Xbox Live Wireless and the Linksys WET11

Worried about getting your Xbox hooked up to your broadband connection so you can run Xbox live? Avoid running ethernet across half your house by connecting your Xbox to your wireless network (you do have a wireless network, right?)

I've managed to get Xbox Live connected wirelessly using a Linksys WET11 wireless ethernet bridge. Works great. There are only two tricks (and I believe not knowing about them is why people are saying this won't work.)

1. You can't use DHCP (automatic IP configuration.) You'll need to manually set the IP on both the WET11 and the Xbox. Yeah, it's a pain but it's a one-time thing.
2. Get the WET11 connected and working with a computer, then transfer the setings to the Xbox. This isn't necessary, but it saves time.

Now all I have to do is find time to actually play... there does seem to be a few open slots in my schedule in late December or so... sigh.

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February 4, 2009 Update

If you're working on a way to connect your Xbox or Xbox 360 to a wireless network, you should probably consider using the Linksys WET54G rather than the now-discontinued WET11. The WET54G will work with the faster new types of Wifi (except for the N standard.) If you want a solution compatible with a Wireless-N type network, try their dual-band N game adapter for a few more dollars.

I know that Microsoft now sells a USB wifi adapter for the Xbox 360 but there are a number of advantages to using an ethernet to wireless bridge. First of all, it will work with any or all of your ethernet devices, not just the Xbox - so if you have other devices connected to your TV that need Internet, like a Tivo, you can also use them with these bridges (having more than one hooked up simultaneously may require a simple ethernet hub, but those are cheap, unlike the Microsoft adapter.) And unlike the Microsoft or Tivo wifi adapters, you won't have to buy a new one if you later change to a different game console or DVR. I bought my Linksys WET11 seven years ago, for my original Xbox, and I still use it for other applications long after giving away the console. If I had bought a dedicated wifi adapter, I'd have thrown it out a long time ago. Also, if you use the bridge, you only have to configure and maintain one wifi client rather than one for each device, which is less hassle.

Comments

[Jon]

i cant hook mine up. It keep saying dns not resolved and ip not confirmed but when i did it with an ethernet cable it worked fine

[Jon]

i cant hook mine up. It keep saying dns not resolved and ip not confirmed but when i did it with an ethernet cable it worked fine

[Joe]

A followup to the above. We have a Belkin wireless router and purchased a WET11 bridge. We were first unable to connect and then directly connected through ethernet. I then moved the system back and was able to connect through WET11 with autodetect settings. Turned the system on this AM and can't connect (the LAN and WLAN lights are on but get a message on XBox that IP not confirmed). Are we any more likely to succeed with manual settings and if so, what settings do we actually plug in. When we manually entered we got a message that IP already in use. Thanks

[Tom]

What IP are you using? If you Xbox detects a network but can't seem to contact the Live network, you're probably having DHCP or DNS problems.

Make sure the IP you set on the Xbox is not the same as your WET11, or your bridge, and it also
should not be within the DHCP Range.

I use:
Gateway router: 192.168.1.1
WET11: 192.168.1.99
Xbox: 192.168.1.98

Tom

[Dave]

What's your gamer tag, Tom? I wandered upon your webpage today. Mine is "warm gun". I've been playing NBA 2K3 on live. My roommates have Unreal. It's no Halo or Marathon.

Dave

[John]

I have the Microsoft MN-500 wireless base station, does anyone know of a way to get my xbox hooked up via wireless?

Thanks.

[pablo]

Yes ..

Make sure you have the latest firmware forboth devices then

1 - use ADHOC mode for the WET11
2 - get basic connectivity enabled to the MN500 first
3 - enable 128bit WEP (use capital letters for some reason)
4 - done

[Tom]

The firmware part above is right, but you probably do NOT want to use Ad Hoc mode. The reason ad hoc mode exists is for people who do not have access points like the MN500. If you have an access point it is more secure and more reliable to set up everything using "infrastructure mode". This is the appropriate setting under the 802.11a standard.

[pablo]

Your original question was implying you have an MN500 and using it as an AP. So using ADHOC mode is the right thing to do. You can enable WEP on either mode so you are secure as far as WEP security goes.

It is to note, there is a compatibiilty issue with the MN500 and WET11 so you can't seem to use Infrastructure mode.

[Tom Karlo]

Sorry, but you're mistaken. I do have an MN500 in use as an access point, and it works fine with the WET11 in infrastructure mode (as my original post notes.)

Ad-hoc mode is intended for use between multiple client tranceivers when no access point is available. It is much less efficient than infrastructure mode, and should not be used unless no access point is available.

[Ryan]

Hey, I have a question about hooking xbox live up. What type of info do you have to manually type in and where do you find that information.

