Looks like in the change to the new design, sonystyle USA has quietly discontinued the PCWA products.

Ye, I also noticed that. Very strange though. VAIO JP still has PCWA-8XX series on sale…..We’ll see what in store for us….

Have you guys had any experience with the PCWA-DE80?

That’s kind of sad….i really liked Sony’s designs…they were a little unconventional but very cool looking. Of course, with every and their mom making Wi-Fi stuff it sort of makes sense. At least Sony was smart enough to not get into the whole Proprietary G thing…

Of course, their removal could also mean they’re prepping new models…

[quote author=“Ishii”]Have you guys had any experience with the PCWA-DE80?

Ye I have one of these, what did you wanna know about it?

Brilliant! How efficient or stable is this unit when used with a PC desktop or another device such as PS2? In addition, is it correct that the PCWA-DE80 uses an Atheros chipset?

I found it very efficient. The range will depend on which wireless standard you wanna be on. I always use 802.11a because it is free of any wireless interferences from home appliances and am pleased with it: streaming video, music and other content - no probems, no hiccups.
Yes, it does have Atheros chip with Super G technology, and up to 108 Mbs throughput.

I have not used it with PlayStation, but I am sure it will work just fine. I also used DE50 wireless adapter with Roomlink - it proved to be stable as well.

Thanks for the feedback. I reckon I will get a piece for my desktop - to replace the temperamental Netgear Wireless LAN PCI card.

See they recommend using one brand wireless units - so they work well. When you start mix and match with other brands, you do not get the desired results sometimes….

The PCWA-AR800 set comes bundled with PCWA-DE80 right?

Hehe… I wish…. No, you buy it separately.

Gotcha! I downloaded the manual of PCWA-AR800 and realized that the wireless unit is the A820. Heh… we can only wish that everything comes bundled in one set.

So we are on the same page:
PCWA-AR800 is an Access Point that consists of two units: PCWA-A820 wireless access point (connects to the router via a proprietry cable connector) and PCWA-R1 wireless broadband unit.
PCWA-DE80 is a wireless converter that connects to your notebook/desktop/PS2/PSX network connector (RJ45).

[quote author=“gr00vy0ne”]That’s kind of sad….i really liked Sony’s designs…they were a little unconventional but very cool looking. Of course, with every and their mom making Wi-Fi stuff it sort of makes sense. At least Sony was smart enough to not get into the whole Proprietary G thing…

Of course, their removal could also mean they’re prepping new models…

Didn’t the AR800 feature 108G?  The AR800 was a pretty cool router (in terms of design anyways).  Kind of a pity they abandoned the AR series, since I think with all their wireless products (Vaios, PSP, LocationFree, RoomLink) on the market now, they could have worked in some special value-added features to make the AR more appealing for Sony fans.

I guess it was just a matter of time, since Sony can’t really compete in low-margin commodity markets.

As for new models, it looks kind of unlikely.  Sony wouldn’t have just wiped out the entire section on wireless networking if it was planning on introducing new models, I think.  The AR800 is what Sony would call the “sunset expression” of a product line.

Ye, AR800 also features Super AG performance. I agree with you that it has been a fine line of networking products that is like no other. Their wireless units stand out in its design and do not lack in features. I have used every product of their PCWA line and has not been disappointed other than once - their pricing. I paid the MSRP for the PCWA-A500 when it came out and I recently picked up a third one for a dollar ( :!: ) from Ebay….