A common question that comes up is, "What happens if I buy an Xbox Live Membership subscription card and I've already got a valid subscription that isn't due to run out yet"

So you already have a current Xbox Live Gold Memebership (whether that be via a credit card subscription or a redeemed membership code) and want to know the effect of adding a subscription card to your current subscription. The answer is it will simply extend your current subscription by as many months as the new subscription card has on it.

So if you buy a 12 month subscription card but your current subscription doesn't expire for another 6 months, there's no need to wait, redeem the code now and you'll be good for another 18 months.

Auto Renewal

Another question is, what if I redeem a subscription card but I'm already set-up for auto renewal, will my card still get billed? If you redeem a code it will as above extend your subscription you will only be billed via auto renewal when your subscription is due to expire,  if you want to turn off auto renewal look here

No, not usually*

You can only sign up to Xbox live with a Credit Card. Or (360 only) using membership cards available from your local game store, see the Getting Started section for more details on options.

* It has been known that some electron cards do work, but not the majority of them

Can I change my Gamertag?

Can I use my Gamertag on my Xbox 360 and Original Xbox?

Can I share my Xbox Live Subscription to more than one Gamertag?

Read more: Gamertags Membership Subscriptions

If you would like to cancel your Xbox Live Membership you must contact Microsoft by phone.

• In the UK? look here
• In the US? look here

Some members signed up when they were under the age of 18 and even though they may now be over 18 cannot access some of the features/content of Xbox live because of this.

Microsoft have now introduced a way to promote the child account to adult. Click here for information on how to do this.

What about a free month if I recover an old Gamertag?

If you signed up to Xbox Live using a credit card your memebership will automatically renew when your membership is due to expire. If you wish to turn off autmatical renewal please visit http://www.xbox.com/accounts.

Please Note: The option to turn off this feature yourself was removed from all regions in February 2010 apart from:-

• USA
• Germany
• Taiwan
• Japan

If you are outside those regions you will have to call you local Xbox support desk, details for the UK are below, for contact detals for other regions please visit www.xbox.com :-

UK support contact:

020 7365 9792 or 0800 587 1102

Hearing Impaired (TTY device):
0800 587 1103

Hours of operation:
Monday-Friday: 09:00-22:00
Saturday: 09:00-20:00
Sunday: 09:00-17:00

Previously if you registered your Xbox live account in one country and then moved to another your account still remained tied to your old country. Not anymore!

You can now migrate your account to another country

https://live.xbox.com/en-GB/AccountMigration

Please note you can only migrate between support countries/regions, for the latest list of supported countries/regions please look here http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/countries

As a parent there are things you need to be aware of when letting your children play games on Xbox Live. It can be a daunting place and just like in the real life you cannot expect other children (or adults) to behave as you would expect them to.

Here are some links you should read through telling you how to control as much as possible what your children can/cannot do on Xbox Live to try to keep them as safe as possible:-

http://support.xbox.com/en-US/billing-and-subscriptions/parental-controls/xbox-live-parental-control

http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-live/online-privacy-and-safety/online-safety

http://www.getgamesmart.com/

When you navigate to the "Marketplace" area in the Xbox 360 Dashboard, you may see this message:

Xbox Live Marketplace is currently unavailable. Please check back later

• If you get this message, navigate to the "System" area
• Select "Memory",
• Select "All Devices" (or the connected Storage Device)
• Select "System Items"
• Select "Marketplace Data"
• Select "Delete" and confirm.

I use the official adapter and its a great piece of kit. But some people are put off by the price tag.

You can use a third party Ethernet adapter/bridge instead, but they are usually more difficult to configure, there is more info on them here

You can also connect to xbox live without the official adapter and use your wireless PC/Laptop to share its internet connection to the Xbox, which is an alternative to the xbox 360 wireless adapter look here for more info.

You cannot use a PC USB Adapter, as explained here

Why not consider the use of Homeplugs instead?

They plug straight into the mains socket (one near your 360 and one near your PC or Router).

Here's four great reasons to use them:-

1. Easy to use, securing a wireless connection can be difficult for some people. Homeplugs are already secured.
2. Some people have distance and or interference worries with wireless. You wont get any with Homeplugs.
3. The price!!!! You can get a pair of 14mb Homeplugs for the same price as the official 360 usb adaptor!!!
4. With a 14mb homeplug setup you will get 1.75 MBytes a sec throughput. With a wireless G network you may only get 1.5mb-2mb a sec throughput, the transfer rate for wireless is dependant on location of kit in your home, and interference from other devices such as microwaves, cordless phones, digisenders. You don't have the same worries with the homeplugs

If you are planning to use Homeplugs to watch HD video (from Media Centre) I would recommend the AV or 200mb versions of Homeplugs

For more information on homeplugs see this website:- www.homeplugs.co.uk


PLEASE NOTE: Homeplugs prefer to be plugged directly into the electrical socket, rather than into "gang" extension sockets (see below). They will still work but the transfer rate may not be as good.

You may also have heard that both homeplugs need to be on the same ring main (circuit) to work. Customers have found this not to be true and the connection will work if you are using the same circuit box/breaker

If you have previously connected using the Internal wireless adapter of the Xbox 360 S and want to use a wired Ethernet connection instead, simply plug the Ethernet cable into the Xbox and once it detects a connection to your router/modem it will disable the Internal wireless adapter.

As long as your house does not have walls made of lead, wireless should work fine for you. There are no problems with lag for most users and the system can be secured to a degree if you are worried about people stealing your bandwidth.

Take a look at the Diagrams section for your various wireless setup options.

