How to make wireless network with Xbox and PC ?

[Bob_Hood]

I would like to connect my Xbox (with modchip) to my PC with a wireless network. I can connect the two together right now with a crossover cable and successfully ftp between them. I do not need to access the internet with the Xbox. I only access the internet with an ADSL USB modem attached to the PC. The link will mainly be used to stream content from the PC to XBMC. I am looking for a cheap but effective solution and I think the following two
items from Amazon should work but I am not sure -
Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router WRT54G-UK £40.88 (for xbox)
Linksys Wireless-G PCI Adapter WMP54G £26.16 (for PC)

Amazon also sell a Gaming Adapter but this seems to be more expensive and less versitile but easier to setup. Any comments from someone with experience of connecting an Xbox to a PC are welcome.

[npk2005]

You'll need a wireless ethernet adapter like this one:

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProdu...%2Etworking%2F

This is what I use to connect my Xbox up to the wireless network.

[Bob_Hood]

You'll need a wireless ethernet adapter like this one:

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProdu...%2Etworking%2F

This is what I use to connect my Xbox up to the wireless network.

This is part of my problem, every other manufacturer uses differnent names for similar products so I get totally confused. Linksys don't sell a "ethernet adapter" but they do have about 10 differnet wireless products some of which must do the same thing - bloody confusing.

The Linksys Router I mentioned has 4 ethernet ports on the back, so I guess it could be classed as one also ? However it is described by Linksys as a "Router, 4-port Switch, and Wireless-G Access Point".

Amazon describe the Belkin unit (no longer sold as new) as an "Ethernet Adapter bridge". Does anyone know a website that has a simple explanation of the differences between a bridge, access point, router, gateway, hub and switch ?

[KermitTheFrog]

Bob,

A BRIDGE is used to link two different cabling structures, in the past it was used for devices connecting ethernet to token-ring (another old/slower cabling structure), the term is now also used for linking from ethernet network to a wireless network - a device to convert between the two cabling structures (yep wireless isn't physical, but I guess you follow the point)

An ACCESS POINT is used for several wireless devices to communicate with each other, and potentially also connected into an ethernet network.

A ROUTER is used to communicate over a WAN (the internet) - it helps to make a route through the network to another destination, from one IP network to another.

A GATEWAY is a point on the local network with information on networks outside (a router tends to be known as the local gateway).

A HUB is a device to connect multible computers together, generally over ethernet. All devices share the maximum bandwidth, typically 100MBits, so the more busy machines you have the slower things become.

A SWITCH is very much like a hub, but all the devices get the maximum bandwidth - no sharing. So if a machine is busy then it can use all the 100MBits. For information they have a common backplane, which connect each device typically about 2GBits, but higher for the likes of corporate environments.

Now your question.

Wireless devices/cards come with several different connections, as you have discovered. Typically USB, PCMCIA (for laptops), PCI (for PCs).

Now what you require is one that can connect to an ethernet port (on your XBOX), much like connecting to a USB port, and fooling the XBOX into thinking it is on a physically connected network.

In theory any device which connects into a network port should be fine on the XBOX, but I suggest looking for one that claims to work on the XBOX.

Also you would need a wireless ACCESS POINT, or another card on the PC.

The device you mention (for the XBOX) wouldn't actually physically connect to it, unless you have an ethernet cable to plug the two together, and also into ADSL. It would essentially replace your USB modem attached to the PC.

I would suggest you still get the WRT54G-UK device (or a similar one), but connect the PC to it, and the broadband.

Then get an RJ45 (ethernet) to Wireless adapter, such as the one mentioned by npk2005, as he seems to think it works.

I trust this information has been of help, and delivered in the technical stuff at the right level?

Matt