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[Threi]

As promised I will just start (because I do not research the intricate details of routers and router firmware) a thread with some helpful tips to improve your wireless network setting. If you have any tips feel free to include them. This thread is being made on a computer that has pretty much everything locked, so forgive me if there are tons of missing info. Post some and i will be sure to add them.



Not everyone has their console right next to their internet connection, so there are many times when a wireless network may be needed. Here are some tips to at least "try" to get it working better.

Before any of these steps you will need to know how to adjust the settings of your router, and that will change for each brand. The easiest way to do this is (Windows XP) going into network connections, right clicking your connection, selecting properties, and then advanced. You should see the IP address of your Gateway, and your private IP address. If you type in the gateway IP address into a computer browser will bring up settings to configure your router. I am sure most people know this, but like i said feel free to post your tips too. You should know your Private IP address, and it usually ranges from 192.168.0.100 to 192.168.0.199. The gateway address for most routers is 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.2.1. If you know the password then simply type it in, if not then here is a site that has a bunch of default passwords (i do not know how accurate that site is).

*I have limited knoweldge of issues the 360 and PS3 may have, so i will be focusing solely on the Wii for now, as it also seems to be the pickiest with Wireless settings.*

Each brand of router has different setups, so I suggest to go to every screen (do go playing with settings) just to get an idea of where things are.

If you got a good idea of where different settings are you should try some of the below tips to try to improve your wireless connection.




---------------------------Upgrade to latest firmware---------------------------

This should be a no-brainer, but it is a good idea to upgrade to the latest firmware as some manufacturers fix commonly known problems in subsequent firmware updates. Download them from the website of your router manufacturer, select your model number (and proper revision), and download and update it.

*Note* Do NOT upgrade your firmware from a wireless connection, always use a wired connection to upgrade your firmware.




---------------------------Try Custom Firmware---------------------------

(Paging Tech-Heads) Custom firmware can basically allow your router to use features seen in more expensive routers, and allow better functionality than a common manufacturer firmware. It is up to you if installing custom firmware is worth it, but it does have definite benefits. Basically you have two common options here, Tomato or DD-WRT.

People are saying Tomato is the more user-friendly of the two, but give either a shot you are willing

TOMATO CUSTOM FIRMWARE
http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato

DD-WRT CUSTOM FIRMWARE
http://www.dd-wrt.com/

*edit* Now having experience with both under my belt I would recommend Tomato
out of the two, unless you do need the additional functionality that DD-WRT offers. I believe the "if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it" phrase applies here, as if you don't really need any additional functionality and have a fully functional router than you can just use it as it is.



---------------------------Change your Wireless Channel---------------------------

Usually something people overlook, changing the wireless channel can sometimes marginally improve a wireless connection by reducing interference from other wireless devices. The channels range from 1 to 11, the default being 6. Many routers have an option to automatically select the best channel for a given situation (you will know on a d-link router if the channel select tab is greyed out) but i recommend you put the router on 1,6, or 11.

Apparently the Wii is picky about this, and will only give a stable connection if on channel 1 or 11, so this can be a "set it and forget it" option for most users. Just put on 1 or 11 and continue on.




---------------------------WEP/WPA/WPA2 - SSID Naming---------------------------

If you don't want anyone randomly connecting to your router and using your internet, then you may want to put on some sort of security. (Disclaimer - Text Ahead MAY be innacurate, i am just summarizing what i know) WEP uses an encrypted passcode of your choosing, with an encryption length of your choosing, is more compatible with various devices, but is easier to crack. WPA and WPA2 use passcodes that have random encryption changes over a set period of time, so they are a bit harder to crack, but less compatible for wireless devices. PS3, PSP, and Wii support WPA2. XBOX 360 Supports WPA. When creating/changing a network password keep in mind that all wireless devices connected to the network need to have a password inputted before being able to connect to the network.

When naming your network (which you already probably have), try not to use a name that stands out (like MYNETWORKCAPS), as that may invite possible hackers.




---------------------------Try Turning on MAC filtering/Turning OFF SSID Broadcasting---------------------------

Another alternative to using passcodes is to turn off SSID broadcasting, esentially "hiding" your network from a regular SSID search. You will have to manually type in the name of your network for every wireless device using it, but it may have some benefits (Wii owners take note). Some devices will not work as well with WEP/WPA on, so this is an alternative. Keep in mind certain devices may not function properly when SSID Broadcasting is turned off as well, so this solution may not be for everyone.

