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XBCONNECT WIRELESS GUIDE
A guide to a wireless XBC setup. Curious what XBC is? It's short for Xbconnect and you can find out all about it here.
I wrote this guide to ease the transition from a wired network setup to a wireless one. The only support that exists for wireless setups is user based.
I insist that one attempts a wired setup before trying a wireless one. Wireless is confusing enough without the great number of individual problems most people experience initially. I will be going over problems that occur in a wireless network. If it doesn't work wired, it certainly will not work wireless.
There are several ways
to do your wireless network. I will be going over a few.
General
rules for wireless setups and xbc:
- The xbox and pc running xbc cannot both be
wireless.
- There are only 2 ways to run your wireless setup.
1. The xbox must be wired to the wireless pc
(setup 1).
2. The pc must be wired to
the wireless router which the xbox connects to wirelessly (setup 2).
All other setups are derived from these 2.
Brands and models of hardware shown in the pictures below are generally placed and could be replaced with equivalent hardware from another manufacture.
If you are unfamiliar with the
terminology of this guide you can find a glossary
here.
If you are having trouble setting up your network contact the manufacturer of
your network hardware or click
here.
Setup 1
-PC running xbconnect is wireless, xbox is wired via crossover ethernet cable to this pc. This is also know as Setup E.
If you only wish to join games on xbc and can connect to the internet over your wireless connection, your wireless adapters need no further setup/configuration. If you wish to host games on xbc you must open the proper ports in your firewall or router. You may also visit this site, PortForward.com. It's list of tutorials for routers and firewalls are more complete.
Follow the instructions at the end of this guide to test join a game.
Troubleshooting:
| Problems | Solutions | |
| -I can only find the xbox after I click cancel. | -You didn't really find your xbox, even though is says "xbox found".
See "I can't find my xbox." When you do find your xbox it will give you the xbox's mac address in chat or listed in general options. -Your xbox may have been found previously, in which case hit "clear list" in xbc's general options and then try finding it again. If the process still never finishes after clicking "clear list", proceed to "I can't find my xbox." |
|
| -I can't find my xbox in xbc's general options. | -You are not using a
crossover ethernet
cable. -You have a firewall that is blocking access to the ethernet port. -The ethernet port on your laptop is not enabled. Check network connections (for windows XP: Select Start > All Programs > Accessories > Communications > Network Connections.). X's through anything or anything grayed out mean something is wrong. Right click the icon and select enable.
-You have a bad cable. If you have the ability to swap test, do it.
-Try using WinPcap instead of the pSDK
driver. |
|
| -I can view the games on the xbox but not join them. -No games show up on the xbox. |
-Re-find your xbox in xbc's general options (click clear then find). -Be absolutely sure that you are using the setup exactly as described above. -You may yet need to setup ICS. |
|
| -My wireless connection is never consistent and often lags or disconnects unexpectedly even though I have good signal strength. | -This is a problem with windows wireless zero config. Disable wireless zero config and run the wireless connection through the connection program that came with your wireless card. Most manufactures give you a CD with this program on it. |
|
| -I don't have a crossover cable. | -Visit you local computer or electronics
store, ask for a crossover ethernet cable and they'll point you in the
right direction. For longer lengths it is much cheaper to
buy
online. -You could also use a xbox system link cable in place of a crossover cable. -You could also use a hub between the pc and xbox attaching them with patch cables. Doing this will also allow you to connect multiple xboxs to the wireless pc to use on xbc. |
|
| -While my ethernet card is connected to the xbox a box pops often out of my system tray telling me there is "limited or no connectivity." | -Run ICS setup again. If you need help check
here.
-The
way to disable this notification is to go into your network connections
(under the control panel), right click on the network that is disconnected and go into
properties uncheck the box that says "Notify Me when this connection has
limited or no connectivity"
-If you have the ethernet card set to "Obtain an IP address automatically," windows will check every
so often for an available DHCP server to receive an IP address. Since you have it only connected to the xbox it will never find a
DHCP server. It will only bother you and disturb your connection. This is called APIPA.
|
|
| -When I connect my xbox or enable my ethernet adapter I loose my internet connection! | There is an IP conflict in your network.
