Welcome, I made this thread in order to help people connect their Xbox 360 to Xbox Live. Many frequently asked questions are in here and I answered them the best I could. Hopefully this will be useful to people here on the forum. I didn't notice a FAQ in this section so I thought why not make one? If you have any other suggestions/tips/questions, you can post them here.
First thing, an
Xbox Live Gold Membership is required to play multiplayer games online. A Silver membership will not allow to you play online games. For all the differences regarding Gold and Silver memberships, click
here.
1. What do I need to connect my Xbox 360 to Xbox Live using a wireless connection?Other than your Xbox 360 and a working broadband internet connection from your ISP (such as Comcast), you'll need a few other things.
- A
router (Linksys, Netgear, D-Link, etc). This will allow other devices to connect to your internet. Routers can be bought at your local consumer electronics retailer. For more information on setting up your router to your modem, give your router company a call. A quick Google search may help too.
- The
Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter. This will allow your Xbox 360 to pickup your wireless network after you have set up your router. You can buy the Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter
here.
You must have this in order to use a wireless connection.2. What kind of router should I get?Almost any router could possibly work with Xbox Live, but I would recommend either a
Linksys WRT54G or any router that is specifically made for online gaming. I used to have a Netgear router which worked very well, too.
3. What do I need to connect my Xbox 360 to Xbox Live using a wired connection?The best method is simply connecting your Xbox 360 console to your router (if you have one) or modem via an
Ethernet cable. Plug in the cable to the back of your console, and the other end into your router or modem. This will give you direct connection and no Wireless Network Adapter or Router is needed.
4. How fast should my internet connection be for Xbox Live?You will need a high speed broadband cable or DSL connection to connect to Xbox Live. You will have problems with a dial-up, ISDN, or satellite internet connection, so you can count that out. Microsoft recommends at least a 256Kbps connection. Check with your ISP to find out how fast your connection is. Keep in mind -- the better connection you have, the better your online gaming experience will be :-)
5. OK, I have everything that I need set up, now what do I do?If you have another computer or laptop in your house, check and make sure you can connect to the internet (especially if you're using a router for wireless connection). If it works, then we're ready to get the Xbox 360 connected.
Turn on your Xbox 360, go to the Dashboard and under "My Xbox", all the way over to the right, select "System Settings", then "Network Settings". After that, select "Configure Network" and under the "Basic Settings" tab, select the list that contains the "Wireless Mode", "Network Name (SSID), etc. Now select "Scan for Networks". Your wireless connection network should show (assuming you aren't too far away from your router). Select it, enter the password (passwords are highly recommended for wireless networks), and set everything else to automatic (leave "Additional Settings" alone). After that, go ahead and test your Xbox Live connection. If you're using a wired connection, just go straight to "Test Xbox Live Connection".
6. What is the best security type for my router to use on Xbox Live?
WPA security is probably the best to use with Xbox Live, as it is more secure than WEP. Xbox 360 does not currently support WPA2, so don't try that.
7. How do I log into my router if I need to change the settings?Netgear -
http://192.168.0.1Username - "admin"
Password - "password" or "admin"
Linksys -
http://192.168.1.1Username - "admin"
Password - "admin"
Belkin -
http://192.168.2.1Username - "admin"
Password - leave blank
D-link -
http://192.168.0.1Username - "admin"
Password - leave blank
If your router is not listed above, or none of the links are working for you:
Open up command prompt by clicking Start, then Run, and type "ipconfig" and press enter. See where it says "Default Gateway" (
click here for example). Then type that into your browser.
8. My Xbox said something about my NAT not being open! How do I open it?After you log in to your router, look around in each tab or subject until you find your NAT settings. If it's not set to open, change it to open. A strict or moderate NAT will most likely give you problems on Xbox Live. For more information, check out
this thread.
9. For some reason my NAT will not stay open. What do I do?Log in to your router. Find where UPnP is and set it to enabled. That should help.
10. I can't find the UPnP settings, can I open my NAT through Port Forwarding?Yes. Go
here and find your router. After that, find the Xbox Live 360 link and follow the instructions.
11. Can I connect to Xbox Live through my wireless PC/laptop?Yes.
This site has all the info you need on ICS and Bridging.
12. What if I'm at a hotel? Can I still connect to Xbox Live?Yes. If they offer Wi-Fi, go ahead and scan for the network. If you find the hotel's network (make sure you ask someone for the password if needed), select it, and set everything to automatic. You might not have a very strong signal, depending on where you're located in the hotel. Go to Test Xbox Live Connection and hopefully you'll be able to connect.
That's all I can think of right now. If you're still having trouble connecting, try restarting all your devices. Calling your router company wouldn't be a bad idea either. Connecting to Xbox Live can be tricky! Good luck. Hope this helps.
Other helpful links:
Having trouble connecting?Static IP and Open NAT GuideRouter Connection
Xbox Forums FAQConnecting to Xbox Live FAQ