You can also try using MAC filtering, which basically screens out all computers except ones with MAC addresses you want. Each wireless device has a unique MAC address, so to save yourself time have all the wireless devices you want already connected to your router, and copy the MAC addresses seen into the ones you want included for MAC filtering.




---------------------------DHCP Reservations---------------------------

To make port forwarding easier (explained later) it is a good idea to have some DHCP reservations. This makes it so that when a certain device connects, it will always have the same private IP address. What it is called depends on the router (as usual), but try looking for "DHCP reservations". Make sure you have the device connected beforehand as well so you will save some hassle assigning the reservation.

For the above three topics refer to post 5 for additional information.




---------------------------Open some Ports---------------------------

No doubt if someone has asked for help on online gaming you will see at least one person type "oh go open some ports mang". Well i will not be any different from them, opening ports are very important if you want to game online without sacrificing security. It goes under many, many names, but for each router the telltale sign is:

- A dropdown tab or some sort of choice to choose between TCP and UDP
- The boxes conveniently are big enough to type numbers from 0-65535
- You will see boxes beside/on top of each other with the word "to" separating them
- You will see a box to input your private IP address
- You will see a box to name the port you want to open (sometimes)

Routers usually have two separate pages with stuff like this, but one is actually "application triggering". You are not looking for that one.

Here are some ports you should have open for each system:

Xbox 360:
The following ports must be available for Xbox Live to operate correctly:
• UDP 88
• UDP 3074
• TCP 3074

Sony PS3:
All games published by SCEA may use the following ports for communication with game servers:

• TCP Ports: 80, 443, 5223, and 10070 - 10080
• UDP Ports: 3478, 3479, 3658, and 10070

For the PLAYSTATION®Network:

• TCP Ports: 80, 443, 5223
• UDP Ports: 3478, 3479, 3658

PLAYSTATION®3 Remote Play (via the Internet) requires:

• If the router in use supports UPnP, enable the router’s UPnP function.
• If the router does not support UPnP, you must set the router’s port forwarding to allow communications to the PLAYSTATION 3 from the Internet.
• The port number that is used by remote play is TCP Port: 9293

Nintendo Wii:
TCP:
Allow traffic to all destinations on ports: 28910, 29900, 29901, 29920, 80, and 443

UDP: Allow all ports to be open (i kinda don't really get this, but that is what Nintendo says)




---------------------------The controversial "DMZ" option---------------------------

If the above still doesn't work, then you can try DMZ'ing your console. DMZ stands for Demilitarized Zone, and it essentially takes off any restrictions in connecting the device to the internet. Keep in mind that this may cancel out all port forwarding you may have for another device, and that this will make your console COMPLETELY vulnerable to any attacks. However, consoles do not have as much important information as a PC, so if nothing else works this can be tried.

*Note* I do NOT recommend doing this for a PC, ever.




---------------------------Known Router/Device problems---------------------------

Sometimes none of these tips will help at all, and its just your device and router just hate eachother. In that case you are pretty much screwed.

If you are looking to purchase a router for a device i suggest doing a quick google search to make sure there are not any significant problems between them.

Here are some examples of Devices that don't mesh too well (any additions here will be greatly appreciated):

- One GAFfer has had a problem with his Wii + a Linksys router, but there have not been any additional reports.

- Shins has said in this thread that the Xbox 360 has issues with the Actiontec router that comes standard for Verizon FIOS.

- D-Link DWL-G820 - Mixed reports in this forum, there are people who recommend it, however Colonel Nelson says it runs hot and is a tad unreliable.




---------------------------Other Solutions to try---------------------------
Sometimes common solutions aren't the trick, and getting wireless devices to work require thinking outside of the box. If none of the above work for you, and you want to try some alternate solutions, then here are some suggestions for you

*thanks to GAF users for posting these*

Nintendo DS owners + Wireless security: Refer to this post

Nintendo Wii dongle owners + Windows Vista: Refer to this post

Xbox 360 owners: The overpriced wireless adapter is NOT required to get your console connected wirelessly. Keep in mind that any wireless bridge will work, as it will connect to the 360's ethernet port and make the console think that it is on a wired network. The MN740 wireless adapter that was released for the original XBOX can be used with the 360.