Either set your ethernet adapter to "Obtain an IP address automatically" or set it's IP address to something completely different. In other words change all four sets of numbers to be different from you wireless card's IP settings. |
|
| -I can't enable ICS! IP Conflict error No option to enable ICS |
You have another PC
on your network that has ICS enabled. -You must disable it on this second computer before you can enable it for the first pc.
All your network
adapters are not enabled. When this is the case there will be no
option to enable ICS. You have a
wireless router that is preventing it.
|
|
| -I've tried everything and nothing helps! | -If all else fails reinstall xbc.
Go to Add/Remove programs and remove everything named xbconnect from the list. You want to do a custom uninstall and just keep pressing select all then next. Download a fresh copy of the latest version of nexbc from xbconnect.com. |
Setup 2
-The PC is wired running xbc, xbox is wireless* through a wireless bridge or wireless gaming adapter.
*Xbox may be connected with a patch or crossover ethernet cable, it depends on the adapter.
Get xbconnect working as setup A or B, as shown here, before attempting setup 2.
First thing you should do is go into xbc's general options and select "wet 11 translation," toggle it on and off through each attempt to play xbc. Once you have things working leave it at the setting that worked.
Follow the instructions at the end of this guide to test join a game.
Troubleshooting:
| Problems | Solutions |
| -I can't get my wireless bridge to connect to my network. | -Call up tech support and tell them you need help connecting your wireless adapter to your network for use with an xbox. Once you have it on your network come back here. Usually the first step is updating your firmware. |
| -I can't find my xbox in xbc's general options. | -The xbox cannot be connected through the bridge to be found by xbc. To find you xbox you must connect it wired to your network (not like in the picture above), once found by xbconnect it may be reattached to the bridge. -You have a firewall that is blocking access to the ethernet port. -You have a bad cable. If you have the ability to swap test, do it. |
| -I can view the games on the xbox but not join them. -No games show up on the xbox. |
-Re-find your xbox in xbc's general options (click clear then find). -Be absolutely sure that you are using the setup exactly as described above. -You have a bad cable. If you have the ability to swap test, do it.
-The bridge must be powered up after being
connected to the xbox first. -Be sure that nothing else is plugged into the bridge. Most bridges are only made for a single device.
-Your wireless bridge does not have
mac cloning enabled. If your wireless adapter does not have mac cloning you must do it manually on your xbox. First closely examine your wireless bridge it should have a sticker on the bottom. On that sticker is printed the mac address of the device, write this address down. Turn on your xbox without a disk to view the dashboard. Select settings, network settings, advanced. Define the mac address* to be the one you wrote down before. Last step is to re-find your xbox (while wired), be sure to click clear then find. *Mac addresses are 12 digits long and only use these characters, 123456789ABCDEF, and if you ever want to change it back the default address of your xbox is printed on a sticker underneath it. |
| -When I try to have xbconnect find my xbox my wireless bridge/gaming adapter is not on the list. | -Your not searching for the wireless adapter your searching your network for your xbox, select whatever is on the list and search. |
| -As far as I can tell the xbox is still not on my network. | -Your xbox may be having trouble connecting
to your network under automatic settings. Turn on your xbox without a disk to view the dashboard. Select settings, network settings, advanced. Define the IP address as a number similar to the other PCs on your network (common IP address for home networks is 192.168.0.XXX). Next define the subnet as the same number as the rest of your PCs (usually 255.255.255.0). Last on the list is gateway, this is the IP address of your router or PC that the modem is connected to. |
Setup 3
-First PC is wired running xbc, second pc is wireless running desktop remote control*, xbox is wired.