I would recommend that you use the Wireless-G or Wireless-N specification, the Wireless B standard has been out a while now and G and N are faster and have greater range.
 

Wireless standards

• Wireless B - 11mb
• Wireless A - 54mb
• Wireless G - 54mb
• Wireless G (Turbo, has many names) - 108mb+
• Wireless N - 300mb+

So what kit do you need, the first piece of equipment is the router and its different for ADSL users and Cable users. So, we'll deal with ADSL users first.

ADSL Users

You need an ADSL Wireless G or N Router. Most routers have 4 Ethernet ports so you can wire up your PC direct to the router. See the Equipment section for my recommendations .

Cable Users

Again, the same recommendations as before, go for a wireless G or N router. See the Equipment section for my recommendations .


So that's the front end covered. What about the connection to the Xbox? Well that piece of hardware is the same whether you are an ADSL or Cable customer.

• Ethernet Bridge Adapters
• Official Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter

Personally I would recommend that you try to choose the same brand for the adaptor as you did for your router. In other words, a Belkin router a Belkin adaptor, Netgear and Netgear etc etc. The Microsoft Official Adapter works with most routers, I have listed ones that are known not to work with it here

All wireless hardware meets the same wireless standards so they should all work together, but if you go for the same brand its easier to troubleshoot if you have any problems.

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION

You MUST secure you wireless set-up. Have a look at this section to see my recommendations.

Troubleshooting

Some people find they experience drop outs with Wireless G routers. This is usually because of interference from other wireless networks, microwaves, cordless phone and digisenders. Basically anything that uses the 2.4Ghz frequency.

To try to help solve this issue, you could try a different wireless channel on your network. Lots of routers default to Channel 6. Why not try Channel 11 instead. If that doesnt work, try another to see if you get a more stable connection.  Consult your router documentation to find out how to do this and look here for more help

PLEASE READ THIS PAGE VERY CAREFULLY

Wireless routers are all the rage these days, unfortunately not enough advice is given to the customer when wireless routers are purchased.

You must ensure that you secure your wireless network, otherwise you can be leaving yourself open to the following:-

• Identity Fraud (shredding you bills is one thing, but your details are probably sat on your PC as well, there's no need to root in bins anymore!)
• Hijacking your PC for downloading information/pictures from unfit sites
• Bandwidth theft why pay for the internet when you can use your neighbours

Read more: Securing your Wireless Network

It has been reported that some users of the TPLINK router range cannot successfully connect to live using the Official Xbox 360 Adapter.

This is a firmware bug that TPLINK are working to address, in the meantime there is a work around that may work for you, which is covered here If you are having NAT issues with your TPLINK router follow this guide here and here

Is your Xbox 360 connected to your router wirelessly do you have a wireless Turtle Beach Headset, are you getting disconnected from Xbox live or experiencing lag?

If so the issue could be linked to your Turtle Beach Headset. As lag and drop outs on live can be caused by many many different issues the first and most simple thing to try is to power all of the Turtle Beach equipment off and play on live without it. If you continue to experience lag it is nothing to do with the headsets and you need to look elsewhere to resolve the issue.

But if the lag stops it could be down to the headset, the headsets use the 2.4Ghz wireless band which is used by most other devices on your network (and your neighbours) bluetooth, microwaves, cordless phones they all use this band so it can get very crowded. And although the Turtle Beach Headset is a channel hopper (looking for a wireless channel that is not in use in the 2.4Ghz band) it is possible for this still to affect your wireless connection between your Xbox and router.

First of all try to locate the Turtle Beach Wireless Digital RF Transmitter as far away as possible from your Xbox and do not locate it directly in between your Xbox and your wireless router. If that does not help try changing the wireless channels on your router.

If you are still having issues after that and your router supports the Standard/Wideband (or 20Mhz/40Mhz) settings try set the router to Standard or 20Mhz, you can find more tips here

Using a third party wireless ethernet adapter can take more configuration before you will successfully connect your Xbox to Xbox live.

The main problem is that most adapters cannot be configured via the 360 Dashboard, so you will need to configure the adapter directly via your PC.

When you buy a wireless router it will come preconfigured with an ip address. When you buy a wireless ethernet adapter it will also come preconfigured with an ip address, if they are both from different vendors (i.e. one Dlink , one Belkin) the chances are that the two ip addresses will be on different ranges, meaning they wont talk to each other and you'll get an IP Address Failed message on the Xbox.

I won't cover how to resolve this for each different wireless adapter, its impossible, I'll give you guidelines and you should be able to work it out yourself.

The first thing you need to find out is what ip address range your router is on, so on your PC:-

• Start/Run
• Type in cmd and press return
• When the window appears type ipconfig
• Look for the default gateway and note it down, that is the address of your router

For this example we'll say that the default gateway was 192.168.1.1

Next you need to plug the wireless adapter directly into your PC (not via the router). At this stage you need to consult the adapters manual/documentation, if you don't have any you need to download a manual from the manufacturers website.

There are usually two ways to reconfigure the wireless adapter:-

1. Use a setup program that came on a CD with the adapter
2. Reconfigure your PC ip address (temporarily) to match the ip address range of the wireless adapter, so you can use your web browser to browse to the setup page of the adapter

Whichever way you choose to reconfigure the adapter is up to you, both ways will be explained in the adapters documentation please don't ask me how to do it as the vendor explains how to do this for you.

Once you have got to the setup screen, you need to change the ip address details on the adapter itself, so using the example in this FAQ, you need to change the ip address of the wireless adapter to:-

IP Address: 192.168.1.200

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1

If your router range is different, 192.168.0 or 192.168.2 you need to make the relevant substitution.

