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

Many people fall foul of this every time a new beta version of the dashboard is released

This is Good

If you sign up to use the beta dashboard and you are chosen for the trial and you download your beta dashboard via Xbox Live you will be fine and be able to connect to live and use the new beta dashboard until it is officially released

This is Bad

If you download the beta dashboard via torrents or some other website or get it from a friend etc and you have not been chosen for the trial and install it on your Xbox via USB or CD/DVD you will find yourself unable to connect to Xbox Live until the beta dashboard is officially released. Don't ask Microsoft to resolve this for you because they cannot.

DO NOT USE ANY DASHBOARD UNLESS IT HAS BEEN DOWNLOAD VIA XBOX LIVE OR FROM XBOX.COM and you'll be fine!

It has been reported by many users of the BT Home Hub 2.0 that playing Forza 3 will cause the Hub to do a full reset cutting you off from the Internet making use of the game impossible online.

This is known to happen to user of the BT Home Hub 2.0 on firmware
8.1.H.G

It has also been reported this is not an issue for people trialing the new firmware 8.1.H.J (Type A) this firmware is only available to persons on the trial and no date has been announced for its full public release at time of publishing this FAQ (31/10/09)

Update 27/11/09 - According to the BT Forums the new firmware is now starting to rollout

Some people using the BT Home Hub have a NAT status of Strict when running the Xbox 360 Live test. Whereas some people do not have any issues at all.

I believe this is because people are using different versions of firmware for the HomeHub and it takes time for all of the Hub's to be updated with later versions.

So you may find that you have an NAT of Open now, but when your Hub is updated automatically, it may go strict.

Here are the fixes too get you back to a NAT status of Open, you must ensure your Xbox IP Address is set to auto and not manual/static

Please note these instructions will NOT give you an Open NAT if you are connecting the Xbox to a wireless PC/Laptop and using ICS (Internet Connection Sharing).

You must be connected direct to the Homehub via ethernet or wireless, if you connect to a PC you must use Bridging.

Make sure you have the latest version of firmware

The biggest problem today with the use of the HomeHub is:-

• Out of date firmware
• People adding the Xbox live service when its not needed

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

If you download or share on your PC, it will take up as much of your internet bandwidth as it can. And will more than likely disrupt your Xbox live experience unless you can limit how much bandwidth the PC application uses.

If you or others in your home are downloading/using up bandwidth at the same time as when you are playing you should invest in a router that supports QoS (Quality of Service) to ensure your Xbox Live traffic gets priority.

Also don’t forget with p2p programs even if you are downloading only a few files at a low data rate you are likely to be sharing something that others want so you upload will be getting heavily used which will again affect live.

Personally I would recommend turning off p2p programs while on live if you want the best lag free experience if your router does not support QoS. Web browsing is fine but anything else can and will affect your gaming experience.

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

Not with the Xbox no. Even if you could, you are connecting to different peoples games all over the world, so it would be different each time as you communicate with different people in different parts of the country/region/world.

You can however test the speed of your internet connection on your PC by visiting a speedtest website like this one, pingtest is also another good site to use.

Delay sensitive

Non delay sensitive

NAT Issues

Latency

Speeds

Data Usage/Allowance

Summary

• Ensure you are not trying to use the Official wireless adapter AND an Ethernet cable in the network port at the same time
• If you are using the Xbox 360 Wireless adapter try the adapter in another USB port, try all three front and back
• There may be a fault with the cable you are using (even if the cable works with your PC, try a different cable, as the 360 needs all of the wires in use, some cables only use a few of the wires)
• There may be a fault with the port of the router you are connecting to.
• There may be a fault (or its disabled) with the Network card of the PC you are connecting to.
• There may be fault with the Xbox network port, if you've had storms in your area lately its possible the network card has been affected, this is very common in the US during the stormy seasons
• If you are using a D-Link DI-624 Rev C, try using an Xbox Live Certified version of firmware (2.70 or 2.53)

Make sure your using the correct cable

RJ45 and RJ11 cables look quite similar ensure your using the correct one, RJ45 having the larger end connector which fits snug, the RJ11 cable (which is meant for modems, ADSL WAN connections and phones, is the smaller connection and will be loose in a RJ45 socket, which obviously won't work

Click on the image to enlarge

Are you having issues updating your console to use the latest software? If so I would recommend downloading the system update and updating using CD/DVD or a USB drive.