---------------------------Recommended Routers---------------------------


ASUS
WL-520GU

D-Link
DGL-4300
DIR-655
DWL-G820 - 360 Owners can use this instead of the wireless adapter Microsoft offers. *See Known Router/Device problems*

Linksys
WRT-54G
WRT-54GS
WRT-54GL
BEFSR41 v3

Netgear
WGR614

TrendNET


Belkin
Wireless G gaming Adapter - 360 Owners can use this instead of the wireless adapter Microsoft offers.

Speedstream
6250

Misc. Wireless Items
Wireless Indoor Booster NP562

*SPECIAL NOTE TO XBOX 360 USERS*
A useful alternative is to buy a cheap flashable router, flash it with DD-WRT/Tomato firmware, and use it as a wireless bridge.




---------------------------Additional Web Sites---------------------------
If you want more info you can check out these web sites
http://www.portforward.com/
http://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutwifi/index.html - For Mac OSX users - See what channels other routers in the neighborhood are using.
http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads- For Windows XP users - See what channels other routers in the neighborhood are using.
http://www.techidiots.net/project-pages/vistumbler- For Windows Vista users - See what channels other routers in the neighborhood are using.
http://www.grc.com/default.htm - Scroll down a bit for Steve Gibson's "Shields Up!" program, which can scan your IP and tell you what ports are open.
http://www.broadbandreports.com- Has some testing tools to help you see what your upstream and downstream bandwidth from your ISP is.
http://www.speedtest.net- For testing the download and upload speed of your internet connection

Most likely this hasn't helped you much, but you never know one of the tips posted may help someone out there, and that is what counts.

*special thanks to all GAF members who contributed info to this post*

 

[RocketDarkness]

I shall help kickstart this thread!

First off, a useful post from another topic:

Heya GAF, I have some technical questions relating to the performance of online Smashing. It's directed to those that either have the technical expertise, or simply have a near-flawless connection when playing the right people, as I need to determine the best way to speed up my performance.

Right know, I have some sort of AT&T DSL. According to my PC, the wired connection gives 100Mbps. My wireless router is a Linksys WRT54GS, which has a wireless data rate of 54Mbps. So, my question is, if your online experience has been great and largely lag-free, what speed is your wireless router broadcasting? Because I suspect that either 54 Mbps isn't fast enough, or my router is too far away from my console and I'm wasting time resending a bunch of lost packets.

The options I'm looking at are:
1) Buy a wired adapter, drag an ethernet cable out to the Wii every time I want to play
2) Get a Hi-gain antenna to ensure the broadcast is crystal-clear.
3) Buy a router with a faster wireless speed.

Your advice is valued. =)

The speed of your wireless is unlikely to be your problem. I guarantee you the speed of your wireless outclasses your DSL speed by at least 5 times.

One thing you might consider doing is running a constant ping to your Wii. Go into your router's settings, and get what IP address it is sending to your Wii, then from the command prompt in windows type:

ping -t x


Where x is the ip address of your Wii. Then, while you're online, you can tell how good your connection is by how long it takes to respond (this is much easier if you have your pc in the same room as your Wii, obviously). Your pings should have fairly short times when you're online, but not playing a game. They should increase, but still be fairly constant when you are. If you're getting a lot of "Request Timed Out"s, especially when you're not playing a match, then that means you are getting packetloss to your router, and you may be too far away, or their may be a problem with the router.

This is definitely useful, and I wanted to just add a few things. First off, if you do this, you need to turn it off with Ctrl+C in the command line when you're done. Secondly, if you want to send all the data to a text file for easier reading, do:

ping -t x > nameoftextfile.txt

Type "dir" to see where it saved it, by the way. For me, it went to My Documents.

Now, some questions. I tried playing around with Port Range Forwarding. I gave my Wii the IP address of blahblahblah.125. And then on my router's configuration, I set it to port forward for blahblahblah.125. Now here's the interesting part. In my DHCP Clients table, the Wii shows up as blahblahblah.113. Now, the Wii is clearly able to connect to the internet. But which address am I supposed to ping when I want to test the Wii? .125 or .113?

