Welcome to the Unofficial Guide to Xbox Live

Details: Written by Administrator

The official Microsoft list does not have any ADSL Routers listed that can be purchased in the UK. Therefore, please see my recommendations at the bottom of the page. none of the routers below have gone through the Microsoft Certified testing.

But the ones I recommend I have used or have had feedback on from lots of Xbox Live users (the biggest testing ground of all)

There are many many more routers that work with Xbox Live that are not on the official list.

My advice is impartial and based on my experience of a wide range of routers and also years of feedback from people who have had issues with certain brands via e-mail and Xbox forums.

I would avoid cheaper brands as you may find that you save yourself £20 but end up with a lot of hassle and problems and possibly not even get the set-up working. And.. have little support if it goes wrong.

I can personally recommend the following manufacturers for ADSL Ethernet routers for ADSL Customers (BT, AOL, Tiscali etc etc)

Netgear
Belkin
Dlink

I can recommend them because I have been using their products for years at work and at home and they have a solid reputation and great support services.

Need to support two or more Xboxes?

If you have a specific requirement to use more than one Xbox on your network please look here

BiPAC-7800N-1

Highly Recommended

Name Billion BiPAC 7800N
Ethernet Ports 4 (1Gb)
Wireless Yes (N,G,B)
Supports 2 Xbox (NAT) Yes
Reviewed No
Microsoft Live Certified No

This is one of the most feature packed routers out there for the price. It can be used for ADSL, Fibre to the Cabinet, Cable.

If used for ADSL you can tweak the Signal to Noise Ratio to get more speed out of your connection and fine tune between speed and stability.

It works with multiple Xboxes with an Open NAT out of the box with firmware 1.06d and above.

Supports IPv6 and Quality of Service

Can be used for ADSL, FTTC and Cable customers as it has two WAN ports, one for ADSL one for connectivity to an Ethernet modem

Its not the cheapest router out there but you certainly get what you pay for.

home_hub3

Name BT Home Hub 3
Ethernet Ports 4 (100Mb) 1 (1Gb)
Wireless Yes (N,G,B)
Supports 2 Xbox (NAT) Yes
Reviewed No
Microsoft Live Certified No

Only works with BT ISP's

The new version of the BT Home Hub with smart wireless technology to ensure you maintain the best wireless signal.

Features power saving mode to turn off wireless at times of your chosing and access control

Also has a USB port to share a printer or to be used as networked media storage

Can be used for ADSL and FTTC customers as it has two WAN ports, one for ADSL one for connectivity to a VSDL modem

The Unofficial Guide To Live Router of Choice

Name D-link DSL-2640B ADSL2+ Wireless-G Router
Ethernet Ports 4 (100Mb)
Wireless Yes (G,B)
Supports 2 Xbox (NAT) Yes
Reviewed Yes
Microsoft Live Certified Yes

A bargain at the price jam packed full of features and multiple Xbox support, you can still find these routers on eBay

Some users with PS3's have noted they have problems running the Xbox and PS3/PSN at the same time, this is easily resolved by setting up Port Triggering for the PSN ports. Contact me via the forum for details.

Please note The DSL-2640B is being phased out and the DSL-2640R is replacing it, it is essentially the same router and offers the same features and supports multiple Xboxes with an Open NAT

The Unofficial Guide To Live Router of Choice

Name D-link DSL-2640R ADSL2+ Wireless-G Router
Ethernet Ports 4 (100Mb)
Wireless Yes (G,B)
Supports 2 Xbox (NAT) Yes
Reviewed No
Microsoft Live Certified No
Notes Please note The DSL-2640R is the replacement for the now discontinued DSL-2640B

Name D-link DSL-2740B ADSL2+ Wireless-N Router
Ethernet Ports 4 (100Mb)
Wireless Yes (N,G,B)
Supports 2 Xbox (NAT) Yes
Reviewed No
Microsoft Live Certified No

Dlink-2740R

Name D-link DSL-2740R ADSL2+ Wireless-N Router
Ethernet Ports 4 (100Mb)
Wireless Yes (N,G,B)
Supports 2 Xbox (NAT) Unconfirmed at time of writing
Reviewed No
Microsoft Live Certified No

Please note The DSL-2740R does not have some of the great features that are available on the DSL-2640B or 2640R, it is hoped that such features will be introduced in later firmware.

Name Netgear DG834G V2 thru V5 54MB Wireless ADSL Router
Ethernet Ports 4 (100Mb)
Wireless Yes (G,B)
Supports 2 Xbox (NAT) No
Reviewed Not at present
Microsoft Live Certified No
Notes v4 of this router has Xbox Live issues when using firmware 5.03.14 or 5.01.14