If you have an error code when trying to update please look up your code here for advice

Xbox.com have added a new service to allow you to download and burn to disk software updates for the 360, as not everyone has access to broadband.

In a similar way they do to update their backwards compatibility list.

To access the download page and instructions go here

Please Note: The information in this section is relevant to other Cable ISP's around the world, not just NTL/Telewest/Virgin Media

Originally, when you wanted to connect any new device to your cable service, you had to register its MAC Address with your provider. NTL/Telewest stopped asking you to do this some years ago.

But recently I've noticed a lot of people are having trouble connecting their Xboxes direct to the cable modem or set top box. Even when they turn the power off and on on the modem/Set Top Box when switching between the PC and Xbox.

Most Cable modems remember the mac address of the single device they are connected to (i.e. your PC or your Xbox or your router). If you simply move the Ethernet cable to another device the modem won't understand, to get around this problem please ensure that before moving the Ethernet cable to another device you power off the modem first so:-

1. Power off Cable Modem
2. Move cable to new device
3. Power on Cable Modem
4. Wait 2 mins
5. Try to connect with new device

The information above should work for you but powering on and off can get tedious, if you are constantly swapping between connecting  your PC and Xbox to the modem you can work around this by "spoofing" the MAC Address of your PC, instructions are below. After you do this, you do not have to power cycle your modem when switching between Xbox and PC anymore.

• Whilst your PC is connected to the modem - Click the "Start" button on your desktop
• Click "Run"
• Type "cmd"
• Type "ipconfig /all" (there's a space between the g and the /)
• Make a note of the "Physical Address" from your local area connection, it will look something like this 00-E0-98-C1-88-C2

• Start up the 360
• Choose Settings/System/Network Settings
• Choose Wired or Wireless
• Configure Network
• Additional Settings
• Advanced Settings
• Select "Alternate MAC Address"
• Enter the "Physical Address" you copied from your computer (Do not enter the dashes)
• Select "Done"
• Select "Done"
• Connect the Xbox to the modem/set top box
• Choose the option to "Test Xbox Live", you should connect fine.

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 here
• 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 get the error message DNS Failed on the Xbox 360 Xbox Live test or Internet Failed (NXE) when trying to connect to Xbox Live this can be caused for different reasons depending on your setup.

Cable Internet Users

ADSL Internet Users

If you are an Eirecom 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)

Questions about Ethernet cables are quite common, so below are the answers to some of the common questions:-

What type of Cable do I need to connect?

First of all, lets start with the type of cable you should use. I would recommend Cat5e. Cat6 will work, but there is no need for it when using the Xbox as the neither the Xbox or Xbox 360 is cable of 1Gb transfer speeds (which is the main reason for using Cat6).

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?

You can get disconnects for many reasons on Xbox Live.

Here is a check list:-

1. Check your NAT status
2. If you NAT is Open, ensure you don't have UPnP, DMZ and Porforwarding configured, they are designed to work on their own, not together
3. If you are using Wireless, try changing the wireless channel on your router to Channel 11. And/or try moving the router/Xbox to a different position in your house. Also check for devices in close proximity that could interfere. (Cordless phones, microwaves, Digi-senders), click here for more wireless help
4. Run a speedtest to ensure your speed is sufficient for Xbox live www.speedtest.net

If you have done the above. Try connecting your Xbox direct via Ethernet to rule out any problems with wireless.

If you are still having issues and if you are on ADSL, read on

The "Up to 8Mb Upgrade"

In the UK ADSL speeds used to be 1 or 2Mb in general. And on the whole most people experienced stable internet connections and as such, stable gaming.

Since the upgrade of the majority of the UK to "Up to 8Mb Broadband" (and now up to 20/24Mb) some people have been experiencing either disconnects while gaming, or poor connections speeds.