*Remote desktop control is built into all windows operating systems after windows 2000, it's named Windows Terminal Services (for windows XP: Select Start > All Programs > Accessories > Communications > Remote Desktop Connection).
If you have an operating system that does not have it built in, your alternative is a freeware program called RealVNC. It works for all platforms.
Either way what this will accomplish is it allows a person at a wireless computer to assume control of another computer across a network, as if they were sitting in front of the other computer.
Can't stress enough that you get xbconnect working as setup A or B, before attempting remote desktop.
To learn how to run remote desktop in windows xp, follow this link, Get Started Using Remote Desktop.
To learn how to run RealVNC on other windows operating systems, follow this link, Getting Started with VNC.
Troubleshooting:
Because xbconnect is actually running on the wired pc it does not change the setup you had before as setup A or setup B. There should be no further troubleshooting as far as xbconnect is concerned.
If you have any problems with remote desktop you can check the troubleshooting page here, Troubleshooting Remote Desktop.
If you have any problems with RealVNC you can check the troubleshooting pages on their website, Troubleshooting RealVNC.
Setup 4
-First PC is wired running xbc, second pc is wireless running remote desktop control*, xbox is wireless through a wireless ethernet bridge or wireless gaming adapter.
*Remote desktop control is built into all windows operating systems after windows 2000, it's named Windows Terminal Services (for windows XP: Select Start > All Programs > Accessories > Communications > Remote Desktop Connection).
If you have an operating system that does not have it built in, your alternative is a freeware program called RealVNC. It works for all platforms.
Either way what this will accomplish is it allows a person at a wireless computer to assume control of another computer across a network, as if they were sitting in front of the other computer.
First get xbconnect to work as setup 2 (above) before attempting remote desktop.
To learn how to run remote desktop in windows xp, follow this link, Get Started Using Remote Desktop.
To learn how to run RealVNC on other windows operating systems, follow this link, Getting Started with VNC.
Troubleshooting:
Because xbconnect is actually running on the wired pc it does not change the setup you had before as setup 2. There should be no further troubleshooting as far as xbconnect is concerned.
If you have any problems with remote desktop you can check the troubleshooting page here, Troubleshooting Remote Desktop.
If you have any problems with RealVNC you can check the troubleshooting pages on their website, Troubleshooting RealVNC.
Setup 5
The xbox is wireless to the pc and the pc is wireless/wired to the router.
The fully wireless setup, this is the holy
grail of gaming, but it is also the most difficult setup that exists.
For
only this setup you may ignore the general rules for
wireless setups and xbc mentioned above.
It will NOT work for 99% of people. But for that 1% it works flawlessly.
Here is a short list of wireless cards that support this.
In order to make this work the card must have driver support for both MAC translation, packet sniffing, exception of data packets, and are able to function in promiscuous mode.
Promiscuous mode being the most important feature, it is highly unlikely that your wireless adapter supports this. You can find a list of supported cards here.
You can test if your wireless card is capable of promiscuous mode by running a packet sniffing test program.
Some cards that are on the lists that are linked to still won't work because they use a different chipset then the card used for testing.
Connect everything together EXACTLY as shown above and login to xbc. If this is the first time you've run xbconnect you'll be prompted to find your xbox, otherwise go to xbc's general options. You want to click clear then click find (click clear even if there are no addresses displayed). Close the option window and join a room. The connection may timeout, this is normal because games are often closed/locked for some reason or another, if you click refresh before joining a room you better your chances of joining. Once in the room, politely ask* the host if the game is "up," once a host gives you the "ok," look to your xbox's screen and join the game.
*This is not required, but is good for troubleshooting incase you have everything right but the host hasn't made the game yet.
