Xbox live ??

[Cyber]

Can anyone tell me without getting all techincal please how to get a xbox 360 connected to the internet. i have looked on the xbox website but i get confused, do i really need to buy a Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter or can i just buy a wireless card with a UBS connection.

[Ralph]

The simplest is a wired connection via an ethernet cable to your modem/router. Next simplest would be to get the official 360 wireless thingey. If you want to go a different way, then your best bet it a thing called a wireless ethernet bridge, see http://tinyurl.com/fpvth . The one linked to is just over �42 and as it says on the page, it converts any wired networking device (which the 360 is) into a wireless one.

I don't think there currently is another USB device like the official xbox 360 thing, I'm pretty sure all the other USB wireless things out there need to be plugged into a PC, but I'm not sure on this. I might give it a go and see what happens!

[Cyber]

Cheers, what do you know about subscriptions is it worth getting gold or sticking with the silver ????

[Ralph]

If you can afford it (well it is �40ish in one go!) then Gold all the way. All the silver gets you is that you can have a friends list, you can see when they're online and you can send them messages.

You can't play online with anyone with a silver sub and that's what Live is all about. Halo 2 is still an awesome game when you get a load of people together that you've never met before and start shooting the sheet out of each other. Project Gotham Racing 3 is also similarly fantastic against real humans rather than a predictable computer opponents and the chat back and forth makes it even better. It's just annoying when you get consistently beaten by American schoolkids, or at least I do 'cos I'm rubbish, but it's all about having fun! Go for Gold!

[Mattk]

you can also pay �6 monthly for live if �40 is a bit steep for you

[Cyber]

Cheers again Ralph, I might be asking a few more questions at the weekend if you dont.

By the way how have you got your Xbox connected wired / wireless ???

[Cyber]

Cheers Mattk.

[Ralph]

Mine's wired, but that's because it's only a few metres from the router. Previously, it (original xbox) was further away so I bought a wireless bridge similar to the link in my first post, actually a Linksys WGA54G game adaptor. I could never get it to work well (don't buy one!) so I just got a longer cable. If I needed to go wireless now with a 360, I'd most likely get the official 360 wireless network adaptor, but I'd be upset that it was at least �20 more than it needs to be.

Ask away and maybe see you online sometime.

[Cyber]

Thanks again Ralph,
I have a strange house it's too long, I have a wireless network thoughtout the house but i dont want to lose any of the bandwith I have when i connect my Xbox 360.so i think i would have to go wireless with anyother router just connected to the xbox 360. anyway i will give it a go.

Thanks again.

[Ralph]

If you're going to buy another router because you're worried about bandwidth, don't! The bandwidth of your network is likely to be somewhere in the region of 54Mbps while your ADSL is probably more like 2Mbps. You can use xbox Live and browse the internet at the same time easily with no lag with this setup. My brothers used 2 xboxes on a 512kbps line and there was still bandwidth for my parents to browse the interweb. I was playing them at Halo2 in a different country and there was no noticable lag, though one of them sounded like Stephen Hawking every now and then as the sound dropped out!

The amount of data that an xbox passes over your connection isn't very big and won't need you to buy it its own router. You'll even be able to stream MP3's from your PC at the same time.

[Cyber]

Ok, i understand that bit were you said dont buy a second router, ASDL on the other hand means nothing!

I dont know if i have a ASDL ???

Can i still connnect via wireless means and still play & surf at the same time, without any lag??

Sorry for begin stupid - this is all new to me as you have probably guessed!!

[Cyber]

yes i know ADSL

[Ralph]

"Can i still connnect via wireless means and still play & surf at the same time, without any lag??"
Almost certainly yes. If you download large files or use bandwidth-sapping software like a bittorrent client at the same time as playing online with the 360, then you may see some lag but not enough to really upset you. If you're playing online and surfing at the same time, then apart from needing several pairs of hands, you won't need anymore hardware, just the bit that connects the 360 to your network.

ADSL = broadband via a phone line, but you knew that. I was being a bit presumptious thinking you got your broadband through a phone line, but even if you get it via a cable company, the principles are still the same.

[Cyber]

Cheers, you really know your stuf.

I am going to buy that Xbox wireless adaptor at the weekend, and a long ethernet (?)cable. then i can see which one works the best

Cheers mate
watch this space i have a feeling i will be back !!