Most people will blame the telephone provider or ISP (or both) for this. And while this might be the case, it has been found that a large proportion of disconnects/poor connection speed issues are actually down to the internal wiring inside the customers homes.

Poor, old, badly installed internal wiring can have a massive effect on the quality of your internet connection.

Some people say - "Well.. it worked before I went to 8Mb!?"

That is a fair point, but on a 1 or 2Mb connection, the service was a lot more tolerant to errors caused by wiring.

But as you push the service and reach the limits of what data can be put over your copper wiring, any wiring issues will show up and impact your connection.

Your telephone provider is only responsible for the master phone socket in your home. Any other wiring is your responsibility.

Follow the steps below to rule out any issues with your own wiring:-

• Check your router log files, see if there are any indications of "loss of syncronisation" or ATM/WAN down when the disconnects occur.
• Locate the master phone socket in the house
• Disconnect ALL other devices that plug into a phone socket in the house, and the filters. Including Sky and any other devices that use a phone socket. So that the only thing connected to the phone line is your router/modem, no other phones, nothing else.
• Plug your router/modem into the ADSL filter and then into the master phone socket (it must be the master socket), see if the disconnects persist. If they do, try another ADSL filter.
• Remove the master socket faceplate and try connecting to the test socket

If the problem has been resolved by following the steps above. You have a wiring issue in your home.

If you still have problems try a different router/modem if possible

If you have tried another router/modem or cannot do this, contact your ISP about the issue.

The guys over at DSL ZoneUK have some good info on improving and troubleshooting your wiring

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

On the Xbox 360 (Original Dashboard)

• Select the System Blade.
• Select Network Settings.
• Select Text Xbox Live Connection.

(If you have a profile logged in, you will be logged out)

The test results (including your NAT status) will be displayed

On the Xbox 360 (New Xbox Experience)

Some people report issues with slow hard drives and/or very little space remaining therefore look for options such as deleting videos, demo and music that is stored on the Xbox and no longer used.

There is also the option to remove system cache this contains items such as game updates and general hard drive cache, This can work wonders on bringing back the response time of the hard drive during reading and writing.

Please note:- The process will delete any game updates therefore when you insert the disc and are signed into Xbox live the update will need to be re-downloaded for each game inserted but will only update once.

If you wish to perform this procedure on your Xbox 360 do as follows:-

On the Xbox 360 dashboard:-

• Select Settings/System
• Select Memory
• Highlight a storage device (any will do) and press Y
• Select Clear System Cache
• When prompted to confirm choose Yes

Most modern PC's come with a built in network card these days. But, some still dont, or the ones that are installed and not of a decent enough quality to actually do what you want with them.

If you are wanting to share the PC's internet access to your Xbox (using ICS) or just want to use a ADSL or Cable Router via ethernet, a network card is must

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.

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.

Xbox live introduced "Cloud Storage" 06/12/11 so that if you have more than one Xbox 360 console or you want to play games at a friend’s house, you can store your saved games in the cloud (on the Xbox LIVE servers). And because your saved game is stored in the cloud, you can continue playing a game on a different console, right from where you left off.

More details? Look here:- http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-live/game-saves-in-the-cloud/cloud-save-games

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

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

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.

** WARNING **

I CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU FAILING YOUR DEGREE DUE TO XBOX LIVE!

No seriously, I don't know if this is against your Uni's rules and reg's so do at your own risk.

The instructions below will only get you on Xbox live if your Uni is not blocking the Xbox Live Ports. If they are blocking them, you cannot get on live unless they open them up for you. (The exact ports are listed here in this FAQ)

Some University's networks require you to login before you can access the internet. Obviously you cannot do this on the Xbox. But you can "spoof" a registered device (your PC if you have already registered) so the Uni thinks its your PC that is connected.

Uni/College networks vary but they usually come under one of two categories:-

Browser sign-in every time you want to connect to the network/Internet

If when using your PC/Laptop you have to enter a username/password each time you want to access the Internet via your browser you are not going to be able to do the same on your Xbox 360 as it does not have a browser function, the only possible way to connect your Xbox 360 in this type of set-up is to have your PC/Laptop sign in and then share your connection via ICS look here for more information.