[Tom]

It will depend on how your household network is set up. This page is only about how to hook up your Xbox to a wireless home network using the Linksys WET11.

In general, the instructions that come with the Xbox Live starter pack will work well for the average wired home network.

[devin]

i don't know what to get and how to set it up... could anyone help me?

[John]

Hello all again,

I have all my computers connected to the internet via switch (could not play Asheron's Call via MN-500) and I bought the WET11 for my xbox. Well I have my MN-500 as "Bridging Mode". Do I have to set up my WET11 for DHCP or assign an IP? If so, can anyone tell me how they set theirs up w/ IP addresses?

Thanks,

John

[John]

Actually I figured it all out.

Thank you Tom for everything!

It works like a charm. Find me online as Craeft.

[Turk]

Trying to do something similar with D-Link DWL-810. Trying to connect 2 XBOXes together with DWL-810. Tried default configuration as described in quick start. Did not work. Found units default to infrastructure not adhoc. Configured units for adhoc mode and XBOXes could see each other via System Link option. Using the game HALO we first configured the XBOXes with a direct cable connection and everthing worked perfectly. Then tried 810s in adhoc and things worked to a point. i.e. XBOXes could see each other, game to join could be seen on remote XBOX but received error "Failed to Join System Link" upon final selection to join game. Tried numerous adhoc mode settings with same results, i.e. ensured channel, speed, ssid etc. was the same. Then tried joining units with 810's using infrastructure mode and an access point. Again everything worked fine to a point but received the same error. As a note both dwl-810's could be accessed from a remote wireless pc via ms explorer. Also tried deselecting "clone bridge" option under IP Address setting on 810s in adhoc and infrastructure modes but no difference. Made sure IP addresses on 810's were unique.
Looking for suggestions.. Thanks in advance for your response.

[Tom]

Trying to hook up Xboxes for "system link" (as opposed to using Xbox Live) play is a different problem and may not always be possible under wireless networks. Under system link the Xboxes don't have IP addresses, so it becomes difficult to fix routing problems.

I would not recommend trying to put together system link play using just Xboxes and wireless (if you use two computers and a tunnel program it will work better.) Regardless it will probably not work as well as Xbox Live over the wireless bridge.

[chris]

I have a different, weirder problem. My xbox picks up live fine with a network cable connection to my linksys wireless router/switch. But plugged into the wet11, I get zero -- not even a green light behind the xbox network connector. There is nothing wrong with the cable -- same one I used to connect the router with. The xbox refuses to "see" the wet11 at all. I tried pluggin in Tom's numbers with no change. Connection is through AT&T Broadband. Any ideas? I will kill in MechAssault if I can just get this thing going. . .

[Tom Karlo]

Check the crossover switch on the back of the WET11... if you are not getting a link light, you probably have to change its setting.

[dtc]

I've just purchased a WET11 and a SMC 7004VWBR wireless router. I set the WET11 to automatic/DHCP mode, infrastructure. I set the router to the same wireless channel, both with same ESSID. WET hooks up no prob downstairs next to the TV. Xbox finds the network no prob. All auto settings. No manual entry whatsoever. Note: using the latest firmware for the SMC (1.20). So far it runs great! Now I need to decide to enable WEP...

[Chris]

I have a wirless network using the D-link 614 wirless router. I just bought the DWL-810 (wireless bridge) to try to connect my xbox but have thus far been unsuccessful. I called x-box and they basically told me that one cannot set up x-box on a wireless network. Any suggestions?

[bruce]

listen, only certain access point routers work. i use the linksys wireless access point router with 4 port switch, the catch is that only version 2 of this product works. they cost the same but u must be careful. i use the wet11 bridge and have no problems. make sure ur router is set up as a ad hoc and don't forget about security. me, 128 bit wep and i change the hex every so often. please don't leave the default pass on ur routers....

[bruce]

john are u using a hub and not a router? if so thats ur problem, u can use a hub but u must have a puter act as a gateway and handle the packets. xp is good with that. ur modem cable/dsl must be connected directly to ur puter, set that puter u as a proxy(gateway). then ur puter must be connected to the uplink port of ur hub. ur xbox now should have no prblem receiving dhcp from ur hup. down side is that the proxy puter must be on always while playing. if that system crashes connection is lost...

[Anonymous]

Ad hoc is really not a good idea for wireless networks if you have an access point. Performance is far below that of infrastructure mode, and you'll run into problems as you add computers. It's not the appropriate usage.

Any router should work fine if you follow the instructions I've provided (I've tested it with the very oldest of the Linksys 4-port models). The only potential conflict is with the DHCP/automatic IP selection, which can be easily avoided by manually setting up the IPs.

[bruce]

chris ur wet11 must be set up prior to connecting it to ur xbox. and set ur xbox up so it receives auto dhcp...