Wireless usb adapters...........

[MXracer721]

whats the difference between this and the xbox 360 one other than its not made specifically for the xbox 360?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7012485&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat25300050006&id=1099392876384

im either gettin a 360 tonight or tomorrow and my only option is to go wireless and i have no problems whatsoever playing games wirelessly on my computer, or downloading anything for that matter. i just dont wanna fork over 100 bucks on something that can cost me 40.

[Mwright]

microsoft has made some kind of thing that only allows u to go wired or use their wireless adapter...im wired..but when my friend got a 360 he tried to use his old wireless adapter he had for his xbox and it did not work..so he had to go out and buy the one for the 360..so im not 100% sure but i think ur best bet is just to buy what MS wants you to buy..

[Mwright]

when u do get online make sure to Add me... u can never have too many friends....Mwright

[Reclaimer]

whats the difference between this and the xbox 360 one other than its not made specifically for the xbox 360?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7012485&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat25300050006&id=1099392876384

im either gettin a 360 tonight or tomorrow and my only option is to go wireless and i have no problems whatsoever playing games wirelessly on my computer, or downloading anything for that matter. i just dont wanna fork over 100 bucks on something that can cost me 40.

The difference is that Microsoft's model is guaranteed to work with the 360 and the other one is not.
Granted that it will most likely work because it's a wireless bridge, but there are some compatibility problems between the Xbox Live service and some networking gear.

Another thing to consider is that the Microsoft model is certain to fit in the 360. The 360's USB ports are recessed in the front of the unit and the one in the back is a pretty tight fit too. I have a D-Link USB2 wi-fi adapter, it cost about 40 bucks and it does not fit in the 360 because the adapter's shell is slightly larger than the area that it's suppose to slide in at.

More than likely the thing is going to work. The biggest problem you'll have is whether or not the thing is going to fit in the socket in the back. That D-Link unit was pretty small too, at least so I thought.

[ll Mista GT ll]

if it doesnt fit, you could buy a usb extension cable and attach the wireless usb adapter to that, right? :s

[MXracer721]

if it doesnt fit, you could buy a usb extension cable and attach the wireless usb adapter to that, right? :s

see thats what i was thinking too......and actually on best buys website is shows a pic of it having a lil extension with soemthing like a dock for the adapter......so i was thinkin run the extension set the usb adapter on top and bam..........saved my ass 60 bucks. i guess i could always try it and take it back to get the 360 one..take one for the team so everyone here would know if it works or not. the thing i was wonderin.......doesnt windows xp automatically download the necessary drivers for a particular usb device.....does the 360 do that? you would think SOMEONE online at a site like anandtech.com or something would have tried alternatives.

[MXracer721]

ok i found this on www.sciencedaily.com


Any Wireless Bridge Will Work
I thought it would be helpful to let people know that this unit is not the only way to get online wirelessly with 360. The reason you should buy this product is that it will be guaranteed to be compatible and easy to set up. If you have experience setting up wireless networks and want to go a cheaper route, you should buy a wireless bridge. Amazon has them for less than fifty bucks. I used a wireless bridge with my PS2 and just plugged it into my 360, no additional setup required (bridges store WEP data).

ok i can setup wireless networks but i dont know alot about them.....i just know enough to setup w/e it is im workin with.......does anyone understand exactly what he is saying? are all usb adapters bridges? i am determined to find a cheaper alternative to wireless internet on xbox 360s!!!!!

p.s.-----does anyone know who makes the wireless adapter for Microsoft? Im sure they dont make it themselves, i would imagine that a company like Linksys or Netgear makes it for them and brands it for the 360?

[Reclaimer]

if it doesnt fit, you could buy a usb extension cable and attach the wireless usb adapter to that, right? :s

Yeah, you could do that. I saw a USB adapter that came with a tiny cradle with a cord that lead to the USB plug.


the thing i was wonderin.......doesnt windows xp automatically download the necessary drivers for a particular usb device.....does the 360 do that? you would think SOMEONE online at a site like anandtech.com or something would have tried alternatives.

The 360 won't need a driver.


Any Wireless Bridge Will Work
As long as it physically fits in the slot because the back of the unit is pretty tight.


ok i can setup wireless networks but i dont know alot about them.....i just know enough to setup w/e it is im workin with.......does anyone understand exactly what he is saying? are all usb adapters bridges? i am determined to find a cheaper alternative to wireless internet on xbox 360s!!!!!


You plug in the USB adapter and the Xbox will attempt to read from it and initialize it. Once it powers it up, the 360 will then use the new adapter to search for the wireless networks around them. It will display the list of networks it can read.
If you don't have security on your network, the Xbox will automatically figure out the settings and you do pretty much nothing.