Single sign-up/registration

If you only need to register your device (PC/Laptop for example) once by its mac address and then never login again after that to access the internet the workarounds below should help out.

If you are having issues with connectivity whether it be IP Address/DNS or NAT sometimes its worth clearing your network settings out on the Xbox and starting afresh, you can do this by carrying out the following:-

• Settings/System/Network Settings
• Choose Wired or Wireless
• Choose Configure Network
• Choose Additional Settings
• Select Restore to Factory Defaults
• Select Yes, restore to factory defaults when prompted

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.

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.

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.

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.

If you are linking the original Xbox to your PC you need a crossover cable. If you are linking your Xbox to a hub/router or modem you need a straight through.

Got a cable and not sure which you have, this may help:-

First of all, I would question why you want to use a static ip addres?

IP Addressing and Subnet Masking is a pretty complicated subject and you'll have to trust me that its not worth explaining in here. So I will cheat and just give you enough information to get you through this static IP address requirement.

You may need a static or fixed IP Address on your Xbox because you need to set-up NAT (Network Address Translation). NAT is sometimes needed when you have problems joining Friends games or not hearing voice.

The easiest way to get a static address

Leave Xbox IP Address on auto and use your routers DHCP/IP Address reservation setting to reserve the same ip address for your Xbox (based on its mac address) each time. Most routers have this feature these days.

The easy way to get a static address

Another easy way to assign a static IP Address to your Xbox is to actually just leave it on automatic. So set the Xbox to auto in the System Blade/Network Settings. Once your router has assigned the xbox an IP Address view the IP Address on the Settings/System/Network Settings/Wired or Wireless/Configure Network.

Write down the IP Address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway. Then simply go into the IP Address settings, change the settings to manual and enter all of the information you wrote down.

Using this method means there's a possibility you could get a duplicate IP Address later on as the router might hand out that same address again. If it does, just add 30 to the last digit of the IP address. e.g. if its 192.168.1.10 make it 192.168.1.40

Also some routers do not like you using a static ip address that appears within its defined DHCP pool, so either change your chosen ip address to be one outside of the pool or make the DHCP pool smaller if it uses your entire range of addresses.

The harder way to get a static address

The first thing you need to establish is the LAN (Local Area) IP Address of your router. This will probably start with 192 or 10. Depending on your router you might already know this address as you may have had to type it into your browser to configure the router. If you still don't know it consult your manual. A common IP Address for routers is 192.168.0.1 so I'll use that in the example.

An IP Address is made up of four sections AAA.BBB.CCC.DDD (192.168.0.1) you are not concerned with AAA.BBB.CCC only the DDD part.

If the IP Address of your router is .1 that means you have the numbers from .2 to .254 to assign to devices on your network. So that's for your Xbox, your PC, a laptop a second Xbox etc etc.

But one thing to watch out for is DHCP and IP Pools. DHCP is enabled on most routers and is a protocol that takes all the hassle about assigning IP addresses to devices.

For example, if you set your Xbox to "auto" DHCP will give your Xbox an IP Address all on its own. Which is fine, but it doesn't help when it comes to NAT. The reason I mention the DHCP Pool is because it normally reserves a range of IP Addresses for itself to give out to devices. Normally the first 19 or 20. So a router with the address 192.168.0.1 might reserve a pool from 192.168.0.2 to 192.168.0.20

So what I'm actually leading to is that if you set-up your Xbox to have the IP Address of 192.168.0.2 and don't have your Xbox powered on at the time. The router might already assign that same IP Address to another device and then you get a conflict of addresses as every address on the network needs to be unique.

