can you connect the x-box to the internet

[southeastastra]

if you have a router downstairs and the tv is upstairs? the manual is very hard to understand.

also oldish telly upstairs, will it be compatible?

hi Southeastastra,

don't know yet about the connection to the internet yet, haven't tried it with my ds' new xbox. I presume the xbox you have is at least a "Premium"? Haven't looked at the manual yet, I'd presume you might have to initially "hard wire" to get a connection, but thereafter, it should read the network and be able to connect from anywhere the network is available.

On the oldish telly, we connected up an xbox to a 20+ telly this week, couldn't play Pal60 games on it, but could play Pal 50 games. Does your telly have a scart socket? If so, it should at least play Pal 50 games.

Will revert back once I've tried myself.

yes is a premium. have a scart adaptor that came with the xbox so maybe that will be ok?

when you say hardwire do you mean i'll have to buy a (very long) extension to plug into the router and box upstairs? but after it's connected i can discard it?

son's game is a pal60

Hi again Southeastastra

I've done a wee bit of digging on this and it looks to me as though I'm going to have to buy a wirelessnetworking adaptor from microsoft to fit the Xbox, if I want to connect to my wireless connection and I guess from what you are saying, so will you.

I had thought that it might be like adding a pc to the wireless network, where sometimes you simply hardwire it and then the connection would be made, but from reading on the xbox site, it looks to me as though it is deliberately set up to work only with one of their adaptors.. i.e spend more money with them.

See this link www.xbox.com/en-GB/support/xbox360/gettingstarted/hardware/peripherals-wirelessadapter.htm

This seems to suggest that it's the only way to access the xbox wirelessly. quite why they don't supply this with the main machine I really don't know, they expound the virtues of wireless connectivity but don't provide the means to achieve it?

Can you do me a favour and have a look through this section as well and let me know if you agree or indeed if you find another way to achieve it? I have tried to connect up another (Netgear) wireless adaptor, but it won't physically fit as the neck is too short...clearly another way to make sure that we purchase the microsoft product.

So, yes, it can be done, but it looks as though we need to go and purchase an adaptor.

Cheers Mthnjd

Hi again SeA,

found this too.... not impressed... I'm hoping this is an old page as i really don't think £60 is on! www.xbox.com/en-GB/hardware/catalog.aspx?st=wireless+networking+adapter&g=0&sd=2&p=1&c=10

Best price I can find for it currently is £49 in PC world.... I guess DS is going to have to just bring his xbox into dad's study when we want to get updates etc!

www.xbox-wireless-adapter.co.uk/?gclid=CPWfpJ2U5pcCFUoa3godghl2CQ

You have to pay an annual sub as well IIRC.

Hi again,

Ponders the annual sub is for Xbox Gold, there is a free Xboxlive silver level - which is really all I want... to enable me to get updates for ds' games.

Latest update... found it at £42 on ebay.

I guess he'll just have to wait fro that to come down in price, the same way he had to for his xbox

DONT BUY THE WIRELESS ADAPTOR- we did they are rubbish buy an extended ethernet cable -the direct wire is much stronger connection

You need the ethernet cable and to use just msn you have to sign up for x box live silver thats free but to play with other people on games you need x box gold thts £40 per year.

we got our extended ethernet cable for £10 in a computer wholesale shop.

x box gold you can subscribe to monthly its £5 and 1 month would update your ds games

Hi Jollyoldetc,

when you say an "extended" cable, how long aew we talking? And how much does it cost?

Thanks for the "review" btw.

its a 10 metre cable we got ours for £10 that apparently is very cheap we trailed it under the carpet and through the stair bannister to trail across the kitchen door and into our router,we didnt need 10 metres is far too long but neatly coiled.

it plugs directly into the router and the other end into your x box.

truly the wireless one is a waste of time and money and didnt work in our house even tho its quite small.

if you ring around computer shops you might get one cheaply but ds says comet and places like that sell them although they will be dearer.

Dp done exactly the same as you jolly and it worked fabulously, he also paid the £5 a month for the xbox gold membership.

we paid £40 for the year but unfortunately that only gives you 1 profile on gold so both my teen ds have to share- microsoft has hd too much of my money to justify nother £40!!!

Yeah thats the other option £40 for the year, dp now has a PS3 and you go online free with that..

Thanks all, will look out for the extended cable, I need to get one to take my router into my study anyway.

My DS has the XBox wireless adapter & it works OK (well it did until we got the red circle of death again ) but the PC wireless thingie - with blue flashing light, dunno what it's called - is only about 4' away which probably helps.

We have wired and wireless adapters and have moved back to wired. The throughput on wireless was poor. Everyone is correct the cable is the way to go, depending on where the rooms are relative to each other will decide is this is an easy or hard job. Ie above each other should be easy, opposite ends of the house a little more difficult.

oh blimey, how complicated! but thanks! (knew it would be helpful to post on here)

Scooby Doo - slightly OT, but we got the 360 for christmas, DH already had a gold sub from the basic X Box, and he's already saying that the 360 live is way better than PS3 live (we have both, we're sad geeks with no life etc) So although PS3 is free, it really is a case of getting what you pay for.

astra - its not so hard

long ethernet cable- back of x box to router
gives you msn facility

£5 month or £40 yearly gives you gold subscription for live gaming.