Connecting to Broadband Broadband is generally classed as any type of internet connection that has a download connection speed of over 256k.
The most widespread provisions of Broadband are via ADSL using your existing BT Copper phone line.
Or via Cable, using a separately provided copper/fibre cable. Both ADSL and Cable work very well for Xbox live.
Speeds range from 128k up to 24mb(ADSL) and up to 100Mb for Cable.
 Depending on your provider you will either get a free USB modem, or none at all (referred to as wires-only).
Here are the connection options for an ADSL customer.
Option 1
Use Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) to route traffic from your PC to your Xbox, see the ICS Guide in the FAQ Section.
Option 2
Buy an ADSL Router This router will replace your USB modem and will allow you to connect multiple devices (PC, Xbox, Laptop) and share the same line. This is by far the easiest option. A decent Ethernet router will cost your around £55 and save you a lot of hassle.
Modem or router, what's it all about?
Im not surprised people are confused by what an ADSL modem is and what an ADSL router is. I blame the manufacturers for their poor branding of the products. I will try to explain the difference between the two and the common misconceptions.
ADSL Modem
An ADSL modem is a device that is used to connect one PC to the Internet. It has no real intelligence inside. It can be a USB modem (normally the case) or an Ethernet modem.
The modem is connected to your PC and the PC holds all your user account information (username and password) a dialler program will use the modem to connect to the internet.
You need to "dial-up" each time you want to connect to the internet. The "dial-up" is really just a fake dial-up. There is no concept of dialling a number when using ADSL, the dial-up is only used because the PC cannot understand the concept of an ADSL modem so we treat it as if it's an old analogue modem instead.
ADSL Router or Modem/Router
This is where it gets confusing. Some people will call an ADSL Router a modem when it's really a Router. Confused? An ADSL router always has a modem built in, this is the bit that talks to the ADSL service.
There is no such thing an ADSL Router without a modem. If an ADSL Modem is advertised and it has more than 1 LAN Ethernet port and or NAT functionality/Firewall etc etc. Then it's a router.
You know if you've got the right one because the ADSL router will have a BT RJ11 socket to connect to the phone line and RJ45 Ethernet sockets to connect to your PC/Xbox/Laptop etc etc.
For recommendations of Networking Kit please see the Equipment section of this site.
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It’s a common question. What are they, where do I put them, how many do I need?
What are they?
When you have ADSL enabled on your phone line, you are now running voice and data along the same piece of copper wire. The voice and data operate at different frequencies. But without filters you can hear the data noise when you use the phone. So the filter will literally “filter out” that data noise when you are on the phone.
Where do I put them/how many?
You need to put a filter into a phone socket wherever you intend to plug in some equipment. So every socket where you are going to use a phone, you will need a filter.
You will also need a filter where you plug in your ADSL modem or router, whether you are connecting a phone at the same place either.
Also don’t forget other devices like Sky which use analogue modems they will need a filter as well, and any answer phones etc.
Too many filters
Don’t get caught out by this one. A common mistake is to put too many filters in a chain. This normally happens when people are using phone socket extensions to extend the reach of their telephone
line as they don’t have a socket close enough.
This is a normal set-up where distance is not a problem:-
Telephone Wall Socket - ADSL Filter - ADSL Modem/Router
But your modem might be located further away from your phone socket and the supplied RJ11 lead might not be long enough. So just use a standard telephone extension cable available from Argos, Currys, etc etc.
Firstly this is the wrong way to do it.:-
Telephone Wall Socket - ADSL Filter - BT Telephone extension cable/reel - ADSL Filter - ADSL Modem/Router - PC/Xbox
That just won’t work because you have two filters in the loop. This is the way to do it:-
Telephone Wall Socket - BT Telephone extension cable/reel - ADSL Filter - ADSL Modem/Router - PC/Xbox
You only need to filter once, so try to do it as close to your modem/router as possible.