 

[Threi]

ah that just gave me another point to add, thanks

 

[soco]

Nintendo Wii:
TCP:
Allow traffic to all destinations on ports: 28910, 29900, 29901, 29920, 80, and 443

UDP: Allow all ports to be open (i kinda don't really get this, but that is what Nintendo says)

this makes me sad. i really hope this isn't the case. i was just looking for this info.

i guess it explains why nintendo still hasn't gotten their plans together regarding online :\

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Some Notes:

WEP security is essentially broken at this point. A hacker can crack your code in less than a minute with readily available tools. It will not stop a determined hacker or even a kid that wants on. However, it WILL stop casual internet use by neighbors. WPA or WPA2 are the only SECURE options.

Similarly, turning off SSID broadcasting or enabling MAC filtering will stop casual internet signal theft but will not keep out a serious hacker for any length of time.

It is recommended to turn off the UPNP features in routers as this is a potential security hole that can be exploited by malware that makes it onto a PC (via e-mail or web browsing).


My Personal recommendations:

- Restrict the pool of available DHCP addresses and assign hard IPs to all your devices. It can make things work a lot smoother, especially when you have to open and enable ports for devices on the router or put a device in the DMZ.

 

[Fuu]

Nice idea for a thread, I'll subscribe for future reference for when I start messing with my router again.

 

[Threi]

Some Notes:

WEP security is essentially broken at this point. A hacker can crack your code in less than a minute with readily available tools. It will not stop a determined hacker or even a kid that wants on. However, it WILL stop casual internet use by neighbors. WPA or WPA2 are the only SECURE options.

Similarly, turning off SSID broadcasting or enabling MAC filtering will stop casual internet signal theft but will not keep out a serious hacker for any length of time.

It is recommended to turn off the UPNP features in routers as this is a potential security hole that can be exploited by malware that makes it onto a PC (via e-mail or web browsing).


My Personal recommendations:

- Restrict the pool of available DHCP addresses and assign hard IPs to all your devices. It can make things work a lot smoother, especially when you have to open and enable ports for devices on the router or put a device in the DMZ.

I was going to try this on my computer, but its a pretty new neighbourhood and most people have their own wireless networks so i just slapped on a WPA2 password and left it.

 

[Threi]

*bump*
added some more of teh portz

 

[PhiLonius]

Whats a good wireless gaming router?

 

[hwalker84]

Whats a good wireless gaming router?

D-Link DGL-4300 FTW

 

[Threi]

D-Link DGL-4300 FTW

added to OP.

 

[Jazzem]

All of the next-gen systems and handhelds support WPA2, so no need to worry about it.

Am I right in saying the DS doesn't support WPA2?

 

[Rocket Punch]

I'm a totaly nub regarding this stuff. I use the Nintendo WiFi adapter for my gaming... How secure is my connection and what type of connection can I expect to experience with it?

 

[vermadas]

Nice post Threi.

Another thing to note is that there is a place in the Wii wireless setup to enter in a MTU value. Make sure it matches whatever it's set to in your router setup. I'm actually not sure how important that is, but it's another thing to check when you're troubleshooting a problem.

All of the next-gen systems and handhelds support WPA2, so no need to worry about it.

The DS does NOT support WPA. Unfortunately, WEP is the best you can do. Which, as others have pointed out, is not really that secure at all. So many of us are faced with the question, "How can I set up a wireless access point for my DS and keep my network secure?" I had thought the only answer to that question was the Nintendo WiFi adapter (which I believe is being discontinued). However, I stumbled upon another way to do this.

Credit for the quote below goes to pumkinut at Ars who got some help from this thread at the DD-WRT forums. Note that this does require custom firmware.