So with that in mind. In the above example I would choose the following IP Address details for your Xbox:-

IP Address:- 192.168.0.30
Subnet Mask:- 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway:- 192.168.0.1 (This is always the address of the router)

Put those details into your Xbox Dashboard and then set-up your DMZ or Port Forwarding

AOL is a little different to other ISP's. They bundle in their own software, and as such it can make things a little more tricky when using Xbox Live especially when connecting the Xbox via your PC/Laptop. It does work though, as long as you follow the guidance on this page

Which packages work with live? Silver, Gold or Platinum

All of them. Ignore what you here from people telling your Silver wont work. It will. AOL might tell you that you have to upgrade to get Xbox live working. Wrong. I've lost count of the amount of people I have got onto live on Silver. Its a lot. So, even the most basic package will work. Dont upgrade unless you really want to.

Can I use a router?

Yes you can, if you use a router its just the same as any other ISP then. Use your master account username/password and that your up and running. AOL recommend and support the Netgear range of routers (good choice). If you use a router, you do not have to do anything in the next section.

Can I use my Voyager modem?

No, not direct to the Xbox anyway, AOL sometimes supply a customer Voyager 190 ethernet modem with their service. You cannot connect this direct to the Xbox itself as you will get a DNS error. You could however still use this modem for the ICS method if your PC has two network cards, see below.

Can I use my PC to connect (ICS)?

Yes our AOL specific ICS guide for XP is now part of our Xbox Internet Sharing Guide setting up ICS for AOL is not a standard ICS setup.

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

This is a firewall or NAT issue 9 times of out 10. You or the person you are joining have firewalls and they are both blocking requests to each other.

Go here to find out how to check your NAT status. And here to get it to a Status of Open. If that doesn't solve your voice problem read on.

Check your headset

Record a voice message on your headset and play it back. This will ensure your mic is working correctly.

Check your Privacy Settings

On the 360 Dashboard:-

• Highlight your Gamertag

• Press A

• Select Edit Gamer Profile

• Select Privacy Settings

• Select Communications

Three options will appear:-

• Everyone
• Friends only
• Blocked

Ensure you have the correct setting selected

If the privacy settings are not visible, ensure the Family Settings are turned off on the Settings blade of the dashboard.

Friends list "Issue"

If the person you are wanting to chat to is on your friends list, try removing them (and they have to remove you from their list as well). And then re-send invites outs. This does seem to work in some cases. Indicating there maybe a glitch in the friendslist sometimes.

If you get the error message IP Address Failed on the Xbox 360 Xbox Live Test or Network Failed (NXE) when trying to connect to Xbox Live, this can be caused for different reasons depending on your setup.

To date I have never heard of any Xbox being hacked via the internet or any Xbox being infected by a virus. But you should still take action to protect your Xbox.

No protection

Your Xbox is connected directly to your cable modem, you have no firewall protection and your Xbox IP Address can be obtained easily from the Internet and can be port scanned easily.

Medium protection

Your Xbox is connected to your PC and you are using ICS and a Firewall such as Zone alarm or Norton Personal Firewall. Your PC IP can be obtained easily from the Internet but most ports will be closed and the private IP address of your Xbox will not be available. However other methods of controlling your PC are available and security can be comprised (Trojans etc).

High protection

Your Xbox is connected to an Ethernet or ADSL Router with a SPI (State Packet Inspection) Firewall. Both your PC and Xbox are completely hidden from the Internet. All port scans are blocked at the Firewall. Only trusted traffic that has left the private network will be let back in.

But as I've said. Don’t worry too much, I don’t know of any hacking of Xboxes to date, you will hear some people mentioned DOS or DDOS attacks on the Xbox where you will end up disconnected because of an overload of traffic directed at your router which ties it up and means it could end up rebooting/disconnecting, check to see if your router has an option to prevent DDOS attacks.

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

If you get the error message MTU Failed on the Xbox 360 Xbox Live test or Xbox Live Failed (NXE) when trying to connect to Xbox Live this can be caused for different reasons depending on your setup.

Was it working ok before?

Before going ahead and making any changes, was Xbox live working before? And all of a sudden you are getting an MTU or Xbox Live failure? If so its probably just a temporary problem.

You can quite often get an MTU failure if the Xbox live service is down, or there is some disruption in the path between your Xbox and the live service (i.e. a problem with your ISP). So if this message has just appeared and it was working fine earlier. Sit it out and wait.

However, if this is a new setup and you've never been able to connect. Read on.