If you have security, like a WEP key on your wireless network, it will warn you that the network is WEP protected and you need to type in the WEP kep on the onscreen keyboard.

USB adapters are bridges. It bridges the connection between the devices. Another term for this will be wireless bridge.


p.s.-----does anyone know who makes the wireless adapter for Microsoft? Im sure they dont make it themselves, i would imagine that a company like Linksys or Netgear makes it for them and brands it for the 360?

Microsoft markets the 360 wireless adapter by license. However, the 360 adapter is a repackaged Atheros WiSOC chipset. Believe it or not, with this Atheros chip, the 360 adapter is closer to an Apple Airport Extreme, than anything else.

Nobody makes their own wi-fi chipsets. Not Linksys, not Netgear. They use either an Atheros chipset, a Ralink or Broadcom or some other 3rd party chipset and sell it under their own brand. It's like eVGA selling 7800GT cards. Nvidia makes the chipset, eVGA sells it by license.
That's just useless trivia. Get whatever you want, it should work. If it doesn't fit then bring it back and find a new model.

[MXracer721]

^^^^^^^^ wow man, amazing post, thanks alot!!!!! answered freakin everything. what wireless adapter do u use? any suggestions?

[Reclaimer]

^^^^^^^^ wow man, amazing post, thanks alot!!!!! answered freakin everything. what wireless adapter do u use? any suggestions?

Thanks, glad I can help the cause around here.

To be honest, I don't use a wireless set up for my 360 because in my new apartment, the router, cable modem, cable jack and everything is right next to each other.

My router is wireless because my laptop and my desktop use wireless cards to access my wi-fi network, but I have no need to make my 360 wi-fi because it sits next to my router, which is next to my TV.

In my old apartment I had to make my original Xbox wireless, so I used the official wireless adapter Microsoft made. Mainly because XBA sent me one as a gift (Thanks Tony!) because I used to work here. But I knew it was guaranteed to work with XBL.

My advice to you, if I had to make my 360 wireless which is something I'm still considering because I'm getting ready to move again, I would buy the official 360 USB adapter.
That way there's no problems, no drama, no guessing, you just know it's going to work.
Yeah it's expensive but you know it's going to work right out of the box.

[carlbme]

Be careful. I purchased a Dlink wireless USB for my 360 as it was cheaper than the Microsoft one. I plugged it in and it showed up as an "Unrecognized USB Device" and would not work at all. I ended up having to get an actual wireless bridge which is a different thing.

A wireless adapter is basically a wireless NIC while a wireless bridge in this case would be the type that has both wireless and a normal NIC. You set it beside your 360, plug the Ethernet into the bridge and 360 and then use the wireless from the bridge to your wireless network. This usually requires you to take and first plug it up to your PC so that you can configure it first before you try to hook it up to the 360 though.

[MXracer721]

Be careful. I purchased a Dlink wireless USB for my 360 as it was cheaper than the Microsoft one. I plugged it in and it showed up as an "Unrecognized USB Device" and would not work at all. I ended up having to get an actual wireless bridge which is a different thing.

A wireless adapter is basically a wireless NIC while a wireless bridge in this case would be the type that has both wireless and a normal NIC. You set it beside your 360, plug the Ethernet into the bridge and 360 and then use the wireless from the bridge to your wireless network. This usually requires you to take and first plug it up to your PC so that you can configure it first before you try to hook it up to the 360 though.

yea i just ended up buying the microsoft one..........screw it, i didnt wanna mess with it....setup was a breeze, there actually wasnt anything to do really, plug it in and go.

[ll Mista GT ll]

Lol Microwned :p You coulda saved money and had almost enought to get a game lol

[Reclaimer]

Be careful. I purchased a Dlink wireless USB for my 360 as it was cheaper than the Microsoft one. I plugged it in and it showed up as an "Unrecognized USB Device" and would not work at all. I ended up having to get an actual wireless bridge which is a different thing.

A wireless adapter is basically a wireless NIC while a wireless bridge in this case would be the type that has both wireless and a normal NIC. You set it beside your 360, plug the Ethernet into the bridge and 360 and then use the wireless from the bridge to your wireless network. This usually requires you to take and first plug it up to your PC so that you can configure it first before you try to hook it up to the 360 though.

I noticed that the old Microsoft wi-fi adapter would appear as two separate devices according to my router's wireless client list. It would show the MAC address of the Xbox, and the MAC address of the wireless adapter.

[cdg5551]

mmkay but will a reg dlink adapter work afterwords u let a computer configure it?