN-NR21S/T which I have been able to connect to wireless internet without problems until recently. Now it does not connect and the wireless adapter always shows as disabled in the device manager and the green light is off. Even when the device is enabled the green light still does not come on and there is no connection. Interestingly the Vaio Smart Network also appears to be no longer functioning!! Any ideas.....cheers!!