Once the changes have made to the adapter and saved. Restart the adapter and connect the Xbox and try again.

If the Xbox still fails on "IP Address Failed" DHCP might not be working so you can manually enter these details into the Xbox instead:-

IP Address: 192.168.1.100

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1

Remember the details above are based on this example subnet 192.168.1 you might have to change the bits in bold to reflect your own setup.

There are a lot of questions about wireless gaming with the Xbox 360, of course wireless gaming was always possible on the Xbox 1, but now there is a USB wireless solution for the X360.

First of all, the actual set-up of the Xbox 1 and Xbox360 for system-link or Xbox live is no different. So if you've already got a wired set-up for live for your current Xbox, it will work with the X360. If you've already got a wireless set-up using a wireless router and an Ethernet based wireless gaming adapter/bridge that will work fine too.

Microsoft offer the ability to purchase a USB based Wireless gaming adapter

The pro's

The pro's for getting this are its a neat and tidy solution, you don't need a power supply to power an external wireless gaming adapter as this adapter gets its power from the Xbox itself.

It can cater for 802.11A which is the same speed as Wireless G (54mb) but sits in a less cluttered frequency, however, if you already have a wireless set-up the chances are your kit will not support wireless A anyway as its relatively new to the U.K. And as newer standards like "N" are already wireless A will never take off in the UK.

The con's

Its quite expensive. Twice as much as current USB wireless adapters that you can get for your PC (which will not work with the X360 by the way). Also, if you've already got a wireless set-up there's not much point in buying this.

Read more: Wireless Gaming How to setup the Official Wireless Adapter

Some routers when set-up in certain wireless modes just don't get on with the Official external and Internal Xbox adapters.

The information on this page has been established by helping Xbox live users over the years and carrying out the testing of various wireless options to try to connect the Official G, N and Internal N adapter to various routers in various modes. Some routers fail to connect at all even with no security, some will only connect in certain modes.

Please remember this is our own unofficial list you may not find this information on your router manufacturers official website. If your router is listed below please see below for any available available workarounds we have listed and also check the router manufacturers website to see if there is a later version of firmware available for your router as your problem may have already been fixed. Don't use the routers internal firmware update checker, check the website

If your issue hasn't been fixed I would encourage you to raise a support ticket with your router manufacturer, if they don't know about the issue they cannot fix it.

Please be aware that the following routers do NOT work with the Official Wireless G or N Adaptors

• US ROBOTICS 8054
• Belkin F5D7630UK4A See here

• 3com Officeconnect 3CRWE754G72-A
• Netgear WPNT834 (The official adapter will not connect to this router to start with, connect your Xbox via Ethernet to the router first to obtain all Dashboard updates, then try connecting via wireless)

• ZyXEL NBG334W  There have been reports of this model of ZyXEL not working with the Official Adapter
  
• D-Link DI-624+ (The DI-624 works fine, but not the + version)
• Netgear DG834G V5 (At time of writing 3/9/09 firmware version 6.00.25 and earlier firmware versions for the V5 do not work with the official adapter, the 360 will be able to see your wireless network with or without security but will not be able to join the network)

• Billion 7300N At the time of writing (17/5/10) It has been reported that users of new Official Wireless N Adapter cannot communicate with this router in N mode and can only connect in G mode, please ensure you have the latest firmware for your router as this may be fixed in a later release of firmware.

• Belkin F6D4230-4 v1 (N150) At the time of writing (20/5/10) It has been reported that users of new Official Wireless N Adapter cannot communicate with this router in N mode and can only connect in G mode (or N only mode), please ensure you have the latest firmware for your router as this may be fixed in a later release of firmware.

• Belkin F7D2401 v1 firmware version 1.00.38 At the time of writing (12/12/10) It has been reported that users of the Official Wireless N Adapter cannot communicate with this router, it is possible to see the wireless network but you cannot connect when entering the wireless password, it fails to connect even with no security, this may also be a problem for the Xbox360S(Slim) internal adapter and the Official Wireless G adapter. Please check Belkin's website for further firmware updates as this may be resolved in a later version of firmware.

• Belkin F5D8636-4 v1 firmware version 1.00.06 (Australian version)  At the time of writing (09/08/11) It has been reported that users of the Official Wireless N Adapter cannot communicate with this router, it is not possible to connect to this router in Wireless N mode with or without wireless security. Please check Belkin's website for further firmware updates as this may be resolved in a later version of firmware.

• Dlink DIR-655 firmware version 2.00NA and 2.01NA At the time or writing (05/05/11) it has been reported that users of the Official Wireless N Adapter cannot connect to the router in WIreless N mode. If the router is set to Wireless N only mode it will not connect, if the router is set to mixed mode it will connect in Wireless G mode even though Wireless N is available. Please view the Dlink website to see if there is a later version of firmware available as this issue may be fixed in a later version of firwmare. This issue does not affect the Xbox360S(Slim) internal adapter, which will connect successfully in Wireless N mode.

