Live Internet Connection for WiFi-based Transfer?

[sengsational]

Canon Utilities Image Transfer Utility Version 1.2.1.8 allows me to transfer photos to my computer successfully via wifi.  But if the computer does not have an Internet connection, it fails to connect through WiFi.  Specifically, I get to the "Connected device:" message on the camera, with the computer name, but after waiting, I get a "Connection Failed" message.
 
If I am only moving images from the local camera, to the local computer via wifi, why is an Internet connection required?

Are other people experiencing this?  If so, does it bother you?  What if you're traveling and need to unload your camera to your laptop so you can take more pictures?  Do you think this is a software bug?  If so, how are bugs like this reported?

[jrhoffman75]

I can't help with the wifi issue, but if you are travelling and have both the camera and the computer in front of you I would recommend that you use the card reader in the computer or cable connection for faster and more reliable image transfer.

[sengsational]

> card reader in the computer or cable connection

Thanks for that idea, John.

The USB connection does allow the Camera Window to work (haven't tried yanking the SD card, but I'm sure that would work too, but of course without the convenience of the Camera Window software).

Still, I guess it bugs me that within the price of the camera is the cost of the WiFi radio and it's supporting firmware, yet the WiFi function is "engineered" in a way that is useless in a very common situation.

[wdurand]

i can't figure out where the cable goes on my powershot alpha 350.

[wdurand]

nor can i figure out where to enter the authentication code in the text field on the browser to do wifi. Which browser?

[sengsational]

On my camera, one side has black plastic thing.  If you pop that off, it exposes the place where you connect the USB cable.

[jrhoffman75]

Alpha350 or Powershot350?

[jrhoffman75]

I don't know anything about that software or which camera you have, but is there an option for an ad hoc wifi connection?

[sengsational]

It's a PowerShot Elph 350 HS. The functionality of the camera is kind of like when you connect to WiFi with your phone. You specify what wifi you want to connect to. Next you pick a machine (only machines with the driver show-up). That all works great! In other words, the camera gets an IP address and starts communicating with the driver I loaded on my Windows 7 machine. The problem is that the Canon software on the PC is trying to get to the Internet when it's not there. Rather than bypass the Internet, it fails (times-out). What the software SHOULD do is start-up successfully, irrespective of an Internet connection. If there's no Internet connection, and there's functionality missing, advise the user, but still have local transfer capability. I don't see what functionality could possibly be missing, since everything we need is on the same local area network.

[wdurand]

Thanks. Got it! Poweshot.