General Q & A & Troubleshooting
| Questions | Answers | |
| What the hell? A wireless network should not be any different to a wired one. | But it is, wireless uses a completely different medium then wired. Your wireless adapters convert the ethernet signal before transmitting it. This conversion interferes with WinPcap which xbconnect has based it's packet capturing on. | |
| If that's true shouldn't the new non WinPcap version of xbconnect work? | It's has pSDK now. Same rules still apply. | |
| Is it possible to have a setup that is not shown above? | Anything is possible. Just take note, these
methods have been confirmed to work. When you use remote desktop as part of your setup there is a nearly unlimited number of possible setups, I only went over two. For example I use setup 1 (above) with a wireless pocket pc running Windows Terminal Services to control the wireless pc connected to the xbox. So you can see the possibilities. |
|
| I'm having trouble with the signal
strength of my wireless adapters. What can I do to increase my signal strength? |
You can either purchase a range
extender for your network or build a
cheap antenna converter cover. The cover will convert you antenna from an omni-directional antenna to a directional antenna, which will increase the gain (or range) of the antenna. If you have multiple wireless devices on your network, it may be wise to only place one of these on each xbox/pc adapter and not your router or WAP device. This is because it will no longer be broadcasting it's signal in all directions, for all your devices. |
|
| -I can't find my xbox in xbc's general options. | -If you are using a wireless bridge. The xbox cannot be connected through the bridge to be found by xbc. To find you xbox you must connect it wired to your network, once
found by xbconnect it may be reattached to the bridge. -You have a firewall that is blocking access to the ethernet port. -You have a bad cable. If you have the ability to swap test, do it. |
|
| I can only find the xbox after I click cancel. | -You didn't really find your xbox, even though is says "xbox found".
See "I can't find my xbox." When you do find your xbox it will give you the xbox's mac address. -Your xbox may have been found previously, in which case hit "clear list" in xbc's general options and then try finding it again. If the process still never finishes after clicking "clear list", proceed to "I can't find my xbox." |
|
| XBC worked before but suddenly it doesn't work now! | First try to refind your
xbox. If you can, follow the other troubleshooting steps.
If none of that helps, perform a system
restore
to a time you last remember xbc working (for windows XP: Select
Start > All Programs > Accessories >
System Tools > System Restore).
neXBC may have changed versions since the last time you used it. Make sure you have the latest version from xbconnect.com. Remember xbc may now be triggering your computer's firewall because it now views it as a different program. |
|
| Why can't I host? | There are many reasons why, but most likely you have a
firewall
on your system/router. If you can disable it go ahead, if you don't have
access your out of luck. To be sure port 8602
on your firewall is open run a port test
like the one below.
Firewall Test (click here) |
|
| Xbconnect thinks I'm connecting over a wireless network, but the xbox is wired! | The
reason why xbconnect is saying this because your xbox's
mac address
is not a normal xbox address. Xbox mac addresses always start with the same first 6 digits, 0050F2. If your mac address does not begin with these xbc will assume it is connected differently. Turn on your xbox without a disk to view the dashboard. Select settings, network settings, advanced, go down to the Mac Address number and change it to 0050F2XXXXXX* and click ok. Then re-find your xbox. *Mac addresses are 12 digits long and only use these characters, 123456789ABCDEF, replace the XXXXXX with those characters, and if you ever want to change it back the default address of your xbox is printed on a sticker underneath it. |
|
| -I can't enable ICS! IP Conflict error No option to enable ICS |
You have another PC
on your network that has ICS enabled. -You must disable it on this second computer before you can enable it for the first pc.
All your network
adapters are not enabled. When this is the case there will be no
option to enable ICS. You have a
wireless router that is preventing it.
|
|
| After everything I still can't get it to work!
1. Can I browse the
internet from the pc running xbc? |
1. There is something wrong with your
network connection that is
preventing your pc from reaching the internet.
If all else fails post on the
xbc forums and let them know
how far you can get on the list to the left being as specific as
possible. |
If you find a broken link or an error please send a private message to wassabi a.s.a.p. on the xbconnect forums.
Wassabi © 2005 v1.6.1
This document was last modified July 10th, 2005