WPA2 ON THE XBOX

Background

My son has an Xbox 360, and he wanted online play through Xbox Live.  OK I thought -- no problem.  My first choice was choosing between a hardwire or a wireless LAN connection.  I could have run an ethernet cable to his bedroom, but it's a hassle and then he could only have online play in that one spot.  So I opted for a wireless solution.  After browsing on the internet, I eventually decided to get the official Xbox wireless dongle even though at $99 it's a rip.  The other options seemed difficult or limited.

I installed the Xbox adapter, but initially it did not work.  After fudging with things for a while I discovered that it would only work if I set my wireless security to WPA.  The Xbox adapter does NOT support WPA2!  I had recently installed a wireless router on my network system, and I specifically purchased a router that offered WPA2 for optimum security.  But the $99 adapter from Xbox was forcing me to revert my entire wireless system to the older and less secure WPA.  I was very pissed at Microsoft for that!  The Xbox wireless adapter has been out for several years, so why can't they add WPA2 support?  Especially for $99!  Shame on Microsoft... (especially since the Wii and PS3 come standard with wireless LAN).

I returned the Xbox wireless adapter and searched for a better solution.  But if you don't mind running WPA, then you can stop reading.  I recommend that you bite the bullet and shell out $99 for the Xbox adapter.  It's the easiest setup.

Click here to see my new $25 solution

The Choices

Here are your choices for internet on your Xbox:

>> HARDWIRED

Pros

• Easy to set up

• Best security

• Best performance

Cons

• You have to string a cable

• You will get internet at only one location

• If you move your Xbox then you have to string a new cable

>> OFFICIAL XBOX WIRELESS ADAPTER

Pros

• Easy to set up

• Looks nice

• Attaches to your console

Cons

• Expensive for what you get

• No WPA2 support

>> DD-WRT SOLUTION

DD-WRT is free firmware for routers.  This is what you can do:

1. Purchase a compatible wireless router, such as the Linksys WRT54GL for $59 from Amazon

2. Flash the firmware with DD-WRT

3. Configure the new router for Client Bridge mode

4. Connect the new router to your Xbox and set it up

Pros

• Cheaper than the official Xbox wireless adapter

• Offers WPA2 security

• You get the satisfaction of implementing a unique solution

Cons

• You need to flash the firmware of the new router

• The new router is substantially larger than the official Xbox wireless adapter

• It's harder to set up

When I first tried doing this, I got through steps 1-3 above, but I got stuck on #4.  No matter what I tried, I could not get the new router to communicate with my main router.  I eventually gave up and purchased the Linksys WGA600N described in the next section below.  My troubles resulted from trying to use Client Mode.  I should have been Client Bridge mode.  I have documented the setup in a new page.  Click here to see my new $25 solution!

If you are intimidated or unsure about flashing the firmware, then you might be best getting the WGA600N.

>> LINKSYS WGA600N

Back to browsing on the internet.  Pretty much all the wireless gaming adapters I found do not support WPA2.  I suspect they are older designs, and the manufactures have not seen fit to modernize them.  However I did find the WGA600N from Linksys.

Pros

• Supports WPA2

• Fairly easy to set up

• Small footprint

• Supports 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n

Cons

• Expensive ($87 on Amazon)

• Microsoft will hate you for not buying their overpriced dongle

Actually I consider that last con to be a pro.

I purchased the WGA600N, and it works!  Best of all, I can still run WPA2 on my wireless network.  I did not need the 802.11n support, and that's probably why the WGA600N costs $87.  It runs great on my 802.11g network.

I did have some trouble setting it up though.  After configuring everything, I ran the "network test" on my Xbox and it kept failing.  It would connect to my wireless network and it would connect to the internet, but it would fail when trying to connect to Xbox Live.  I finally just tried playing the Xbox and it works great on Xbox Live.  So I have concluded that there is a bug with the "network test" feature in the Xbox. 

Here is how to configure the WGA600N

The WGA600N comes with a setup disk.  I tried it, but it did not work well with my network configuration.  So I set up the WGA600N manually.  Here is how I set it up:

1. You must first connect the WGA600N directly to the network port on your computer.  Unplug the cable from the back of your computer and connect the WGA600N using the supplied cable.

2. Open Internet Explorer and type the default IP address of the WGA600N into the address bar.  The defaut IP address is 192.168.1.250.  Do not type www, just type 192.168.1.250.

3. That should take you to the WGA600N login screen.  If it does not, you may need to temporarily change the network setup in your computer as follows (for Windows XP):

   1. Go to the Control Panel and double-click on Network Connections.

   2. Double-click on the Local Area Connection and then click on Properties.

   3. Scroll down until you see a listing for TCP/IP.  Double-click on it.

   4. Write down the settings listed here.  You will need to restore them back later.

   5. Click the button for "Use the following IP address"

   6. For the IP address, enter 192.168.1.100

   7. For the subnet mask enter 255.255.255.0 

   8. Click on OK.

   9. Try repeating step #2 above.

4. Once you get to the login screen, enter admin for the user name and admin for the password.  This should give you access to the WGA600N.