Here's what I did:
* Make sure you're running v24RC level first, or OpenWRT. (I'm at RC4, people have had too many problems with 5 and 6, so I'm leaving well enough alone.)
* Create a virtual interface on the "Wireless" -> "Basic Settings" tab, give it an SSID, broadcast it or not (I broadcast mine to avoid problems with clients), and then set it up as "Bridged". AP isolation is up to you to use or not. It keeps clients on the same WLAN from seeing one another if enabled.
* On the "Wireless" -> "Wireless Security" tab, set up security for the newly created virtual interface, your existing entry should already be there.
* Enable "DNS Masq" and "Local DNS" on the "Services" tab. Here's where you want to enter the info, in the "Additional DNSMasq Options" window for your second WLAN i.e. the virtual interface you just created. Below is my entry:

interface=br1
dhcp-range=192.168.1.2,192.168.1.11,255.255.255.240,1h
dhcp-authoritative
dhcp-option=br1,3,192.168.1.1

The interface is br1
The network is 192.168.1.1/28
The DHCP pool 192.168.1.2-11 and the leases are for 1 hour
The DHCP option of 3 is to force this AP to be the default gateway

* On the "Administration" -> "Commands" subtab is where you want to put your startup and IPTables entries to get everything to work. Here's mine below:

Startup:
ifconfig br0:0 down
brctl addbr br1
ifconfig br1 192.168.1.1 netmask 255.255.255.240 promisc up
brctl delif br0 wl0.1
brctl addif br1 wl0.1
killall dnsmasq
dnsmasq --conf-file=/tmp/dnsmasq.conf 


Firewall:
iptables -I INPUT 9 -i br1 -m state --state NEW -j logaccept
iptables -I FORWARD -i br1 -o vlan1 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport xxxxx --tcp-flags RST RST -j DROP

First you take down the main bridge.
Add a second bridge (br1).
Config the network settting for the bridge and enable it.
Delete your virtual interface from the main bridge.
Add your virtual interface to the newly created bridge.
Kill and restart DNSMasq and point it to your new DNSMasq config file.

The iptables entries allow br1 to pass and only allow it on vlan1 which is for Wireless only. The third entry is for me to drop RST packets on BitTorrent. It seems to have helped when I'm seeding.

This basically creates a virtual access point just for your DS, with which you can downgrade the security to WEP. This access point only has access to the internet, and not the rest of your LAN.

Don't ask me for troubleshooting tips or detailed questions about this setup though, I'm not really a networking guru. I basically followed his instructions, tested it out, and that was that.

 

[Threi]

ok thanks i fixed the op and will refer to that post for people who want security for DS.

 

[Christine]

I'm a totaly nub regarding this stuff. I use the Nintendo WiFi adapter for my gaming... How secure is my connection and what type of connection can I expect to experience with it?

It's reasonably secure, as it practices automatic MAC restriction. Connection speed is fine for DS games and seems to be for Wii as well, although I've only played GHIII online with the adapter. I FC'd My Name Is Jonas on Hard to win the match. That has nothing to do with WiFi, I just wanted to brag.

 

[neight]

With regards to opening ports or DMZ you really don't have to do anything special for online games since they use UDP which is a connectionless protocol.

---------------------------Known Router/Device problems---------------------------

Sometimes none of these tips will help at all, and its just your device and router just hate eachother. In that case you are pretty much screwed.

If you are looking to purchase a router for a device i suggest doing a quick google search to make sure there are not any significant problems between them.

Here are some examples of Devices that don't mesh too well (any additions here will be greatly appreciated):

- Nintendo Wii + Linksys Routers
*yeah its not alot but i will add more =P*

There is no widespread problem with Linksys routers and Wii. Just because thekingscrown was having problems and projected his problems to a general problem with Linksys then repeated it a dozen times doesn't make it true.

 

[Cold-Steel]

Good thread, I think you should add www.dd-wrt.com somewhere up there.

Also, PSN uses these ports:

All games published by SCEA may use the following ports for communication with game servers:

• TCP Ports: 80, 443, 5223, and 10070 - 10080
• UDP Ports: 3478, 3479, 3658, and 10070

For the PLAYSTATION®Network:

• TCP Ports: 80, 443, 5223
• UDP Ports: 3478, 3479, 3658

PLAYSTATION®3 Remote Play (via the Internet) requires:

• If the router in use supports UPnP, enable the router’s UPnP function.
• If the router does not support UPnP, you must set the router’s port forwarding to allow communications to the PLAYSTATION 3 from the Internet.
• The port number that is used by remote play is TCP Port: 9293

Source: http://playstation.custhelp.com/cgi...3RleHQ9cG9ydCBmb3J3YXJkaW5n&p_li=&p_topview=1

 

[Mash]

Am I right in saying the DS doesn't support WPA2?

