Won't connect to Wireless LAN!

[c_span]

Hi everyone,

Bit of a puzzler - and extremely frustrating - issue here. We just bought a new Vaio VPCEC2S0E laptop which I have now wasted hours trying to set up.

Try as I might, it will not connect successfully to our office's wireless network. This is particularly frustrating, because our office is stocked almost exclusively with other Vaios, various wireless mobile devices and not one has ever had a problem connecting to the wlan before! We have two SSIDs, one for the office with locked MAC address, one for guests (with lower security). The laptop can see both SSIDs fine, but when you try to connect it says it was unable. Windows repair/troubleshooting can't see what's wrong. Strangely, if I deliberately enter an incorrect password, it comes up with an error immediately saying the password is incorrect (as opposed to taking a few seconds to come up with the error, if I use the correct password) - so it is presumably communicating with the router that much.

Things I have tried thus far:

- removing ALL security (leaving it entirely open/unsecure) for the guest wireless network..still fails to connect!

- changing the wireless settings on the router from mixed-mode (G + N), wireless N only, wireless G only. No difference. Enabling/disabling mixed mode, green fields, bandwidth 20 or 20/40 settings.

- changing the "Adhoc wireless N" dropdown under advanced settings on the adapter on & off.

- driver update, according to Win7 current driver (8.0.0.238) is the latest for the Atheros AR9285 wireless adapter. Atheros website absolutely useless.

- firmware update on the router. No difference.

It will connect to other WLANs detected (e.g. BT OpenZone) although I don't have an account/password so can't verify that any further.

Please, please can anybody help?!

[c_span]

Someone from Sony has just been in touch that they are going to escalate the issue (and asking for model number of router, etc. etc.). Fingers crossed!

[robmnsmith]

Im glad I've seen this post as I've just experienced a very similar problem. Just three weeks ago I purchased the VPCEB2ZOE and completely randomly it has suddenly stopped connecting to any wireless network. Like many it has the Atheros driver. 

Waiting to talk to Sony support on Monday, not sure how much they will help as I purchased it new from Amazon. 

Surely if it's a problem with the driver compatibility then it will just keep re-occurring, even if it is initially resolved? Very frustrating seeing as Vaio is meant to be one of the best for efficiency!

[Unionman1]

Hi,

I too have a very similar problem. I have just purchased a series s vaio VPSC12L9E, with Windows 7 Pro Version 6.1 (Build7600) - it worked perfectly for the first three weeks then one day when I tried to connect to my home hub by WiFi it would not showing 'Unidentified Network' - 'Limited Access' and when you proceed with a 'diagnose connection problem' it shows Error 651.....

Prior to that I had no problems at home and have connected to various other routers by LAN and WiFi at work also with no problem.

I have tried all manner of combinations of connecting to my Hub by WiFi, USB and Ethernet and get exactly the same result as above ?  I have tried a system restore to a known previous date when all was well and that hasn't worked either.

However if I connect by Bluetooth to my mobile it does work !....... I have Internet Access... But that is not a solution and is very much slower and not what I bought this Sony for.

In the last three days of searching the Internet I have found that there are hundreds of people with exactly the same problem?.. Some 'fixes' seem to work for some but most don't appear to work for all.

Can anyone please help, there are a lot of us with this problem.