• Linksys/Cisco E3000 firmware version 1.0.04 (build 6)  At the time or writing (20/07/11) it has been reported that users of the Official Wireless N Adapter cannot connect to the router in WIreless N 5Ghz mode or Wireless N mixed 5Ghz mode. If the router is set to 2.4Ghz Wireless Go mode the Xbox will connect. Please view the Linksys/Cisco website to see if there is a later version of firmware available as this issue may be fixed in a later version of firwmare.
• Devolo dLAN 200 AV Wireless N. At the time of writing (31/10/11) it has been reported that users of the Official Wireless N adapter cannot connect to the Devolo homeplug Wireless N kit when using WPA2 security. Check to ensure you are using the latest version of firmware as this may be fixed in firmware at a later date. You can use WEP or WPA as an alternative.
• Linksys WRT160N v3 At the time of writing (01/10/12) It has been reported that users of the Official Wireless N adapter cannot communicate with this router in N mode and drops back to G mode, please ensure you have the latest firmware for your router as this may be fixed in a later release of firmware, this was found when using Firmware v3.0.03 build 003

• Linksys WRT120N At the time of writing (15/11/10) It has been reported that users of the Xbox 360 Slim Internal wireless N Adapter cannot communicate with this router in N mode and can only connect in G mode, please ensure you have the latest firmware for your router as this may be fixed in a later release of firmware. At present the only way to connect in pure N mode with this router is to disable wireless security (not recommended), this was found when using Firmware 1.0.05 (Build 03).

• Linksys WRT160N v1 At the time of writing (18/11/10) It has been reported that users of the Xbox 360 Slim Internal wireless N Adapter cannot communicate with this router in N mode or G mode, please ensure you have the latest firmware for your router as this may be fixed in a later release of firmware. At present the only way to connect in pure N mode or Mixed with this router is to disable wireless security (not recommended), this was found when using Firmware v1.02.11

• Belkin F7D2401 v1 firmware version 1.00.41 At the time of writing (27/05/11) It has been reported that users of the Xbox 360 Slim Internal wireless N Adapter cannot communicate with this router in any wireless mode, with or without wireless security enabled. The network is visible but you cannot connect to it. Please ensure you check the Belkin website to ensure you are using the latest firmware for your router as this may be fixed in a later release of firmware. ** Updated 14/8/12 - This issue is now resolved in firmware version 1.00.42 **
• Belkin F9K1103 v1 firmware version 1.00.40 At the time of writing (28/06/11) It has been reported that users of the Xbox 360 Slim Internal wireless N Adapter cannot communicate with this router when using WPA2 (AES) security, WEP and WPA security modes do work. It is possible this issue also affects the Xbox Wireless G and Wireless N external adapters. Please ensure you check the Belkin website to ensure you are using the latest firmware for your router as this may be fixed in a later release of firmware. 26/07/11 Update - This has been confirmed as fixed in firmware version 1.00.42 which you can download here
• Netcomm NB14WN ADSL2+ firmware version FW A11 AU  At the time of writing (23/09/11) It has been reported that users of the Xbox 360 Slim Internal wireless N Adapter cannot communicate with this router when using any form of security (WEP/WPA/WPA2). It is also not possible to connect in Wireless N mode only Wireless G (Wireless G - No Security, or B+G+N - No Security). Please ensure you check the Netcomm website this may be fixed in future firmware
• ZyXel P-661HNU-F1  At the time of writing (23/11/11) It has been reported that users of the Xbox 360 Slim Internal wireless N Adapter cannot communicate with this router when using WPA2 security. However WPA-PSK(TKIP) has been found to work. Please ensure you check the Zyxel website  this may be fixed in future firmware
• Tenda W268R  At the time of writing (27/12/11) It has been reported that users of the Xbox 360 Slim Internal wireless N Adapter cannot communicate with this router with or without wireless security or in Wireless G or N mode or mixed mode. Please ensure you check the Tenda website this may be fixed in future firmware
• BT Home Hub 3 Firmware version 4.7.5.1.83.8.57.1.3 (Type A) other firmware versions may also be affected. At the time of writing (13/6/12) It has been reported that users of the Xbox 360 Slim Internal wireless N Adapter cannot communicate with this router in N mode. When trying to stream using Media Centre the connection is reported as G and not N, there is no known work around, this may be fixed in future firmware.
• Arris TG862G/CT ( Xfinity ) . At the time of writing (3/7/12) It has been reported that users of the Xbox 360 Slim Internal wireless N adapter cannot communicate with this router with any form of wireless security. Please see the following forum posts here and here for more information. Please note Comcast have formally responded with regards to this issue and the details can be found here
• Edimax BR-6424N. At the time of writing (28/7/12) It has been reported that users of the Xbox 360 Slim Internal wireless N adapter cannot communicate with this router using WPA2-AES security. This was discovered using firmware version v1.21, WPA(TKIP) has been found to work. Please check the manufacturer website as this issue may be fixed in a later version of firmware.
• TPLINK TL-WR2543ND. At the time of writing (7/8/12) It has been reported that users of the Xbox 360 Slim Internal wireless N adapter cannot communicate with this router in Wireless N 802.11 mode. This was discovered using firmware version 3.13.17 Build 120509 Rel.33890n. You can however connect using Wireless G mode. Please check the manufacturer website as this issue may be fixed in a later version of firmware.
• Billion 7800N At the time of writing (25/8/12) It has been reported that users of new Xbox 360 Slim Internal wireless N adapter cannot communicate with this router with or without security enabled using firmware 106D. This issue is fixed in firmware 106G.

Some owners of the new Xbox 360 Wireless N Adapter are having problems getting the Xbox to detect the adapter. For this to work you need to ensure the update on the disk supplied is applied to your Xbox.

(Please note: If you have been connected to Xbox Live recently you should already have this update, this disk is aimed at people who have yet to connect to Xbox Live)

Many people are falling foul of the same problem and inserting the disk but not knowing what to do with it after that as the Xbox just reports the disk as "Mixed Media"

For the update to work you need to insert the disk and power off (and then on again) the Xbox.