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So which Broadband provider should you use, what do all the different terms mean anyway?
Currently in the UK there are the following methods in use to connect to the internet...
Dial-up
Using an analogue modem. This will connect to Xbox Live despite what you may believe, but is totally unusable for gaming.
Narrowband
This is a ‘nailed up’ ISDN line using 64k or 128k (dual bonded 64k) to connect to the internet. It’s an always on connection and you pay monthly like ADSL or Cable. This will work with Xbox live but again I would not recommend it
Satellite
Satellite broadband is not suitable for Xbox Live. Generally with Satellite the bandwidth isn't an issue it is the latency, the time for a packet to travel from earth up to the satellite and back down to your home is not fast enough for gaming
Wireless Broadband
This involves having a receiver on your roof to receive broadband wireless, this can be an aerial or a dish. I have heard of users using this for live, but its no guarantee, please check with your ISP if it is suitable for gaming. It is also possible like 3G and 4G providers you will be provided with a private ip address which means you could have issues with NAT
Cable Broadband
Currently only available from Virgin Media in the UK. This service is provided by connecting your household via high grade coax to a street cabinet. Connection speeds are 10Mb, 20Mb and 50Mb. This is not available to all households, check the Virgin Media website for coverage in your area.
ADSL Broadband
Available from many Internet Service Providers in the UK, this service utilizes your phone line to provide your connection to the Internet. This is the most widely available type of Internet connection and speeds range from 512k to 24Mb and varying upload speeds depending on conditions and package chosen.
VDSL Broadband
Currently being rolled out by BT in the UK in certain areas named "BT Infinity". Delivered to your home over your existing telephone line with your master socket faceplate being replaced and an ISP provided dedicated Ethernet modem which you can connect to your own broadband router or the BT Homehub. Speeds of up to 40Mb down and 10Mb up depending on conditions and package chosen.
Fibre to the Home Broadband
Still on trial in the UK and available to some "green field" developments
Mobile Broadband
This set-up involves using a 3G Mobile phone and a USB modem connected to your PC/Laptop, you can use ICS to share the connection to the Xbox, however some providers (3 Broadband for example) use private ip addresses and use carrier grade NAT meaning that you end up with a Strict NAT, which is very poor for Xbox live gaming. You may also find that due to the nature of the connection (mobile) that the experience could be "laggy" depending on your location, your nearest mobile mast location and what is in between.
This type of connection is fine for downloading demos/updates etc but for playing on-line there are no guarantees
* Orange Broadband in the UK seems to be using public IP Addresses now so you should not have any NAT issues with Orange
University/Work
Your University or Workplace are likely to have a connection to the internet. This will most like be firewalled and you will have to speak to your IT department to find out if Xbox live is permitted through their firewall (See firewall section)
Check to see what is available in your area
To find out what services are available in your area visit www.samknows.com/broadband
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Ok so you’ve chosen the type of Internet Service you are going to use. What speed should you go for?
I would not recommend the 128k or 256k services. The 256k will work, But this speed may not be enough in the future.
Therefore I would recommend 512k as the entry level for Xbox live. There is no real difference on Xbox live for download speeds of 512k, 1mb or 2mb. The information you download using Xbox live is well within the 512k basic connection.
So why should you go for a higher speed? Well you might not be using Xbox live all the time and if you are a heavy user of downloading, 1mb is a lot faster for receiving files from the internet.
When hosting an Xbox live game it’s the all important ‘upload’ speed that makes the difference. Most UK ADSL connections have a 448k upload speed. This is the same whether you are using 512k, 1mb or 2mb.
So don’t assume that just because you have a faster connection you can host more. It’s not true, you can only host the same if the upload is the same, remember the higher your upload the more players you can host in a game |
Whether you have chosen to go for Telewest or NTL (now Virgin) or another cable provider you will probably receive the same sort of connection.