Last time I checked the DS doesn't support WPA at all.

 

[DKo5]

If you need to network up multiple consoles wireless I'd highly recommend grabbing two Tomato capable routers and running a wireless bridge. I'm currently running Tomato v1.14 on a WRT54GS and a WRT54GL with WPA2. http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato

This allows a very strong wireless connection to my entertainment center where my consoles/HTPC can have a wired connection to the router. Whenever I've tried to use wireless adapters/dongles down there the signal has been crap. For reference I've been able to stream 1080p WMV to my living room with this method, but could barely pass normal 480p content when using a normal wireless bridge on my 360.

 

[Cold-Steel]

BTW I know I'll get some flamebait this way for saying this, but I (honestly) believe that the Linksys WRT54G is the greatest router known to man.

Especially, with DD-WRT firmware.

 

[SexConker]

Where was that virtual instance guide yesterday in the OT?

I gave up on it (DD WRT on a WRT54GL) and just use two routers.
The DS router is unplugged unless we want to use the DSs online.

Also - does channel 1 or 11 make a real difference for the Wii?
I don't see how it could, other than interference.

 

[No_Style]

Add www.portforward.com as well. Helps out with sorting through port forwarding malarky with easy to follow instructions for just about every router out there.

I'd like to point out that my PSP and my WRT54GC do not like each other when WEP or any security is enabled. It works fine with other routers though.

Mash's avatar.

I'd just like to acknowledge that Explosm comic was hilarious. :lol

 

[CreatureX3]

Great thread. Thanks for all the info!

 

[sun-drop]

i just had this arrive the other day:

http://www.netcomm.com.au/Wireless/NP562.php

and it's _brilliant_ .


this is more a range fix though. if you are seeing less than a strong wifi signal from your ps3, or speed tests differ between from your wired connection and from your wifi ones, then signal strength could be an issue.


i have my ps3 wired, and PC, but a laptop going over wifi to my Netgear DG834G router/modem (which while being a great product has a piece of shit under powered antenna).

basically i have the AP in my room ... and sitting in the lounge, through a wall with insulation , the laptop struggled to even get a weak signal. it was pathetic.

Plugged in the boosted ..... and instantly i was getting full 100% signals about two rooms away, haven't yet checekd my full range yet.

totally recommended. i was thinking about Ethernet over power solutions up until finding out about boosters, there's other brands out there, i think 500mW ones are the strongest legal models though.

 

[DarkStar]

First of all, thanks for this topic~!!


I got a modem in the livingroom,. and my router in my bedroom is connected to it
My pc and xbox 360 are connected to the router,. and sometimes my laptop aswell
the problem is,. almost every 4 hours the connection dies,. wich means I have to take the power off the router,. press the reset button and plug the power back in,.
sometimes I have to do this 5 times a day,. I'm pretty sure thats not right,.

Now my question is,. should I buy a new router,. or reconfigure my router settings?
also when I try to connect with my PSP or DS Lite sometimes it connects,. and sometimes it does not,.

I hope someone can give me some advice

 

[Threi]

OP updated. Keep the good stuff coming guys!

First of all, thanks for this topic~!!


I got a modem in the livingroom,. and my router in my bedroom is connected to it
My pc and xbox 360 are connected to the router,. and sometimes my laptop aswell
the problem is,. almost every 4 hours the connection dies,. wich means I have to take the power off the router,. press the reset button and plug the power back in,.
sometimes I have to do this 5 times a day,. I'm pretty sure thats not right,.

Now my question is,. should I buy a new router,. or reconfigure my router settings?
also when I try to connect with my PSP or DS Lite sometimes it connects,. and sometimes it does not,.

I hope someone can give me some advice

what type of router do you have?

 

[mugwhump]

OK here's some good advice for Vista users with the dongle for their wii:
http://techforums.nintendo.com/nins/board/message?board.id=wii_internet&thread.id=2112

After following his advice to install it and setting the dongle's preferred DNS server to my wired connection's IPv4 default gateway I got online and played some matches (with a fair amount of lag)...

But now after unplugging the dongle (without turning off my computer), the name of my Wii in the Nintendo Wi-fi connector registration tool is showing up as moonspeak (when my wii's name is Poo, which used to show up properly), and I can't connect.