This is usually because you have paid for this content on another Xbox (maybe you had it repaired?) and your not connected to Xbox Live.

If your Xbox automatically connects to Xbox live and it freezes when trying to connect its possible you have a corrupt download on your HDD. This can happen if you've been downloading a demo/game/trailer and it has been interrupted and gets itself in a cycle of freezing it can't get out of.

To resolve this issue do the following:-

• Unplug your network cable/wireless adapter before you start your console.
• Start up your console
• Go to Settings/System/Memory
• Look for your download it will probably have an exclamation mark by it.
• Delete the download
• Turn console off
• Plug network cable/wireless adapter back in
• Turn console on

A Lamens guide to NAT for the Xbox

Open

Moderate

Strict

This is the worst possible setup. You can play/talk to other Xbox live gamers that have a NAT Status of Open and no-one else

Does your router support Two Xboxes or more with Open NAT's? We'd love to know!

If your router supports two or more Xboxes with an Open NAT please let us know in this forum post, you will be helping the Xbox community by sharing this vital information

Does your router support One Xbox with an Open NAT using just UPnP alone? We'd love to know!

If your router does support one with an Open NAT by just using UPnP alone (no portforwarding or a DMZ) please let us know in this forum post, you will be helping the Xbox community by sharing this vital information

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.

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

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

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

Are you having problems getting your Xbox 360 up and running with wireless? Read on

The Official Wireless N Adapter

Many people seem to be suffering similar issues when using the Official Wireless N Adapter, please read these tips if you are using yours for the first time 

• First ensure you read this FAQ first
• Ensure you have the very latest firmware for your router as many N routers were released pre-N meaning they release before the standards were fully agreed, ensure you have the latest firmware as any incompatiblity with the 360 N Adapter may have already been fixed
• If you still cannot connect in N mode (which is why you bought the adapter!) try the routers different wireless modes, some have a choice of options like (N Only) (N + G +B) (G Only). Try each mode and restart the router after each try and see which connects, if you can connect in G with no problems please inform your router vendors support team so they can fix the issue, if they don't know about it they can't fix it.
• If you still cannot connect in N mode and you are using WEP wireless security try changing this to WPA or WPA2 on the router, ensure all of your other wireless devices can support WPA and WPA2 first. WEP is not supported under Wireless N.

The Internal Wireless N Adapter for the Xbox 360 S 250GB

As well as all of the points above to consider you also need to be aware that some Wireless N routers can work at 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz or both. The new internal Wireless N adapter will only work at 2.4Ghz so ensure you have this enabled. It has also been found that in some cases it does not work with WEP and prefers WPA2-PSK (sometimes called Personal) with AES encryption (not TKIP) so in summary for the Internal wireless adapter these configurations seem to work best:-

• Encryption Settings:- WPA2-PSK (with AES) or (AES + TKIP) but NOT TKIP on its own
• Wireless N Frequency:- Wireless N set to 2.4Ghz as a minimum (allow both 2.4Ghz & 5Ghz if your router has the option but NOT 5Ghz only)
• Additional Security Features:- Wireless MAC Address Filtering, it is usually fine to have this option but if you still cannot connect and use this option and you are certain you have entered the correct mac address try turning the MAC Address Filtering off, it seems that some combinations of the new adapter and some routers don't like this option (if you think your router doesn't like mac filtering with the new adapter please let me know via e-mail or the forum it would be good to keep a list)
• Get up to date router firmware: Ensure your router firmware is up to date, don't rely on the routers internal "check for firmware updates" feature, go to the manufacturers website and check to see if there is a later version available. For example the Netgear WPN824v3 requires Firmware Version 1.0.8_1.0.7 (or above) for the Slim's Internal Wireless adapter to work.
• If you still cannot connect in N mode and you are using WEP wireless security try changing this to WPA or WPA2 on the router, ensure all of your other wireless devices can support WPA and WPA2 first. WEP is not supported under Wireless N.

Troubleshooting Wireless

There are a few things that can lead to people having trouble connecting to Xbox Live using Wireless or keeping a stable connection. Here's a list of the most common issues.

