How do I improve my Xbox wifi signal?

Question

I have an XBox in my living room and my wireless router is in another room. I can't lay a line so I use the XBox with WiFi. Problem is I drop my connection semi-frequently (very annoying when watching NetFlix or playing an online game.) I'm not sure what causes the issue but I'm wondering if a WiFi amplifier would help, so my questions:

1. Is a WiFi amplifier a fair bet solution? Do they work?
2. What's a good, affordable one?

Asked by Nick Gotch

Answer

Have you looked into PowerLine networking? Assuming your router and XBox are on the same mains circuit in your house, then that should be able to get a wired connection between your rooms without having to mess about laying new wiring. It's also generally better bandwidth and latency than a wireless solution (though not quite up with proper wired ethernet kit).

lots of companies do it these days, a quick Amazon listing for Powerline networking kit has a whole list of them.

Answered by GAThrawn

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Do all Pokemon B/W Wifi features work with WPA2?

Question

I've learned that original (and Lite) Nintendo DS systems do not support WPA/WPA2 Wifi encryption, but the newer hardware (DSi, 3DS) does.

I've also learned that this only applies to newer games, and that older games require WEP, even on newer systems.

Finally, I've learned that Pokemon Black and White do, nominally, support WPA2 encryption.

However, I've had a few sources tell me that this only applies to a subset of features, and to battle or trade over Nintendo WFC I'll have to fall back to WEP.

Can someone either confirm that this is the case and tell me what I won't be able to do over WPA2, or set me straight and confirm (via experience, please) that everything works over WPA2?

Sadly I don't have a DSi or I'd puzzle this out myself, but this is a deciding factor in whether I get a 3DS at launch or not.

Thanks!

Answer

Just did a random matchup with someone in Japan on my new 3DS. Not sure what problems other people might be having, but the newer hardware seems to work fine with WPA2.

Will update if I actually have any issues.

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PS3 keeps saying my WPA key is wrong

Question

I am having a bad time with my PS3 which I've had for about 2 years, PS3 slim with 120GB HDD. I've ran across a problem with my WiFi connecting to it. My PS3 doesn't accept my WPA2 key, I've changed it to a new key then my PS3 successfully connected to it. After 5 minutes it then drops connection and says my WPA key is wrong which it isn't.

So I changed my key again, it connected to the WiFi successfully, then an hour later it dropped connection to it then told me my WPA key is wrong when it isn't! My other devices connect to it just fine, like my Mac, iPhone, etc. But my PS3 doesn't connect to it properly. I get signal strength of 80-90%+

Is there any reason why it keeps doing this?

I am upstairs and the router is downstairs, I cannot use a Ethernet cable because it's far too long to connect to it.

Answer

A few thoughts:

1) ensure your router's DHCP server is configured to allow enough clients to support all your hardware. If you have 10 clients enabled for DHCP and 11 connections are attempted, it is plausible that one device is grabbing an address and then the ps3 is left waiting for an expired lease. This can happen more often with shorter lease times (check the lease time and compare to the timing of ps3's loss of address). I like to assign static addresses (via the router interface, not on each device) to known devices on my network.

2) if the ps3 is spamming for a new lease, the router may be ignoring it by implementing a timeout. The solution might be to disable wifi and wait a few minutes.

3) You might have a mixed-network issue. If all of your devices are wireless-G, try setting your router wifi to G only.

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What is the minimum required speed for Xbox live?

Question

Just wondering what the minimum is and would my specific speeds work?

Down: 1.15Mb/s Up: 0.06Mb/s Ping: 879ms

Answer

It's really difficult to say as it depends on so many other different factors as well. At first glance your download speed look acceptable, but upload speed is pretty low and your ping is fairly high as well which will both have an impact. There's also the issue of contention, which may see your broadband speeds rise\fall depending on how many other households are using the line at that particular time.

Then there's the type of game\service you want to use. Some games require more bandwidth than others, for example a first person shooter game will require a lot more than say, a turn based game like Uno. Streaming films also requires a lot, depending on the quality.

So taking into account these factors here's my recommendation:

Heavy bandwidth games (COD, Halo): Most likely have lag, and be hard to play online
Medium bandwidth games (Mortal Kombat, SFIV): Should be fine, may have some lag
Low bandwidth games (Uno, Texas Hold 'Em): Should be fine
Movies: May struggle with buffering and stutter

although don't take this as definitive, you can hook up to xbox live for free and you usually get a months free gold membership too so you can test out some online gaming before you commit to a paid membership, and I'd advise you ultimately to do this.

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Is my internet fast enough for Xbox live?

Question

Here's how fast it is, It's Wifi, can I play Xbox live?

Down: 1.15Mb/s Up: 0.06Mb/s Ping: 879ms

Answer

It's really difficult to say as it depends on so many other different factors as well. At first glance your download speed look acceptable, but upload speed is pretty low and your ping is fairly high as well which will both have an impact. There's also the issue of contention, which may see your broadband speeds rise\fall depending on how many other households are using the line at that particular time.

Then there's the type of game\service you want to use. Some games require more bandwidth than others, for example a first person shooter game will require a lot more than say, a turn based game like Uno. Streaming films also requires a lot, depending on the quality.

So taking into account these factors here's my recommendation:

Heavy bandwidth games (COD, Halo): Most likely have lag, and be hard to play online
Medium bandwidth games (Mortal Kombat, SFIV): Should be fine, may have some lag
Low bandwidth games (Uno, Texas Hold 'Em): Should be fine
Movies: May struggle with buffering and stutter

although don't take this as definitive, you can hook up to xbox live for free and you usually get a months free gold membership too so you can test out some online gaming before you commit to a paid membership, and I'd advise you ultimately to do this.

Check more discussion of this question.