However if your Xbox is set to boot straight to the dashboard and not use the disk inserted you need to do the following on the Xbox dashboard:-

• My Xbox
• System Settings
• Console Settings
• Startup and Shutdown
• Startup
• Choose Disc

Once that has been done, ensure the disk is still in the tray and restart  the Xbox, this time it will load the update containing the Wireless N software

If you are still experiencing problems please see this FAQ

To connect your Xbox 360 to the Zoom X6 Router extra steps are required, please follow the instructions below.

You must assign a static IP address on the Xbox 360 that it is outside of the Zoom X6 router's DHCP pool.  Also, the Xbox 360 must be in a DMZ.  This will prevent the firewall of the router from blocking connections to the Xbox 360.

1. Assign a Static IP address on the Xbox 360 console:

• Power on your Xbox 360 and go to Settings/System/Network Settings
• Choose Wired or Wireless
• Configure Network
• Choose IP Settings
• Select Manual and then enter the following settings:
  • IP Address: 10.0.0.150 (or any 10.0.0.x IP address, where x is between 100 and 250)
  • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
  • Gateway:  10.0.0.2

• Select Done, to go back to the Edit Settings screen.

• Select DNS Settings. The Edit DNS Settings screen opens.
• Select Manual and then enter the following setting:
  • Primary DNS Server: 10.0.0.2
  • It is not necessary to enter a Secondary DNS Server.  
• Select Done.
• Power down your Xbox 360.

• From a computer that is connected to the Zoom X6, open a web browser and type http://10.0.0.2 in the address line and then press Enter (or Return).
• Enter the User Name and Password (in lowercase letters):
  • User Name: admin
  • Pasword: zoomadsl  (where "l" is a lowercase letter L)

• In the Zoom Configuration Manager, click on the Advanced Setup icon at the top page.
• Click on the Virtual Server/DMZ button.
• On the Virtual Server/DMZ page, enter the following settings:
  • Internal IP Address: 10.0.0.150 (or whichever Static IP address you selected per Step 1)
  • Protcol: DMZ
  • Start Port: 0
  • End Port: 0
• Click Save Changes
• Click the Enable box, if you have this option.
• Click Write Settings to Flash

• Select Network Settings.
• Select Test Xbox Live Connection.  If everything is configured correctly, all the tests will show Pass.

6. You should now be connected to Xbox Live.

All credit for this FAQ goes to the original source here this FAQ is located to prevent this knowledge being lost in the event that Zoom customer help site article is no longer available.

Some people are having issues setting up wireless with the new Xbox 360 S, if you are having problems please look at the main wireless troubleshooting article here as there is a section covering the new Xbox.

We love the Dlink DSL-2640 (B or R) routers and it is our Wireless G router of choice for ADSL customers. And whilst it does work great with two or more Xboxes with an Open NAT you may find that if you also have a PS3 (greedy!) you may have problems getting the PS3 to work with PSN all at the same time.

Even though we are not set-up to help with PSN we don't mind sharing the workaround with you so here it goes.

• Ensure your DSL-2640B is running a good version of firmware that supports two or more Xboxes like Firmware Version: EU_4.00 which you can download from our own site in our router firmware download section
• Set your Xbox IP addresses to auto
• Ensure UPnP is enabled on the router under Advanced/Advanced LAN
• Click on Advanced/Application rules and set-up the PSN rules as per the screenshot below
• Save the settings and reboot your router Xbox(es) and PS3 and then try to connect on both systems

Click to enlarge

If you are an Eircom customer with a Netopia router/modem and are having problems accessing Xbox Live. The following information should be of help.

To configure your router for Xbox Live take the following steps below:-

1. Open an Internet Explorer page. in address bar type 192.168.1.254
2. That should take you to the Netopia's settings page
3. On the menu to left click Firewall, set it to Low and Save Changes
4. On the menu to left click Expert Mode, then Yes, enter Expert Mode
5. On the menu to left click Configure, then Advanced, then NAT
6. Where it says Service Name, scroll the list down to Xbox Live Games, click Enable and then Enable again
7. On the menu to left click Configure, then Connection.
8. In main page scroll down to the UPnP and put a check in the box. then Save

It should then restart the Netopia, and when it comes back on in a few seconds your XBOX LIVE should be good to go.

If you are still experiencing problems accessing Xbox Live your Netopia may require a firmware upgrade.

(Thank you to Savage Tyrant of the Official Xbox Forums for supplying this information)

Read more: How to configure a Dlink router to use PPPoE

Read more: How to configure a Linksys/Cisco/Valet router to use PPPoE

Read more: How to configure a Netgear router to use PPPoE

This FAQ is relevant to the Vigin Media Hub and Virgin Media Superhub

Updated 14/9/2011

As Virgin released the r30 firmware 13/9/2011 which includes the option to turn the Superhub into a basic modem this FAQ should no longer be needed for the Superhub, this FAQ can still be used for the Hub which as yet has no equivalent firmware update at time of writing

Previously Virgin Broadband users in the UK on Virgin's cable network were supplied with a standard DOCSIS modem and were required to connect their own (or Virgin supplied) router to allow multiple devices to connect at the same time.

Recently Virgin Broadband have changed what they supply and now use the Hub and Super Hub (custom Netgear routers) which are wireless capable and supports multiple devices. However some customers still prefer to use their own router instead of the Hub/Super Hub especially when wanting to support multiple Xboxes with an Open NAT which (at time of writing) some users have reported the Hub does not support. (The Superhub should support multiple Xboxes with an Open NAT see the details on this page)

If you simply connect your own router to the Hub/Superhub will will encounter NAT issues even with one Xbox as you are "double NAT'ing" Virgin have hinted that they will in the future release a firmware update for the Hub/Superhub to allow you easily turn off its routing functions and make it a very standard modem so you can connect your own router.