• Some routers do not work with the Official Wireless Adapter, look at the bottom of this FAQ for more details 
• Wireless Security - Incorrect entry of a WEP or WPA code will prevent you connecting the 360 to your Wireless Network, remember the key is case sensitive. If you have entered the key incorrectly this will usually lead to "IP Address Failed"
• Some routers are supplied with their wireless key/phrase printed on a sticker DONT assume its correct, access the router menu settings yourself to obtain the key/phrase it is the only way to be sure it is correct
• Wireless Protection Mode (WPS)  (see here) - Does your router use this feature? Is it turned on? Depending on the type of WPS set-up you have the Xbox may not be able to use it, some modes require you to enter a pin or hold a button and register the new device within a certain amount of time. If in doubt turn off WPS and set-up your wireless security and devices manually
• Remember when entering the WEP or WPA-Key into the 360 it is CaSe SeNsItIvE also don't confuse Zero's with the letter O
  
• If you are using WEP and your router gives you a possibility of keys 1 through 4 to use. Try key 1 or key 4, not 2 or 3.
• Wireless Security - If MAC Address filtering is enabled and the 360's MAC Address is not on the allowed list it will prevent you from connecting the 360 to your wireless network
• Incorrect SSID - Having a bad or default SSID can lead to problems staying connected to the Wireless Network, always change the SSID from its default setting and ensure that there are no spaces in the SSID. It MUST be one single word, not two words
• Are you using WPA2 security in your network? WPA2 is not supported by the Microsoft Official Xbox 360 Wireless adapter - (Update. WPA2 support was introduced 28/10/2009 via a System Update, ensure your Xbox is up to date to use WPA2)
• If your Official Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter LED remains red and you cannot access the wireless settings where you can enter the SSID etc (i.e. they remain greyed out/inaccessible) try using the adapter in one of the front USB ports instead. If you cannot access those settings in any of the 3 USB ports its highly likely the adapter is faulty
• Finally as a temporary measure trying turning off all wireless security on your router (WEP/WPA and Mac Address Access lists) reboot the router and then try to connect again as follows.
  • If you still cannot connect with no security there may be a compability issue between your router and the Official Adapter try a later version of firmware for your router if available.
  • If you can connect with no security you know the issue is down to a mis-type, try connecting again and ensure you turn security back on again!

Tip's for improving Wireless Signal Strength

Below are some tips that may help you increase the wireless signal strength for your Xbox, please bear in mind wireless conditions vary in each household and as such so will these tips

• Wireless Channel, some people experience poor connectivity if the default channel "auto" settings are left on the router. If you experience poor connectivity or disconnects, try changing the wireless channel manually to 11, ideally you want to ensure you are using a channel that no-one else close by is using, you can find out what other wireless networks are operating in your area and what channel they are using by using a Wi-fi Inspector like Xirrus or inSSIder. Find out what channels are in use close by and choose another channel that isn't being used (as many channel numbers away as possible) i.e if you neighbour is using Channel 1, try Channel 6.
• Check the aerial(s) of the router, always ensure that the aerial is screwed tight to the router itself, sometimes they come loose
• Check for obstructions if you are having poor connectivity, try moving the router to a different position
• Ensure there are no other wireless capable devices (not including clients like laptops) near the wireless router that could interfere with its signal. Especially Cordless Phones, they use the 2.4Ghz wireless band and can interfere if close to your Xbox or your router, try to relocate things if they are too close.
• Move your wireless adapter to a better position. If your Official Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter is in an enclosed space, consider buying a USB extension lead so you can move the adapter to a higher position, it really does work! All you need is a USB 2.0 EXTENSION CABLE LEAD A TO A Male 'A' to female 'A' socket (see picture below), don't go over 5metres in cable length though I recommend 3meters max which should be plenty to get it to a better elevated position, you can pick up a cable like this for just a few £'s

Do you use a Turtle Beach Wireless Headset?

Are you getting disconnected from live or lagging? Look 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

• 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 for  a list of these devices and certified firmware look here and here

When configuring ADSL routers/modems in the UK there are certain settings that always need to be entered. Some newer routers will automatically test and populate these for you, but on some you still need to manually enter them.

