GPS on VPCZ137GG

Hi all,

I was told that my new VPCZ137GG has a built-in GPS? Is this true, and if so, where do I find the software that controls it?

Cheers, R

 

it's part of the smartwi thingy in your toolbar. it's built into your gobi card. if yours is an american model then u can unlock the card because it's probably locked to verizon so use the software from the european site.

 

Mine was bought in Hong Kong from Sonystyle. I have looked at the SmartWi tool, all I can see is the Wireless WAN, Wireless LAN and Bluetooth. Would you say I need to try and "unlock" it using a driver/app from the European site?

 

Further to this, I checked on the Sony UK website, my model number is not listed. Any idea which would be the equivalent European model to my VPCZ137GG?

 

The Z137GG has built in WAN?

 

it certainly does

 

isnt the wireless WAN card the Gobi card? Did you try turning it on? sorry my abbreviations aren't that good. but one's the Intel centrino card and the other's the Gobi card.

 

The Wireless WAN is definitely a Gobi (Qualcomm 200) and the wireless LAN is an Intel Centrino, as you said.

Both are turned on. I am starting to think that there may be another version of SmartWi out there (possibly from Sony Europe as someone else said) that would feature the A-GPS functionality.

If only someone could point me in the right direction as to which European model I should choose which is "equivalent" to my VPCZ137GG, in order to download and install the right version of SmartWi. Anyone please?

 

IIRC there's no actual software included with the laptop that uses the GPS. As for A-GPS, i'm not sure that's avaliable. I heard that if you use Microsoft Street and Trips, it'll recognize the GPS and use it. But the smartwii utility is only used to turn on the Gobi Card, not actually implement the GPS. I might be wrong though, but there was a bunch of discussion on this in one of the owner's thread a while back.

 

I found a thread here http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/303456-gps-vaio-vgn-z.html and tried some of the methods described there. In the end I messed up my WWAN driver (it looked as if it thought it needs to connect to a CDMA network as it did not recognise my SIM) and had to reinstall the WWAN driver and apps.

I contacted Sony South Africa, the VAIO technician was adamant there is no GPS in this machine. I am not so sure, given the many instances in the mentioned thread whereby VAIO owners in the USA was able to "activate" their" GPS capability using the same Gobi WWAN card as installed in my machine.

Anyone else with some more thoughts on how to get this working?

 

i bought a z137gx from the US and successfully got the GPS working in the AUS by installing OneClick Internet off the UK sony site. i uninstalled sprint and verizon. you use SmartWi to turn on the GPS module (there is an option called location services). if that alone doesnt solve it the only other thing i would suggest is d/l SmartWi of the US or UK site and see if that gives you the location services option on the GG. i asked the sony dealer here in AUS if the 137GG had GPS and he said no but they dont know too much about their own products sometimes...

ps. google maps came up and found me when i turned the GPS on.

 

I've got a UK Z13 but can't see any location option in Vaio Smart Network (which I believe is the Euro equivalent of SmartWi??) Has anyone in the UK got this working and, if so, how?

 

here's the link to d/l, its in the wireless category: Sony eSupport - VPCZ137GX/S - Software Updates & Drivers

 

Is the WWLAN (Gobi) card the same in the US & AU/UK models?

 

Thanks for the link. I gave it a try but unfortunately the Location Services link in your screenshot didn't appear in SmartWi for me. Oh well, I'm unlikely to ever need it anyway so it's no great loss

 

AFAIK, yes. It's the Gobi 2000 card for all models.

 

maybe someone can check to be sure, these are what come up in device manager for me. if its the same card should have GPS also. could be the drivers are also different?

 

I have the same entry in the Network adapters section but I don't have any entries under Ports.

Like you, I was wondering whether Sony are using different drivers in different regions but I haven't taken the time to look into it.

 

they're using different programs so its plausible. try the US drivers and smartwi when you get time, hope it works!

 

just been reading...the location services option in smartwi may simply be the Location Platform offered in Windows 7. if this is confirmed by someone then it is likely the US drivers that sony offer, if different for different from other regions, will offer a solution.

http://gps.about.com/b/2009/10/22/m...s-gps-friendly-includes-location-platform.htm

 

Zanyad, you seem to have been able to get this working. Two things:
1. Was your GPS capability working out of the box or did you have to install other versions of SmartWi and drivers to get it working? Where did you buy your lappie?
2. If you had to make this work yourself, would you mind please posting a little guide with links to the correct drivers and programs etc.? There seems to be a lot of us having problems getting the GPS capability to work properly.

