Maximum PC

I bought this very expensive Sony VGN-SZ791n notebook some time ago. The notebook was sold as having a/b/g/n wifi.

Here we are almost 2 years later, and still NO wifi N. As a matter of fact, now that I've done the research, the internal card is the 2200bg.

N does not equal BG??!?!

The model number shows the N. The advertisements detailed N. BUT NO N capability!!

This seems like a big rip off. I'd like to get what I paid for...

Wireless G is 54mbps... for web browsing there's no problem. Are you using WPA? Wireless N doesn't support WEP. I realize that it kinda sucks that they advertise N and you don't get it, but I wouldn't be that put off. G is much faster then any home internet connection, so unless you're doing HD streaming, it's not a big deal. Now if I wanted to stream some 1080p to my laptop I'd be pissed... only N is fast enough to do that.

G isn't faster than my wired or my N computer in the garage. I've gotten 1.3MBps over my wireless N out to the garage and that is 50 feet and two walls. And that's while using WPA2. And when I need to download a huge PDF or How-To video, I want my N connection damnit!!!

He IS missing a lot without wireless N capability. Throughput and range.

@ OP, Class Action lawsuit is the only way you can make them fix it.

yeah range is a loss indeed. N gets way further then G. I'm not smashing the OP. It sucks indeed. I wouldn't go to Sony's office and put a shotgun in someone's face over it though.

Ok you bought the laptop 2 years ago and you state "and still NO wifi N"

Did you expect it to suddenly start to work as "N"?

Did you contact who you bought it from?
Have you contacted Sony?
If so what did they say?
Did you ask to return the laptop?

You do know that in an "N" network, if you connect a "G" or anything other than "N" to it, the entire network demotes itself to "G" right?

Do you even have an "N" router?

Something sounds fishy here....

I don't think it sounds fishy. And there are plenty of dual band routers out there that do G and N at the same time. Mine does.

Mine is dual and it states that if you connect a "G" it demotes entire network to "G"

that can't be true unless my router's settings are entirely nonsensical and my network speed reports are liars. You have the option to run it at G only, and N devices can still connect. You have the option to run it at N only, and only N devices can connect. Straightforward. But I also have the option to use mixed G and N, and G devices can connect and report 54mbps, and N devices can connect and report 140mbps.
EDIT: beat me to it, Quackindude.

I'll do more research. I could have read it wrong when I bought it.
thanks.

I still think something is wrong here.
Why wait 2 years to try and fix it?

I know that the vast majority of D-Links and Linksys routers can run both. I've got a D-Link.

Ok according to my D-Link DIR-615 router, the performance is slightly better if you run in "Only" mode rather than mixed.
How much better I don't know.

So, according to you I should be happy it works without N? I'm confused.

Here's the timeline. Got the machine, and have not upgraded my home router to N until just recently when I knew I would need the bandwidth for video files I edit on recent purchase of sony HD cam corder. So, it's not like I realized it wasn't there, as most public hotspots are still B or rarely G.

Fishy? The fact remains. The machine was sold as having N capability. If I look online, all searches point to someone saying in finality that the "machine will connect at N, but not show it in the smarwi app as the smartwi's top speed to show is 54m" Well, if you do the research on the card one comes to the conclusion that the included pci mini card, the 2200bg DOES NOT have an N capability. So that cannot be true.

Have I spoken to Sony? Yes...did I get an answer? No, that is why I am here.

This should be your notebook series. It is advertised as having a Wireless N card "Wireless LAN : Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection (802.11a/b/g/n)" From this information, I am pretty sure that you have Wireless N. However, for Wireless N to work, you need a N hotspot from a compatible access point. If the Hotspot is created Wireless G, then it will use those speeds.

Please check the hardware manager for the model of your wireless adapter and the type of wireless connection you are trying to connect to.

Pete, if I may call you Pete, please don't be offended by some of the posts here. Your explanation makes PERFECT sense as I too was in the same situation. When I was in New Orleans, I needed a wireless USB adapter for the desktop I took down there, I was there for three months, and I made the decision to get a USB adapter that could use b/g and n. It wasn't until very recently that I was able to get a router with N capabilities. My router is a D-Link DIR855. It is capable of running both b/g AND n at the same time with minimal, I've not experienced ANY, performance hit. My router has dual transmitters that allow it to have BOTH G and N traffic at the same time and doesn't demote the whole network to G. The time span between my having bought the USB adapter and actually being able to use the N capability was over a year. So ignore the "fishy" bullshit.





