Sony Ericsson Wireless Manager:
How to make GPRS connections using
Windows Dial Up Networking
PA1 2003-10-07
Sony Ericsson Wireless Manager:
How to make GPRS connections using Windows Dial Up Networking
Introduction
The Sony Ericsson Wireless Manager application normally makes GPRS connections via the
Wireless Wan (NDIS) Adaptor. Windows treats this as a LAN connection and therefore can
use the logic to select the fastest available connection. The connection is made via the
’Connect’ button in the Wireless Manager or automatically when Manager preferences are set
to start the application when Windows starts and to make the nominated GPRS connection.
In some applications, it may be necessary to connect to GPRS using Windows Dial-Up
Networking instead. Possible cases are:
• Use of a one-time password generator – the user needs to be prompted for password
at each login, rather than entering a single static password in the Connection Wizard
• Where a LAN proxy is in use for a corporate network connection and a separate
proxy is required for a GPRS connection. Windows can only manage one web proxy
across all LAN connections, however individual proxies can be set up per DUN
connection
• Where it is useful to initiate the connection from a Windows application rather than
manually in the Manager or fully automatic using Manager preferences.
Configuration
Define the APN and PDP Context details
Instead of dialling a conventional telephone number, GPRS connections are made by dialling
the code *99***1# to *99***10# as the telephone number. When the PC card sees this
number, it initiates a GPRS connection using the PDP context details stored in CID 1 to 10.
These details are stored in flash memory in the PC Card, hence they can be set up once by
the IT department before the card is handed to the user.
There are several ways to set up these details.
1. Connection Wizard
Use the Connection Wizard in the Wireless Manager. Enter the information and click Finish.
Now select the connection in the drop-down list and click Connect. It does not matter if the
connection is made or not – the connection information will have been stored on the PC card
in CID2 and can be dialled using *99***2#
The drawback of this method is that if the user selects a different connection in the Wireless
Manager, CID2 will be overwritten and dialling *99***2# will connect to the new connection the
user selected. CID2 will always be set to the last GPRS connection the user made via the
Wireless Manager.
2. Use Hyperterminal
Check in Control Panel | Phone and Modem options to find out the port on which your GCxx
Wireless Modem is installed.
Open Hyperterminal and type
AT+CGDCONT=<CID>,”IP”,”<APN>”
For example,
AT+CGDCONT=3,”IP”,”MyCompanyAPN”
Using CID 3 means that it will not be overwritten by anything in the Wireless Manager
application.
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Sony Ericsson Wireless Manager:
How to make GPRS connections using Windows Dial Up Networking
3. Via the “Extra Initialisation” String
In Windows, each modem has an “extra initialisation” string. This is typically used to store
special AT commands that initialise the modem. The commands are sent to the modem
before the DUN connection is established.
Go to Start | Control Panel | Phone and Modem Options and select the Sony Ericsson GCxx
wireless modem. Open the properties and select the ‘Advanced’ tab. In the ‘Extra initialisation
string field, enter +CGDCONT=<CID>,”IP”,”<APN>” as described above.
Again, use CID3 so that the Manager does not overwrite your settings.
Define a Windows DUN Connection
In Start | Settings | Network and Dial-Up Connections make a new connection which dials
*99***2# or *99***3# depending which of the above methods was used to define the APN.
If the user must be prompted to enter the password, click ‘Prompt for name and password’
under the Options tab.
If a proxy is required for web access, complete the DUN connection definition and save it.
Now open the web browser and select Tools | Internet Options. On the Connections tab,
select your GPRS DUN connection and then Settings. Enter the proxy details in th eproxy
server box.
To Make and End a GPRS Connection
To make the GPRS DUN connection, simply double-click it from the Network and Dial-Up
Connections folder. You can also create a shortcut to the connection and place it, say, on the
desktop. It is also possible to configure applications such as Internet Explorer and Outlook
Express to use the DUN connection.
The Wireless Manager will detect that a DUN connection is in progress. It will not show a
connection name, however.
Under Windows 2000 and XP, the receive and transmit byte counts will be displayed.
To disconnect, end the DUN connection in the normal Windows way (for example right-click
the DUN icon in the taskbar and select Disconnect). Alternatively, click the Disconnect button
in the Wireless Manager.
FAQ
Why has Sony Ericsson implemented GPRS over NDIS?
Windows will automatically select a DUN connection in preference to a LAN connection. The
GC79 is capable of GPRS and WLAN connections. By implementing both in NDIS, it is easier
for Windows to select the LAN adaptor with the highest throughput. Note that there is no IP
addressing solution provided, therefore the solution does not in itself enable automatic
roaming between GPRS and WLAN. However the NDIS adaptors enable third party mobile
connection managers to be connected to both GPRS and WLAN simultaneously.
What is the intended ‘normal’ way of connecting to GPRS?
Define the connection using the Connection Wizard. Use the Connect/Disconnect button in
the Wireless Manager for manual connections. Automated GPRS connection can be set up
via File | Preferences in the Wireless Manager.
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Sony Ericsson Wireless Manager:
How to make GPRS connections using Windows Dial Up Networking
My Application requires the user to enter a password for GPRS at connect time.
This is typically required where a corporate APN (for example
mycompany.myoperator.mycountry) has been set up and a one-time use password is
required to authenticate the user.
Use the GPRS via DUN solution described in this document and set Windows Dun to prompt
for username and password.
Are there any drawbacks to using GPRS over DUN?
It is less easy to implement a managed solution to automatically switch between GPRS and
WLAN. Without such an additional connection manager, the user must in any case manually
disconnect from GPRS in order to ensure that traffic is routed over a WLAN hotspot.
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