Until this time there is a workaround available so that you can correctly connect your own broadband router to the Hub/Superhub wth the Hub/Superhub acting as a standard modem and handing off all of the work to your second router.

• Plug your cable router’s WAN port into any of the LAN ports on the Hub/Superhub
• Plug your PC into any Hub/Superhub LAN port and access the management page by entering 192.168.0.1 into your web browser
• Login to the Hub/Superhub the username/password details are on a sticker on the side of your hub (more help here)
• On the LAN IP page examine the DHCP lease info; you should see your PC and the second router list.
• Note the MAC address of the router and add it to the DHCP reservation section and give the second router an IP address of 192.168.0.10. (Use ipconfig /all in a cmd window to find the MAC address of your PC if your not sure which is which)
• Now go to the DMZ host page on the Hub/Superhub and enter the same IP address of the second router (e.g. 192.168.0.10)
• Additional Suggestion:- At this stage it would also be wise to turn off the Hub/Superhub wireless functionality and firewall and let your second router provide this for you
• Turn off the second router and back on again, plug your PC into the second router, login to the second router and set the router’s WAN setup for "Does your Internet connection require a login" to NO, this may also be known as Internet Connection type - "Automatic Configuration - DHCP" (it varies from router to router) and then you should see the WAN or Internet as 192.168.0.10
• Connect any remaining devices to the second router
• The changes are now complete

The instructions above will work for the VMDG280 and VMDG480

Full credit for these instructions go to lowei of the Official Xbox Forums, thank you for sharing this.

If you have a Linksys or Cisco Valet router you may be interested in enabling the QOS (Quality of Service) feature on the router. Doing this will enable your Xbox traffic to take outgoing priority over anything else (and any other users) on the network. This could help you if you are having problems with other users on your network using up lots of bandwidth on downloads, video streaming etc etc.

Read more: How to setup QOS on a Linksys or Cisco Valet router

If you have a Netgear router you may be interested in enabling the QOS (Quality of Service) feature on the router (only available on some models). Doing this will enable your Xbox traffic to take outgoing priority over anything else (and any other users) on the network. This could help you if you are having problems with other users on your network using up lots of bandwidth on downloads, video streaming etc etc.

Read more: How to setup QOS on a Netgear router

If you have the Dlink DIR-655 as reviewed hereon this site you may be interested in enabling the QOS (Quality of Service) feature on the router. Doing this will enable your Xbox traffic to take outgoing priority over anything else (and any other users) on the network.

This could help you if you are having problems with other users on your network using up lots of bandwidth on downloads, video streaming etc etc.

Read more: How to setup QOS on the Dlink DIR-655

If you have the Dlink DSL-2640B as reviewed on this site you may be interested in enabling the QOS (Quality of Service) feature on the router. Doing this will enable your Xbox traffic to take outgoing priority over anything else (and any other users) on the network. This could help you if you are having problems with other users on your network using up lots of bandwidth on downloads, video streaming etc etc.

Read more: How to setup QOS on the Dlink DSL-2640B

Some users of the Hughesnet Gen4 service have noticed that they receive the Error code 80072746 when trying to log in to Xbox live, this is thought to be caused by the web acceleration feature of the HT1000 Modem

To fix this go to this page of your modem http://192.168.0.1/cgi-bin/index.cgi?Command=1

And disable web accleration and save your settings

Thanks to taidara for letting me know about this one

It has been known for some users of the Motorola Surfboard SBG6580 to suffer from lag and when running a test at www.pingtest.net high packet loss. This has been found to be linked to the modem's built in flood and firewall protection, which aren't needed when you are connecting this modem your own router to the modem as your router should have its own security and firewall settings.

Do not carry out these instructions if the SBG6580 is the device you connect all of your clients (PC/Xbox 360 etc)  to as it will no longer be protecting your clents (unless you have security on your other clients, software firewalls etc). This is only to be used if your SBG6580 connects to a second router where your second router is used to connect to your PC/Xbox 360 etc etc

To resolve this problem please follow the instructions below:-

• Connect your PC directly to the modem
• Open a web browser window.
• Type in the IP address for the modem 192.168.0.1
• Type in the default Username: admin
• Type in the default Password: motorola
• Click on the Firewall Menu
• Untick IP Flood Detection (see screenshot below)
• Untick Firewall Protection (see screenshot below)
• Click Apply
• Wait 30secs, restart the modem restart the router restart your Xbox

(Click to enlarge the image above)

Thanks to boyinblue3 of the Official Xbox Forums for bringing this to my attention

After the Feb 2013 Dashboard update users of the older end of line Netgear RP114 and RT314 routers discovered they could no longer connect to Xbox live and the connection was failing due to an ICMP error despite this set-up working fine for years before the update.

This is actually quite an old issue with these routers and in fact it can affect other ZyNOS based routers, thank you to Player696072341 for digging out the workaround for this.

You can find the fix here

When applying the new filter you created please apply it to the Input Filter Set if your ISP does not use PPPoE. 

If your ISP uses PPPoE please use the PPPoE filter referred to here

If you are an Optus net broadband customer and use the Siemens SpeedStream 4200 Optus DSL Broadband Supplied Modem you may find that when connecting your Xbox to modem you get the message "IP Address Failed"

This is because the modem is operating in bridge mode and the Xbox does not seem to like this setup.

