Connect to Xbox Live Through a Wireless PC

If you want to connect your Xbox 360 to your wireless network, you may be a little miffed that you have to shell out all that money for a special wireless adapter. Thankfully, if you have a laptop or PC nearby with a wireless network connection, you can simply use it to connect instead. Follow this guide to find out how.

Steps

Linking Your Xbox to Your Laptop

  1. Power everything down. Turn off your laptop, Xbox 360, and router/wireless modem. Connect your Xbox 360 to your laptop via the Ethernet cable. Turn your laptop and router/modem back on.
  2. Bridge the connection. In order to link the systems' internet connection, you will need to "bridge" it. Open your Network Connections manager.
    • In Windows XP, click Start then select Control Panel. Open the Network Connections tool.
    • In Vista/7/8 click the Start button and type “ncpa.cpl” into the search bar, and click it in the results.
  3. Select both your Ethernet connection and wireless connection. You can either drag a box around them or hold Ctrl and select each one individually.
  4. Right-click the selected connections. Select Bridge Connections from the menu. Windows will work for a few moments as it processes the command. Your connection status in the System Tray (bottom-right corner of the desktop) should show that you have two active connections when you hover your mouse over the icon.
  5. Turn on the Xbox. Once the connection bridge is complete, turn on the Xbox. The system should connect automatically to Xbox LIVE. If you connect, then you are free to use the Xbox LIVE connection as you normally would. Turning off the laptop with sever the connection.
    • If you cannot connect, right-click the bridged connection in your Network Connections manager. Select Repair Connection from the menu. Windows will automatically reset all of the settings, and rebuild the connection. This should resolve any issues.
    • Should repairing the connection not work, try resetting all of the devices, including the router/modem.

Use Internet Connection Sharing

  1. Understand Internet Connection Sharing. Windows will forward your Internet connection to the attached device, in this case the Xbox 360.
  2. Connect the devices. Use a standard Ethernet cable to connect the wireless PC to the Xbox 360. You should see a green connection light near your PC’s Ethernet port.
  3. Enable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). Open your Network Connections manager. In Windows Vista/7 type ncpa.cpl into the search bar and click the result. In Windows XP, open the Control Panel and then select Network Connections.
    • Right-click on your wireless connection. Select Properties. In the Properties window, select the Sharing tab. Check the box next to “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection.” Uncheck the box below it. Click OK to save the changes.
    • In Windows XP, you will need to click the Advanced tab, and then select Sharing.
  4. Turn on the Xbox 360. Navigate to settings and select Network Settings. Select Edit Settings open the IP Settings section. Ensure that the Xbox is set to obtain its IP address automatically. In the Network Settings menu, select Test Network Settings. A message should appear on your PC saying that a new local area connection was found and your Xbox 360 should be connected to Xbox LIVE.



Tips

  • Do not turn off the computer, if the computer is turned off the connection will be broken.

Warnings

  • Do NOT turn off the Xbox 360 during the LIVE update (if it updates).

Things You'll Need

  • Xbox 360
  • PC with a wireless card and a Ethernet port/Laptop
  • An Ethernet cable

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