I might just return it... is there a good router I can get from bestbuy for 30-50$? I have ethernet... should I just get the ethernet USB thingy?

Edit: Okay I re-registered my Wii and it changed back to Poo, but it still can't connect. D:

Does anyone know if the dongle is fast enough for good online? It's like 4 feet from my wii... not sure if I should get a router...

edity edit: would a wireless keyboard/mouse cause interference?

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

I am actually wanting to turn my 20GB PS3 into a wireless enabled system on the cheap.........with a minimum of set up.

Any advice?

 

[mugwhump]

So can I buy a Wii ethernet adapter in stores? The official nintendo one's only sold on their site...

And I'd need some kinda ethernet cable splitter thingy? Cuz right now I'm plugging my intertubes cable straight into my PC...

 

[morningbus]

So can I buy a Wii ethernet adapter in stores? The official nintendo one's only sold on their site...

And I'd need some kinda ethernet cable splitter thingy? Cuz right now I'm plugging my intertubes cable straight into my PC...

To share your network connection you'll need either a hub or a router. If you buy a router, you may as well buy a wireless one. Having a wireless router mostly invalidates the need for the ethernet adapter. (the only excuse would be to try and eliminate the lag or slow connection speeds from a wireless connection, which i've never been 100% convinced of.)

Just about any hardware configuration you'd buy will most likely be more expensive than just buying a wireless router (e.g. ethernet adapter $ + hub/router $ > wireless router $), so just buy a wireless router.

 

[mugwhump]

To share your network connection you'll need either a hub or a router. If you buy a router, you may as well buy a wireless one. Having a wireless router mostly invalidates the need for the ethernet adapter. (the only excuse would be to try and eliminate the lag or slow connection speeds from a wireless connection, which i've never been 100% convinced of.)

Just about any hardware configuration you'd buy will most likely be more expensive than just buying a wireless router (e.g. ethernet adapter $ + hub/router $ > wireless router $), so just buy a wireless router.

Oh... huh. ._.
I'd still need another cable to plug my computer into the router though, right?

So can anyone recommend a vista-compatible wireless router for my Wii?

 

[morningbus]

Oh... huh. ._.
I'd still need another cable to plug my computer into the router though, right?

So can anyone recommend a vista-compatible wireless router for my Wii?

I should clarify at this point that, if you're in college and get your internet through the school, you probably won't be able to add a wireless router to your current setup. If you aren't... then read on!

Yeah, you'll need an additional ethernet cable. Your operating system will, normally, not have any influence on your wireless router choice. When shopping for one, you should be fine with getting a wireless G router, though if you find a wireless N router on the cheap, don't hesitate. I will say that you'll probably end up getting a wireless G.

I'll leave specific router recommendations to someone else. I've been pretty happy with linksys routers (especially my one that runs linux firmware), but your mileage may vary. The only routers I've heard very little negative feedback on have been Buffalo routers, but I've no experience with them.

 

[Jtrizzy]

I am actually wanting to turn my 20GB PS3 into a wireless enabled system on the cheap.........with a minimum of set up.

Any advice?

Me too. I could use some advise on this.

 

[F#A#Oo]

Good thread...

 

[mugwhump]

Okay I've given my dongle a preferred IPv4 DNS adress, does anyone know what I should put in for IP address/subnet mask/default gateway? I tried using the same adresses my wired connection uses but that didn't work so I dunno. ¯\(ºд&#3232/¯

I should clarify at this point that, if you're in college and get your internet through the school, you probably won't be able to add a wireless router to your current setup. If you aren't... then read on!

D'aaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwww. D:
How come I can't use wireless in my dorm? Could I just use a router to make 2 wired connections to my Wii and my computer?

 

[morningbus]

D'aaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwww. D:
How come I can't use wireless in my dorm? Could I just use a router to make 2 wired connections to my Wii and my computer?

Unfortunately, it depends on your IT department's policies on adding hubs or routers. It isn't an instant dead end, as many schools have rather open policies on what can be transmitted through their network, but it will most likely be a hurdle.

Incidentally, the problems you're having with your dongle may be attributed to your school's policy on filesharing/online gaming. Make sure to check the website to see if they offer any specific instructions regarding hooking a console up to the network. They should also be able to tell you if they allow sharing your connection via routers or hubs.