Please refer to Optus guide below and when you get to the Mode selection choose NAPT instead of Optus Bridge

http://help.optuszoo.com.au/help/dsl/connected/windows/optus_modems/speedstream_4200#pc_settings

This will turn on the routing function of the modem and allow the Xbox properly.

You can connect your Xbox to the Livebox via Ethernet, just set your Xbox network settings to Auto and you should connect fine. However some people seem to be struggling to get their 360's working wirelessly with the Orange/Wanadoo Livebox. Follow the steps below and you should be up and running in no time at all.

• Open up your web browser
• Type in http://192.168.1.1
  You will be prompted to enter the Livebox username and password. The username is: admin. The password is: admin
• Click on Security/Wireless Configuration
  Note down the WEP Security Key (26 Characters long)
• Go go to the 360 dashboard
• Select the System Blade/Network settings/Wireless
• Look for your Livebox wireless network, Your Livebox network name should appear, select the network by pressing A
• It will then ask you for the WEP Key, enter the 26 Character key you noted down earlier in CAPS no spaces. DO NOT PRESS DONE AT THIS STAGE
• Press the button in your livebox marked with a number 1 or (REG) (see below)

• Or if you are using the livebox mini press the wireless assocation button on the rear of the router above the reset button (see below referred to by number 1)

• Now press done on the 360

Your connection to Xbox live should now work, if not ensure your WEP key is correct (the main cause of issues) and remember its CaSE SenSITive

Troubleshooting

If you are still getting the "IP Address Failed" message after doing the above. Try disabling the security settings in the Livebox.

Restart the Livebox then carry out the instructions above again. If it works ok, reapply the security settings after you have successfully connected.

Manuals for this router in English are quite hard to come by. After much searching I have managed to find one, if you require it please contact me via the forum.

Sky Broadband works fine with Xbox Live. Sky supply a modified version of a Netgear router the router runs a modified version of firmware meaning there is no setup required to activate the router, as your username/password details are already programmed in.

If you need to access your router configuration screen the login details are as follows:-

• http://192.168.0.1
• Username=admin
• Password=sky

Yes it can be done. There are a few things to bear in mind though

• Not many routers will give both of your Xboxes a NAT status of Open. This is crucial for the best gaming experience. If your router cannot do this, both of your Xboxes may not even be able to play in the same game. Your router must fully support UPnP for this type of setup. Lots of routers have this functionality, but not many actually implement it correctly to allow an Open NAT on multiple Xboxes
• The size of your internet connection is crucial. If you want to use two Xboxes on the same Internet connection I would recommend 2Mb or above. Obviously the more Xboxes you use, the more bandwidth you require

Works with Vista / Windows 7

Please note, any router displaying the above logo means it has gone through Microsoft certification and is categorised the same as "Xbox Live Compatible" and as such will support two or more Xbox with an Open NAT as long as you are using the correct certified firmware

25/1/2013 - It appears that Xbox.com has removed their list of certified routers whilst they change their site so I have made available a list of the certified hardware from April 2012 as a temporary measure here

Read more: Two Xboxes using one router Internet connection

When upgrading from a USB Modem to an ethernet router (wired or wireless) there's a few things that people forget or misunderstand

I'll try to explain the differences between the modems and routers

USB Modem

A USB Modem is a dumb device. It relies totally on your PC to access the internet. Your PC holds the information needed to connect to the internet. The PC stores your ISP username and password and you must choose when to connect to the internet by clicking an icon.

If you are using Internet Explorer it can be set to dial up the connection to the internet automatically

Router

A router is different, it needs to be configured with your ISP username and password. Because its an intelligent stand alone device. Once configured you do not have to rely on your PC to go on line.

Common mistakes

A common mistake is for people to buy a router, plug it in an expect to go online as you did with the USB Modem. It doesnt work like that, it must be configured first. Each router manufacturer has a different method, but most are configured via your web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox etc)

Some routers come with an install disc. Personally I wouldnt bother using them, its easier to install it yourself via the browser.

Steps to Upgrading

Below are instructions for upgrading from a typical USB Modem (Speedtouch 330) to a Router (Netgear DG834). You can apply the same principals to different makes/models of kit.

1. Disconnect the USB Modem from the ADSL Filter and from the PC
2. Connect the Ethernet cable from the router to the PC's network card
3. Connect the RJ11 (telephone cable) to the ADSL Filter
4. Open your Web Browser
5. Type in 192.168.0.1 (exact numbers depends on make/model of router, this address is for Netgears)
6. Login to the admin page (for Netgear, username=admin, password=password)
7. Run the Setup Wizard and enter your ISP username/password (Please Note. If you are an AOL user you must use the primary/master account details as the username/password, sub-accounts will not work)

At this stage you should be able to connect to the internet and browse. If you see the dial-up dialog box appear and use Internet Explorer, do the following

1. Open up Internet Explorer
2. Click on Tools/Internet Options/Connections
3. Choose Never Dial a Connection

You should be able to browse the Internet now. Uninstall your old USB Modem sofware (e.g. Speedtouch) your USB Modem is no longer needed.

Troubleshooting

If you cannot browse to your routers configuration page, it is possibly because of one of the following:-

• Your personal firewall maybe blocking that address, try disabling the firewall

• Your network card is not enabled

• Your network card does not have the appropriate drivers loaded

• Your network card is not functioning correctly

First of all lets get the disclaimers out of the way.

The Unofficial Guide to Xbox Live Website does NOT condone using third party firmware on any of your devices, we do not encourage it or support it and are in no way responsible or liable for any damage that may come to your equipment by using third party firmware on any of your equipment.

