Enhancing connection to Xbox360 through PC?

[mCHAM3L3ONm]

Hello all,

    This is my first post here, so please be kind  .  I use a wireless broadband provider via Topgun Telecom (owned/operated by Internet America) which advertises connection speeds from around 500kbps-1.5mbps.  My pc is a 3.4Gig Intel P4, with 2Gig PC3200 DDR (running in dual channel asynchronous mode), I use a Gigabyte mobo with an onboard NIC card (10/100). 

    When I first started using my broadband connection I was only getting 233kbps-1.2mbps, but thanks to reading some threads here I was able to bring up the connection to be 800kbps-2.8mbps.  I used the tips for adware/spyware, virus checks, and finally using the program "Cablenut" with the custom settings suggested by the poster at the time.  I still have some lag issues with Battlefield 2 which seem to occur randomly, but most of the time it runs much better now (thanks for all the help to get this far btw!).

  Okay, with all the history out of the way I can get to my question:  I use an XBox360 on this same connection but have to reset-reconnect the broadband connection whenever I want to go from playing the PC to the XBox360 or visa-versa.  As I mentioned before - when I first started using the wireless connection to the PC I had terrible connection problems, but thanks to the friendly people here I was able to remedy the problem.  What I want to know now is if I installed another NIC card in my PC and used the PC as a router for the broadband connection to the XBox360 - would the XBox360 reap the benefits gained by my PC from Cablenut?  As it stands now, my XBox360 seems to suffer from some pretty bad lag at times, and so far as I can tell, it's because of me.

    I desperately want to remedy this problem, but I am at a loss, and I have had some people tell me that they think my proposal would work - where others say it wouldn't.  Since ya'll seem to know your stuff I thought I'd ask people who really know what's going on.  Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks for your time/effort/and patience while reading my novel.

Thanks!!!!

Sincerely,

-Joe

P.S.>  I connect the broadband the way I do because I can't seem to get my Lynksys Router to use the static IP I have to share the internet between my PC and XBox360.  I spoke with tech support from my ISP, but to no avail.  I also followed - to the letter - the procedure from the instruction manual for my router, and had no luck (however I must mention that there doesn't seem to be a way to make my router use a static IP).

[mCHAM3L3ONm]

i forgot to add this, here are the test results to my test connection:

:::.. Download Stats ..:::

Connection is:: 2373 Kbps about 2.4 Mbps (tested with 5983 kB)

Download Speed is:: 290 kB/s

Tested From:: https://testmy.net/ (server2)

Test Time:: Sat Jan 7 11:05:47 CST 2006

Bottom Line:: 42X faster than 56K 1MB download in 3.53 sec

Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 80.73 % faster than the average for host (airmail.net)

Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-X0NAL526T

Thanks!

-Joe

[x FiReMaN x]

^^ so what your trying to say is that you want to bridge your connections through your wireless computer and then connect your 360 to the computer?

[mCHAM3L3ONm]

[x FiReMaN x]

ok so you want to bridge host in halo 2?

sure i can help you out.

First you're gonna have to buy a crossover ethernet cable...

It took me 8 hours to figure it out but ill try to sum it up.  What you do is try to share your wireless connection to your mac bridge.  It the advance area of the propeties in the wireless it should say allow sharing, check the box. after that put the lan connection (ethernet port) from the xbox 360 to the computer under the bridge area and leave the wireless connection to shared and leave it under LAN or High Speed Internet.  Also, if you have wireless networks under property tags, then uncheck it.  Because if you check it it will lag you out of live. If this doesnt work then you need to find a way to say shared, to where, Mac Bridge, under your advanced properties of the wireless connection.

[mCHAM3L3ONm]

    I think I understand what you mean, but from reading your last post I think you're under the impression that my PC is connected wirelessly to the broadband modem.  If this is the case, what I mean by wireless broadband is that my internet connection is connected outside of my home through a sort-of radio antenna.  From the antenna the connection travels to the modem using Cat6 cable, then from the modem (which looks similar to a phone biscuit jack with a green LED)to my PC.  The connection inside the house is a wired connection (so the PC registers the connection like it would a wired connection - or like a cable connection similar to Roadrunner or something).

    If I misinterpreted your last post, and you understand what I wrote above, then how do I get into the properties of my modem to change the sharing of the connection?

Thanks for your help!