Your cable provider will install a cable modem in a room of your choice and will configure your PC to connect to the internet. These modems support connections via USB and Ethernet. But you cannot use both the USB and Ethernet connection at the same time.
The Xbox cannot connect via the USB connection, only Ethernet, so a direct USB connection to the Xbox is not possible
Here are the connection options for a Cable customer
Option 1
Remove the USB/Ethernet connection from your PC and connect it to your Xbox each time you want to play Xbox live, this will require a reboot of your Cable modem each time you swap connections, although you can get around this by "spoofing" the MAC Address of your PC. I cover how to do this in the FAQ Section here
Option 2
Use Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) to route traffic from your PC to your Xbox, see the ICS Guide in the FAQ Section.
Option 3 (this option may no longer be available with Virgin)
Pay an extra £X to your cable provider for an extra IP address for your Xbox.
Option 4
Buy a router, this will connect to your existing modem and allow you to connect and use multiple devices at the same time.
So which is best?
It is cheaper to use ICS or buy a router of your own. Buy an Ethernet router and connect this to your Cable modem.
The router will then allow you to connect multiple devices (PC, Xbox, Laptop) and share the same connection. This is by far the easiest option and preferred option. A decent Ethernet router will cost your around £35 and save you a lot of hassle.
For recommendations of Networking Kit please see the Equipment section of this site. |
Whether you have chosen to go for BT Infinity or another FTTC provider you will probably receive the same sort of connection.
BT Openreach will installed a VDSL modem at the master socket (or extend the connection to another room) to which you can connect your PC directly or a router.
Here are the connection options for a FTTC/FTTP/VDSL2 customer
Option 1
Remove the Openreach Modem Ethernet connection from your PC and connect it to your Xbox each time you want to play Xbox live
Option 2
Use Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) to route traffic from your PC to your Xbox, see the ICS Guide in the FAQ Section.
Option 3
Buy a router, this will connect to your existing modem and allow you to connect and use multiple devices at the same time.
So which is best?
The router will then allow you to connect multiple devices (PC, Xbox, Laptop) and share the same connection. This is by far the easiest option and preferred option. A decent Ethernet router will cost your around £35-£80 and save you a lot of hassle.
For recommendations of Networking Kit please see the Equipment section of this site. |
Since "up to 8MB" ADSL Broadband was introduced some people have found they have issues with their lines, poor speeds, crackling noises on the line, disconnects etc.
Here's a great site for all things ADSL, whether you want to learn how it works, troubleshoot your ADSL problems, or see ISP's Fair Use Policies this is the site you need:-
Kitz
When troubleshooting poor speeds and/or disconnects with ADSL it is VERY important to rule out your own internal wiring/extensions/filters as the cause of the problem.
To do this, locate your master socket and connect your router directly to it, if your socket has a horizontal groove over the lower half of the faceplate and two screws, remove these screws and connect directly to the "test socket" located inside. This takes any extensions out of the loop and is your most direct connection method. Obviously you are using the test socket as just that, a test to see if you still have issues. |
Data Capping was introduced by some ISP’s in the UK in Jan 2005. Your ISP will give you a data limit for a month that you cannot exceed. This can be anything from 1 GB to 30 GB depending on the provider and package chosen.
Despite what people might believe this is not a download only limit this is a total of up and down. It’s not currently known how much data Xbox live uses.
But if you are a casual player that plays for a few hours on a night I don’t see any reason why a 2 GB cap should impact Xbox live.
Of course anything else you use your internet connection for (Web Browsing, downloading music, e-mail etc etc) will impact this.
So why are these caps being introduced? Well the ISP’s rent their fast 155mb+ internet connections from the internet backbone providers and it’s them that are introducing the price per mb charges.
So it’s up to the ISP as to whether they pass that onto the customer (you) or not. Depending on the provider they will charge you extra if you burst your limit or simply stop you from downloading/uploading anymore data. |
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Broadband