This article only intends to inform you that it is possible to use other firmware and advises that you fully research how to do this yourself, this article has been put together for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and based on this post by VAVA Mk2 to which all credit goes to, thank you VAVA.

Why Third Party Firmware?

Some people prefer to use third party firmware to enable functionality that doesn't exist with the suppliers firmware, this can range from better wireless performance to better ASDL synchronisation speeds. A specific real world example of why is covered further on in the article.

What are the risks of using Third Party Firmware?

The risks are you could "brick" your equipment, if done incorrectly you could end up breaking your router completely which is why you should fully understand what you are doing before committing and not just "jump in and have a go". You will also void any warranty you have.

Where can I read more about this?

• General Information http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php
• Router Database http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database
• Xbox 360 Configuration http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Configuring_for_Xbox_360
• [How To] Install Custom Firmware DD-WRT on Linksys Router http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ4c_FxVQBc
• Support http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Index:Support

DGTeam (Netgear)

• General Information http://dgteam.ilbello.com/

Tomato (Linksys/Buffalo and others)

• General Information http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato

A real life example of why you might want to consider this

As per this post on the Xbox.com forums VAVA Mk2 owns a Linksys WRT160N and wanted an Open NAT on both Xboxes, firmware version 3.0.02.003 should have allowed this as it is Xbox Live Certified but this wasn't the case it was still an issue (its not the first time I've seen this on Linksys) also you will find that version of firmware is no longer available to download.

So VAVA Mk2 decided to flash the firmware with DD-WRT custom firmware to enable both Xboxes to have an open NAT. Here is how it was done:-

It will void the warranty if you do this but you can reflash back to official Linksys firmware from their site if you do it and get cold feet. 

My router model is WRT160N v3 and the dd-wrt firmware I flashed is version 24-sp2, which for my router was NEWD K2.6 Mini Generic. 

Link to MY model's firmwares is http://www.dd-wrt.com/routerdb/de/download/Linksys/WRT160N/3.0/dd-wrt.v24-14311_NEWD-2_K2.6_mini.bin/3407.  For many out there, though, who want to see if their router has a dd-wrt compatible file go to http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database and search for your router. 

In addition to great forum support there is a wiki with many different artciles on dd-wrt at http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php.  For my router model and instructions relating to install here is a great article http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linksys_WRT150N_%26_WRT160N.  Also, there is a specific article on the wiki about settings for the XBOX 360 and dd-wrt here, http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Configuring_for_Xbox_360. 

Essentially, if you flash the router right, all you really need to do is enable UPnP under the NAT/QoS tab and also enable clear port forwards at startup.  That is all.  The default settings for everything else should be left alone and I got faster connection to Live and Open NAT on all consoles no hassle.  Best thing ever! 

Last thing I want to give as a reference is a link to a video on YouTube that goes through the flashing process for those new to this or not as adventurous with tech things as you and I are.  Makes the experience painless and simple. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ4c_FxVQBc.  There are also other videos on YouTube addressing the 360 and dd-wrt and of course the dd-wrt forums are a great trouble shooting source along with other tech forums searched via Google (live and die by it haha).

 

Thanks again to VAVA Mk2 for the valuable input into this article.

Some users of the Verizon FiOS router have reported an issue when trying to use the Official Xbox Wireless adapter. This issue can be resolved by upgrading the firmware version of the router.

This section contains some of the firmware revisions for some routers that have been certified for use by Microsoft for Xbox Live. These firmware versions will ensure your product works "Out of the Box" with Xbox Live and support up to four Xboxes with no extra configuration.

PLEASE NOTE

You use these firmware versions at your own risk. We are in no way responsible for any possible faults developing from the use of this firmware with your hardware. We are merely hosting these for your benefit as the original manufacturer no longer does.

You must be competent with this procedure before proceeding with the upgrade. I recommend consulting your documentation before upgrading and/or check the manufacturer's website for your model of router

Please: Ensure you use the correct firmware for your router, many routers have different model versions and each model has its own specific version of firmware that you cannot use on other versions of the same router, so check the version of your router, you can usually do this by looking at the sticker located underneath the router, if in doubt consult the manufacturers website

The reason I have started to save and offer these versions of firmware, is because some people are have trouble locating these versions on the web, as the manufacturers bring out newer versions of firmware the old ones tend not to be as widely available.

Where possible I have included the localisation of the firmware

Read more: Xbox Live Certified Router Firmware

Please note. The list below is the Xbox Live Certified list from Xbox.com from August 2012 it is only version I had to hand.

The list below is only intended to be used as a reference, the most up to date list was here https://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-live/get-started/connecting/network-hardware-compatible-xbox-live however currently (25/1/2013) that page has been removed and redirects to new Xbox.com network hardware forum where I believe at a later date that list may re-appear

I am publishing this information as a stop gap only as many people are asking to see the list but it isn't available online at this time. Please note this is not my own list it is the Official Microsoft list from Xbox.com as of August 2012

Central Europe B.V.

www.zyxel.com/web/

Ok so this isn't really a frequently asked question but it is such a strange one it is worth putting up in the hope a search engine picks up on it and it saves someone pain.

If you use TDS Telecom for your Xbox Live gaming and want to play against friends using the same ISP you are in for disappointment I'm afraid.

To date I've seen two people complain that this is not possible, you can see here that the customer has been told it is not permitted and the exact same issue here open NAT but cannot join their friends that are using the same ISP.

It is very unusual to see if every ISP did this there wouldn't be many people to play against, thankfully it isn't the case. I'm not sure why TDS do this but it is something to be aware of and there is nothing you can do about it yourself in terms of router settings, whatever the restriction is it exists within the ISP's network.