-Joe

[compuworm]

4mCHAM3L3ONm,

Do you use any tweaks for your router.  What kind of Linksys router do you have (make, model, version)?  I have a Linksys wrt54gs v2 router and I use a Hyperwrt firmware that allows me to increase my transmit power. 

Further, what is your upload speed.  This is a biggy in lag>

Thanks,

compuworm

P.S. There is a way to make the router use Static I use it for my systems. 

[mCHAM3L3ONm]

Compuworm,

    No, I don't use any tweaks for my router, but that's mostly because I can't seem to get my internet to work through it (I think it has something to do with what I mentioned about the static IP).  The make/model of my router is Linksys Model NR041 4-port router (I don't know the version of the router, and I don't know where the book went so I can't help much there).  I never messed with the router more than trying to input the IP/gateway/etc. I also looked around the settings to make it recognize static IP, but with no luck.

    As for my upload - here are the results:

:::.. Upload Stats ..:::

Connection is:: 919 Kbps about 0.9 Mbps (tested with 1496 kB)

Upload Speed is:: 112 kB/s

Tested From:: https://testmy.net/ (server1)

Test Time:: Sat Jan 7 13:13:56 CST 2006

Bottom Line:: 16X faster than 56K 1MB upload in 9.14 sec

Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 63.52 % faster than the average for host (airmail.net)

Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-8KJ15SDIX

Thanks,

-Joe

   

[FallowEarth]

I think installing a second NIC and bridging the connections, with a crossover cable as x FiReMaN x suggests, is a good idea.

[compuworm]

Do you know how to open your routers web page?  Its usually 192.168.1.1 then type in, "admin" if you haven't set up a user name and password.  Further, you have to set up static ip addresses on your xbox and your main computer>

For Main Computer:

right click My Computer>click Properties>Click on General tap of the Local Area Connection Window> Scroll down and select (highlight), "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" > Next click on the "Properties" button and this will open the  Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties window>click the Radio button that states, " Use the Following IP Address" now put in the following information:

IP Address 192.168.1.XX (use XX to be between 10 and 99)

Subnet Mask: should fill in automatically or use 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1

For: Perferred DNS server use what is listed on your router's web page. 

Once open click on the, Status tab and under, "Internet-configuration and type", look for DNS 1 and DNS 2 these are the values to inputed into your perferred DNS server and alternate DNS server back in the,  "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties", window.

Once this is done click,OK button and close.

For XBox,

I will assume you know how to give your xbox a static ip just read directions.  Further make your you use the same DNS values you used in the, "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties", window.

Now once again open your router's web page and go to the, "Application and Gaming", Tab.  Now click the radio button that says, "Enable DMZ" and input the ip address last digits you selected as the ip address you used back in the, "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties", window.  Once done click save settings and reboot system. 

I don't usually recommend using  DMZ which opens all ports and makes your system more vulnerable to outside attack but all we are trying to see is if port forwarding works.  You can easily just turn it off. 

I hope this helps,

compuworm

P.S. Try giving your xbox a ip address that is close to the ip address used for your main computer.  Do not go over an ip address ending in 100 or above.

[mCHAM3L3ONm]

    I started thinking about how I'm trying to enhance my XBox Live speed through the Cablenut settings on my PC, and decided to try the crossover cable and NIC option.  I think if I tried to use my router to share my internet connection with my XBox I would bypass my PC altogether and thereby bypass the settings from cablenut that enhance the connection so much (assuming by bridging the two I could enhance the XBox360 connection).

    To give an idea on where I am now:  I have already installed, and bridged/shared my internet connection between my primary NIC card, and my secondary NIC card (the XBox360).  My XBox360 doesn't seem to see the connection, but my PC can connect to the internet (obviously ).  How do I need to setup my XBox360 so that it will recognize the connection comming from my PC?

THANKS A TON!!!!!

-Joe

P.S.>  Compuworm,  since you seem to know quite a bit about configuring a router to accept/share internet connection with computers on the network, do you have any suggestions on how to get the XBox to recognize the shared broadband connection from the PC?

[FallowEarth]

As long as the two NICs are bridged, and you have a crossover cable from the PC to the XBox, the setup should be just like a direct connection. 

I would double-check that you have a crossover cable, not straight through.  On a straight-through, the colours of the wires are symetrical.  On a crossover, they are not.

[mCHAM3L3ONm]

[compuworm]

No problem any time and happy gaming/