Did you not read the part where the OP mentioned he got the model # off the wireless mini-adapter his notebook came with and found out it has no N capability? Evidently you didn't. The whole POINT of his thread is that the notebook WAS advertised and IS listed as N compatible and it isn't.

I'm only going to say it once. I tried being nice about it, but some of you didn't get it. STOP treating this guy like shit. He has a totally legit issue, all you have to do is search the Internet to see how many people are also pissed off about this with Sony. It isn't your friggin job to interrogate him and alienate him because he brought a legitimate issue to light here in HIS forums. These forums ARE for everyone.

OP, I'm going to talk to Will about paying particular attention to your case. If you have any email traffic or any "proof" that you've tried to contact Sony, as well as any links to other forums/websites where others are talking about this, please PM those details to me and I will ask MaxPC to take a look. I'm sure they've already seen this thread and they may already be working on it, I don't know. But I will try to help you out on this. No guarantees mind you because I'm only a moderator. I don't, in any way, have any thing to do with what the mag chooses to publish/work on. But I am interested in this after having seen some of the traffic about it on the Internet.

Also, please do not allow this one experience affect your future participation in the forums. I apologize for the way you've been treated so far, but I can ensure that consequences are going to come if it continues.

@Quakindude breathe a bit. I'm not treating anyone like shit, far from it. My previous post was asking for a bit more information.



The OP gave the model number of the laptop. This is good as I can see the specs of the lappy, however "The model number shows the N." I'm not here to assume, but is it the model number of the card or the laptop? (The laptop model VGN-SZ791n). OP stated that research was done, but no mention of opening the thing up to see a serial on the wi-fi card. That is why I suggested to open up the device manager and get the model name of the card at least.

FWIW, I doubt Sony would put a wi-fi card from circa 2004 into a laptop circa 2007. But mistakes do happen and I'm not looking past that either.

The OP has stated twice that the internal mini PCI wifi card is a 2200bg. By doing some simple research, you find that card wasn't discontinued until March 30, 2008 with warranty support ending June 30, 2009 and end of life product support on December 31, 2010. Not quite the old ass adapter you've made it out to be and it's manufacturing dates are well within the dates of manufacture for the laptop.

Also, using the provided information from the OP, the internal 2200BG card is B/G only.

So, don't tell me to breathe a bit. But you can hit up Google with the info provided and figure this out for yourself.

You could also ask the OP to specify if he has, indeed, opened the little door to his miniPCI adapter and confirmed visually that this is the card installed. The specs say it should be an Intel Wireless PRO 4569AGN mini PCI card. See page 2.

I didn't say YOU specifically were treating the OP like shit. It was a generalized statement meant for one person and to ward off any other smart assed comments in case someone else decided to jump in. But I will admit, if I posted that I've done that much research on something, and that I knew what the card model # was, I'd be frustrated having you tell me it MUST be N compatible and that I was simply not connecting to a wireless N network to see if it would work.

Finally, I will admit that the OP hasn't outright stated that he has visually looked at the card in his laptop to ensure it's a 2200BG and not the one specified in the spec sheet. But there are so many people on various forums bitching about it that I've given him the benefit of a doubt since he has stated so specifically that his is a 2200BG.

@ Pete:
I take it that your Device Manager lists the WLAN adapter as a 2200gb. Correct?

I take it that Sony told you to, basically, do something anatomically impossible when you complained? Did you ask to talk to a CSR supervisor?
The reason I ask this: assuming that they did, in fact, build the laptop with a 2200bg adapter (when it should have shipped with a 4965AGN), it would not cost them a whole lot of $$ to simply ship you a 4965AGN card. Nor is it difficult to install one (<5 minutes.)

Not to belittle your situation (it sucks not getting what you should have), but, what's your time worth to you? When a new 4965AGN card can be had for <$15 (free shipping, too!)....
Just a thought.

The date of the technical specs brief lists as 2004.

The 2200bg uses MiniPCI type 3B.
The 4965AGN uses PCIe* Mini Card.

I personally cannot find anything relating to 2200bg in the OP's laptop. The closest thing was this thread in which the OP also has the same problem of no N.

notebook DID NOT come with that card. it came with 2200BG card. WTF??

You know, I typed up an entire essay explaining why I asked the questions I did and have decided, screw it. Isn't worth it.

It didn't have anything to do with the picture painted here.

Good luck.