Here are the settings needed:-

• PPPoA
• ISP Username
• ISP Password
• VPI 0
• VCI 38
• Connection Type PPPoA VC MUX

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

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

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.

DNS (Domain Name Service) translates the word based addresses you type into your applications such as Internet Explorer into a numeric IP address.

For example when you type www.bbc.co.uk into your browser, DNS will convert this into 212.58.224.82. And it’s a good job it does, can you imagine trying to remember those numbers just for your favourite websites alone???

DNS is used by the Xbox live service. So it needs to know the address of two servers from your ISP that can do the word to numbers translation. The numbers you use depend on your ISP and your system set-up.

Option 1 – Router using DHCP

This is the easiest option. Just set your settings on your Xbox dashboard to auto. As your router is automatically supplying your Xbox with an ip address and it will also supply your DNS settings as well. – No brainer

Option 2 – Router without DHCP (you are using static ip addressing)

If your PC is connected to the Internet it will know what your DNS settings should be run the following commands to find out what they are:-

• Start/Run type in ‘cmd’ (without the quotes)

This will start up a command prompt type in the following command

• Ipconfig /all

Look for the following entry highlighted by the yellow box

The area boxed in yellow are your DNS Server IP Addresses, these numbers will differ from the ones shown above as they are dependent on your ISP.

Put one into each of the entries in the DNS section of your Xbox dashboard

Option 3 – ICS

Same as option 2

• Start up the 360
• Settings/System/Network Settings
• Choose Wired or Wireless
• Configure Network
• Additional Settings
• Advanced Settings

The MAC Address is displayed on this screen and will look something like this 00-0D-61-53-E2-52

If the options above do not appear in your menu please set your locale to US or UK as they may not appear in your localised menu for your country

If you are using Xbox live from Uni or from work you will need to contact your IT department  and ask them nicely to open up the following ports.

• TCP 80
• UDP 88
• UDP 3074
• TCP 3074
• UDP 53
• TCP 53

Please Note: If you having issues chatting using Video Kinect please open the additional ports below

• UDP 1863
• TCP 1863

Please Note: If you are still having NAT issues after forwarding the ports above also forward the additional port below

• UDP 3330

Those are the ports that the Xbox live service uses which will require opening up on your set-up, without them being opened Xbox Live will not work or you may find you have a strict or moderate NAT. If you have a firewall at home on your router and your Xbox is connected to the router you may also need to open these ports, if you connect your Xbox to the Internet via your PC you may also need to let these ports through if you have a third party software firewall.

Consult your documentation, a lot of router firewalls will let anything out but not let stuff in so you may find that it will work ok without opening these ports up.

To get info on how to open up ports on your router (known as portforwarding) look here:-

www.portforward.com

Mobile Broadband

AOL Users

AOL do things differently from other ISP's. But it still works fine with Xbox Live. AOL users can use the supplied USB modem to connect to Xbox Live by following the AOL Guide in the FAQ Section. They can also use a router to connect.

The only different with AOL is that they tend to enforce their software on you. But if you dont choose to use it, its just like any other ISP

Satellite Broadband

This is not suitable for Xbox Live gaming

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.

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 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.
• 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

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.

If you've got a brand new Apple 802.11n AirPort Extreme (or if you're looking to get one soon), you might have noticed that it doesn't connect with the Xbox 360 - unless you bust out a few tweaks. A recent post on 25experts.com comes to the rescue of gamers who have yet to make the setup work.

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

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.

Are you having problems getting the very first update for your xbox 360 or more recent updates, if so follow the advice below:-

• If your Xbox is connecting via Wireless, try connecting the Xbox direct to your router via ethernet instead to get the update
• If you still have issues and are connecting via a router, try connecting direct to the ethernet modem (if applicable) to get the update
• If you don't have a separate modem and use a router with built in modem, try lowering or turning off the firewall (ENSURE You put it back to its previous setting after downloading the update)
• If you are still having issues at this stage, download the update on CD/DVD by following the instructions on this page