I have tried Sony SA's support line, I got a similar response from them in that they have never heard of a VAIO with GPS support. I sometimes wonder why Sony employs these idiots in the first place? Don't they read forums and speak to other people?

 

Z137GX is a US model, i bought it online. i was told though that GPS/3G features will not work in AUS only the US/CAN because they're locked to verzion.

1) first thing i did was check by removing the battery for a SIM-card slot.
2) downloaded OneClick Internet from a couple of different places 1 & 2 *I dont recall which one i installed*
3) installed and ran OneClick, the program then updated itself to version 3.12xxx.
4) turned on WWLAN & Location Services in SmartWi Connection Utility.
5) a few seconds later Locations Services said, Status: Searching for GPS signal please wait.

you can d/l software/drivers for the US model from here Sony eSupport - VPCZ137GX/S - Software Updates & Drivers

since i have the US model i cant tell you if its these drivers (presumably Gobi 2000) that make this work in combination with OneClick because these came with the laptop. as i was told the GPS wouldnt work in AUS at all as its locked to verzion/sprint i honestly didn't even try it and modded it pretty much straight out of the box.

i'll try help anyone that owns a UK/AUS model with any questions/version numbers etc as best i can.

cheers
tibor

 

I have had some success in getting the GPS to work, albeit with a lot of messing around. I wlll post a comprehensive workaround once I have optimised the methodology.

What I am looking for is the version of VAIO Smart Network that has the GPS button/switch in the application window. The version of VAIO Smart Network that came with my model (VPCZ-137GG bought in Hong Kong) does not have this switch. I am hopeful that another version for a different model may have this functionality. I don't particularly like the SmartWi program, although it makes the GPS work.

Do you know which UK/Europe model is the equivalent of the VPCZ-137GG, perhaps the version of Smart Network for the UK/Europe would have the GPS button?

I am sure once we have this workaround properly documented many VAIO Z owners would benefit from it!

Thanks for your help so far Tibor!

Cheers Rudi

 

Here is the full description of what worked for me.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/540326-how-enable-gps-your-vaio-vpcz-137gg.html#post6966009

 

hey rudi, just use the version of SmartWi (v4.11.4.20100716.2728) that shipped with my model (link above - US site), i left that as is. its only the OneClick Internet that i installed.

i've been wondering if that Location Services option has anything to do with SmartWi or if its a driver (Windows 7 or Gobi 2000) thing. i found these two sites interesting reading Sensor & Location Platform Team Blog - Site Home - MSDN Blogs and Laptop GPS World

 

What I could gather this far is that the "VAIO location utility" is a little program that is suppose to integrate into Internet Explorer as a toolbar, and then use either the GPS or Wifi (with triangulation method) to determine and communicate your location to Google Maps, Facebook etc. I read this in an online manual of the P-series.

I have tried installing the utility but nothing happens, and I did not see any toolbar appear in IE.

I am still on trying to find a better way to integrate the GPS with Windows 7's location Services than the one I suggested in my other thread.

For laughs, here is the response from Sony HK:
"Dear Mr. Rautenbach,

Thank you for your e-mail via Info-CS.

With regards to your concern, please be advised that the VAIO computer model VPCZ137GG have no built-in GPS devices. As a result, the setting of such device added subsequently would felt outside the support of VAIO support.

For your information, however, please note the Windows 7 operating system's control panel were equipped with a "Location service" applet, that allows the activation of any such devices.

If you have any enquiry, please do not hesitate to contact our Sony Hotlines."

I am contemplating sending him the link to my thread...

 

yeah they are totally useless...ijust got off the phone with tech support coz i entered the wrong bios password 3 times and after almost 1hr i still havent been able to sort it. yeah its my fault, cant believe i forgot it!!

regarding the GPS, good that you got it working!

 

Pity such excellent products have such poor backup service...

 

Hi tibor,

I brought a US model this week (Z13SGX), to be used @ Brazil.
Installed OneClick, uninstalled sprint (didin't found verizon in control panel to uninstall) and switch the modem firmware to generic.
3G works perfectly!
But GPS doesn't get signal.
All I get is the message "Searching for GPS signal please wait".

Do you ever get signal?

Cheers and thanks in advance.

 

Try my guide posted here http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/540326-how-enable-gps-your-vaio-vpcz-137gg.html#post6966009

You need to first ensure that the NMEA port is open in device manager. This is all described in the guide.

If you need more help let me know.

Ciao, Rudi