 Expensive, but worth it |
| Review Date: December 3, 2005 |
| Reviewer: W. Jessup, Westfield NC |
Yes, I would have to agree with other reviewers here, this item is on the expensive side. But I believe it is worth the price because Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter is easy to install and easy to set up. In short, it works and I don't mind paying extra for something that works as intended with no hassels.
To install, you simply insert the USB plug into the USB port on the backside of the Xbox 360. This Network adapter snaps into place so it never moves and the cable is just long enough preventing clutter. A very intelligent design.
Software set up was a breeze. In my situation, it was automatic after a few menu selections. I did have a concern that there would be a problem because I am using an Apple Airport. But, no problems at all.
Also, the range I receive is better than what others have mentioned here. I live in a two story house. My Airport (wireless hub) is located on the east side of the second floor, in a book case next to the outer wall. My Xbox 360 is located in an outer corner of the den on the first floor on the west side of the house. Basically, the signal is going from upstairs to downstairs and from one side of the house to the other. I was actually surprised that it worked without me having to rearrange either room.
So, yes it is expensive, but it works without any problems for me. So many things I buy make you almost jump thru hoops to get them to simply do what they are suppose to.
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Wireless is the way to go
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| Review Date: November 21, 2006 |
| Reviewer: JMotts, Philadelphia |
My television is in a completely different part of my house from my high speed internet connection, so while I wasn't thrilled to dish out extra money for this adapter, I have to say it was completely worth it. Since I figured out how to set up my home wireless network and coordinate that with the 360, I get a very strong connection and have had no problems staying connected.
The only issue I had was that when I first set up the adapter I didn't known enough about wireless networks to have everything clicking together. At first the 360 would access Xbox Live, but was using other nearby wireless networks because I did not give the 360 the password ID to access my Linksys router. I live in center city Philadelphia, and by default the adapter was picking up and using whatever open wireless networks were available. The range must be good, because it would register about six or seven other networks of varying strengths.
Once I figured out that my Linksys router had a password code (I think it is a WEP number) I was able to punch the router's ID into the 360 and the 360 then automatically connected to the secure wireless router in my home. I have never had a single issue since. I don't think this delay in the optimal setup was anyone's fault but my own, since I was pretty ignorant of how wireless networks are set up but I have a feeling it may happen to others.
All in all, I think that having a secure wireless network at home is what will become standard in the next few years. This adapter works great, is small and disappears behind the console, reduces the clutter of wires, and allows you to keep your computer and high speed connection separate and distinct from your television area. It was definitely a worthy purchase. |
Wireless N - Achievement Unlocked!
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| Review Date: November 19, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Michael Baran, Chicago, IL |
Can't route Cat-5 cable? This latest A/B/G & N Wireless Adapter, from Microsoft, is the next best bet. Emphasis on the "N."
Do you use the Apple Airport Express or the Apple Airport Extreme as your router? No worries, there are no compatibility issues; nor are there any NAT issues that interrupt game play, an issue that plagues certain routers on the market.
If you do not have an 802.11n capable router, but can spare the extra money, spring for this latest A/B/G & N wireless adapter. The Xbox 360 wireless adapter conforms to all four current wireless network standards and will work with any devices that support such.
Concerned about the color of the adapter not matching the color of your console? Regardless of how you display your console, horizontally or vertically, the adapter (if plugged into the rear of your console) is hidden and all that is visible are the grey antennae.
This newest adapter shares the same, almost plug-and-play, installation as the previous A/B/G generation wireless adapter. Simply plug the adapter into the back of your console and power the console on. If you are not already online, navigate to the system area of the Dashboard. Within the system area, enter in your network settings, test the settings, then log into Xbox Live and you are ready to go.
I was able to tell the difference in speed immediately, even when testing the Xbox Live connection in the network settings. Gone are the issues with streaming, and Netflix looks amazing in high definition. And most importantly, I am gaming multi-player lag free!
Things to consider: If you use wireless controllers with your system, you may get better performance using the 5-GHz band for your network connection, since the wireless controllers operate in the 2.4-GHz band. This also holds true with other common household devices such as cordless telephones and microwave ovens. Also, your 802.11n network only operates as fast as your slowest connected device. Therefore, if you want best performance it is suggested to switch to 5-GHz 802.11n only when gaming. Or, better, have a dual-band router dedicating feeds to the appropriate devices. |
Works well if you have your router set right
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| Review Date: November 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Owens, El Dorado Hills, CA United States |
I was getting ready to ship this adapter back after two days of tinkering with my network to get it to work with no results. My old Xbox wireless-g adapter worked fine, albeit with marginal connectivity and speed. I upgraded to this wireless-n adapter to solve those problems but found that it worked so poorly that I barely had a connection and couldn't use media center at all.
I spent two days tweaking everything I could think of on my network and then, as a last resort, I just switched my router (Linksys WRT330N) to operate in the 20MHz band instead of the 40, where I had it set previously. That was all it took, and now it works great with a strong signal. So, if the adapter doesn't work for you, make sure your router isn't set for wide-40MHz channel. |
Get the Most from Your Wireless Adapter
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| Review Date: April 23, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Zeevious, Upstate NY |
A lot of people don't seem to understand this, and aren't setup correctly to get the most out of their xbox360 wireless adapter. Yes, it supports 802.11 a, b, and g. But the important part is that it supports DUAL MODE (i.e. bonded) A and G. That means that if you have a dual-mode a/g wireless access point, you are using 2 wireless bands, the 2.4GHz band (used by B and G), AND the 5GHz band (used by A). B and G both suffer lots of interference from microwave ovens, bluetooth, and lots of other things. A however does not suffer from such interference. A's theoretical rate is 54Mbps as is G's. In reality in a best case you might get 26ish mbps for each band. A decent HD video stream can take a steady 20mbps (assuming WMV or AVC/H.264/MPEG-4Part2, etc) or half that for MPEG-2. Dual band A/G allows the wireless network to bond the effective 26ish Mbps in each band for an actual realistic 50+Mbps assuming best case, and half this band isn't subject to local interference. If you are using a plain old 802.11g router and want to more than double your performance, get a dual-band a/g instead. Another nice part about the A channel is that not a lot of people use it, so you aren't probably competing w/ other local access points.
Oh... BTW... If you are running 802.11g and you have even a single 802.11b device on your network, your whole network will suffer greatly, so get rid of it. 802.11b is obsolete and will bring your whole network speed down.
Also, if you are using Windows Media Center and you have Windows Vista on the PC, that version of Media Center has a very simple Network Performance Monitor that allows you to adjust your network in realtime, and it will tell you using a graph whether you reach acceptable levels for SD and HD video streaming. |
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