Does your school not already offer wireless internet?

 

[mugwhump]

Unfortunately, it depends on your IT department's policies on adding hubs or routers. It isn't an instant dead end, as many schools have rather open policies on what can be transmitted through their network, but it will most likely be a hurdle.

Incidentally, the problems you're having with your dongle may be attributed to your school's policy on filesharing/online gaming. Make sure to check the website to see if they offer any specific instructions regarding hooking a console up to the network. They should also be able to tell you if they allow sharing your connection via routers or hubs.

Does your school not already offer wireless internet?

Well, my online was working before...

On the website it says:

2.6 Can I connect more than one computer to SFU ResNet?
Yes, but a internet sharing device is required since there is a 2 MAC/node address limit to each SFU ResNet Ethernet connection.

So I think it might be allowed...

Thanks for helping BTW.

 

[morningbus]

Well, my online was working before...

On the website it says:

So I think it might be allowed...

Thanks for helping BTW.

Well, by the sounds of it, it appears that your school allows hooking up a router. However, before you go off to buy hardware, I'd recommend calling the IT department to double check on whether you can add a wireless router.

But considering how you already have the dongle bought, I'd try jumping through whatever hoops are left for you with that. I know there are some problems with Vista compatibility, so make sure you're running the latest software, and what have you. I unfortunately have no experience with the dongle or dongle-like setups, so hopefully someone else will be able to answer your questions.

 

[DarkStar]

OP updated. Keep the good stuff coming guys!


what type of router do you have?

A Sitecom router but its pretty old,. about 3 years old
Wich router do you sugest?

 

[OverHeat]

The Xbox 360 wireless adapter do not support WPA2

 

[mrklaw]

more consoles should support running software like the windows media center tuning wizard.

that really helped about a year ago when tryign to get streaming working on my 360. I just turned that on and then fiddled with different wifi channels, positioning of the antennas etc until I got a good solid wifi connection good enough for HD.

 

[mr_bishiuk]

BTW I know I'll get some flamebait this way for saying this, but I (honestly) believe that the Linksys WRT54G is the greatest router known to man.

Especially, with DD-WRT firmware.

I have this router, how would the DD-WRT firmware benefit me?

 

[Vorador]

For the DS i use a old AP configured with WEP i have lying around. I have it unhooked when i don't use it.

 

[Nick Laslett]

delete

 

[Felix Lighter]

I've been using the Netgear WGR614 router for a couple years and it's been very reliable for me. Configuration is straight forward. I've had no issues with my Wii connected wirelessly. After Nintendo got things running smoothly, Brawl has worked flawlessly online. My 360 and PS3 are connected via ethernet, but the proper ports are forwarded to the proper devices and I have no issues with either of those consoles online either. It's pretty inexpensive now. So Unless someone else knows of any serious issues with the router, I would recommend it.

 

[neight]

I have this router, how would the DD-WRT firmware benefit me?

It allows for much more customization and a better QoS implementation. If you're having stability problems with your router crashing from using too much P2P then switching over to dd-wrt is a good idea. If you're not having any problems with the stock firmware... 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'.

 

[Threi]

A Sitecom router but its pretty old,. about 3 years old
Wich router do you sugest?

The router I am personally using is a D-Link WBR-2310. I have no problems with it, but there are a ton of people on the net who have had problems with it. Suggestions for routers are at the bottom of the OP.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

I've been using the Netgear WGR614 router for a couple years and it's been very reliable for me. Configuration is straight forward. I've had no issues with my Wii connected wirelessly. After Nintendo got things running smoothly, Brawl has worked flawlessly online. My 360 and PS3 are connected via ethernet, but the proper ports are forwarded to the proper devices and I have no issues with either of those consoles online either. It's pretty inexpensive now. So Unless someone else knows of any serious issues with the router, I would recommend it.

I use the v7 version of this. Pretty solid router IMO.

 

[Threi]

OP has been updated.

Keep the suggestions coming, but i dont think the OP can hold anymore so i will just be linking posts from now on. So if you have a solution please get a link for the source (if you have one) like what has been contributed so far.

Thank you guys for all the good work.

Faith in GAF +100