Configure the WGA600N as follows:

1. Click on the STATUS tab at the top, and then click on the WIRELESS sub-tab.  You should see your wireless network listed (along with any other wireless networks from your neighbors).  It also shows the relative signal strength.  A couple things to check for:

• If a neighboring network is using the same channel, consider changing your wireless network to a different channel.  This will reduce the interference on your network.

• If the signal strength is low, try moving your wireless router closer (if possible).  My wireless router is in the basement and the Xbox is on the 2nd floor.  I am only getting 26% signal strength, so I might have to move my router to the 1st floor.  It depends on the performance we get.

2. Click on the DEVICE INFO sub-tab.  The MAC address of the WGA600N is listed under the LAN heading.  If you use MAC filtering in your main router, you will need to add this address.

3. Click on the BASIC tab at the top and then click on the NETWORK SETTINGS sub-tab.  Set as follows:

• Set the IP Address Mode to STATIC

• IP Address  =  192.168.1.250  (see NOTE)

• Subnet Mask  =  255.255.255.0

• Default Gateway  =  set it to the IP address of your main router

NOTE:  The first 3 octets of the IP Address should be the same as the IP address of your main router.  For example if the address of your router is 192.166.0.1 then you should change the IP address to 192.166.0.250.

If you changed anything, click on the SAVE SETTINGS button and then click on REBOOT LATER.

4. Click on the WIRELESS sub-tab.  Enter the following:

• Wireless Network Mode  =  Wireless Bridge

• Wireless Network Name  =  should be the SSID that is set in your main router

• 802.11 Band  =  If your main router uses 802.11n, set it to 5GHz.  Otherwise set it to 2.4GHz.

• 802.11 Mode  =  same as your main router  (do not use mixed unless you need to)

• Transmission Rate  =  Best

• Security Mode  =  WPA-Personal

• WPA Mode  =  WPA2 Only

• Cipher Mode  =  should match the setting of your main router (I recommend AES only)

• Pre-Shared Key  =  the passphrase used in your main router

5. Click on the SAVE SETTINGS button and then click on REBOOT LATER. 

6. Now scroll down the screen and double-check your settings.  One of my settings did not get saved properly, so I had to re-enter it and then click SAVE again.

7. Click on the ADVANCED tab at the top and then click on the ADVANCED WIRELESS sub-tab.

• Un-check the box for Short GI

• Un-check the box for Extra Wireless Protection

8. Click on SAVE SETTINGS and then click on REBOOT LATER.

9. Click on the WISH sub-tab.  Disable WISH.  Click on SAVE SETTINGS and then click on REBOOT LATER.

10. Click on the WI-FI PROTECTED SETUP sub-tab.  Disable Wi-Fi Protected Setup.  Click on SAVE SETTINGS and then click on REBOOT LATER.

11. Click on the TOOLS tab at the top, then click on the ADMIN sub-tab.  Enter a login password.  (the login name will always be "admin")

12. Click on SAVE SETTINGS and then click on REBOOT NOW.

13. After the router reboots, login again.  Go back and double-check that all settings are correct.

14. Click on the STATUS tab at the top and then the DEVICE INFO sub-tab.  Check that the settings are correct.  Under the Wireless LAN heading, you should see that the WGA600N is now associated with your home network.

15. Unplug the cable from the back of your computer and then re-connect your internet cable.

16. Unplug power from the WGA600N and then plug it back in.  Give it a few moments to establish a connection.

If you had changed the network settings in your PC (step C at the beginning), go back and restore them.

17. On your computer, open Internet Explorer and check that you have internet access.  If you do, then type WGA600N in the address bar and press ENTER.  You should get the login screen of the WGA600N.  If you do, then it is properly communicating with your main router.  In the future you can always access the WGA600N this way.

If you cannot get the login screen, try disabling MAC and IP Address filtering on your main router.  If you now get the login screen, you just need to add the proper MAC and IP addresses in your main router.

This concludes the configuration of the WGA600N.

Following is how to set up your Xbox:

1. Connect the WGA600N to the port on the back of your Xbox.  Turn on your Xbox.  After it starts up, turn on the WGA600N.

2. From the "dashboard" of your Xbox, go to MY XBOX and then to SYSTEM SETTINGS.

3. Go to NETWORK SETTINGS.

4. Go to CONFIGURE NETWORK.

5. Press the A button (on the Xbox controller) and then choose SCAN FOR NETWORKS.

6. Highlight your home network and press the A button.

7. Enter the WPA passphrase.

8. After it connects to your network, highlight the "IP Settings" area and press the A button.

9. Highlight MANUAL and press the A button.

10. Enter whatever IP Address you want.  If your main router uses DHCP, try entering an address outside of the DHCP range.

11. For the Subnet Mask, enter 255.255.255.0

12. For the Gateway, enter the IP address of your main router.

13. Scroll down to DONE and press the A button.

14. Highlight the "DNS Settings" area and press the A button.

15. Highlight MANUAL and press the A button.

16. For the primary and secondary DNS servers, enter the same ones that are used in your primary router.

17. When done, scroll down to DONE and press the A button.

18. Check all the settings.  If they look good, press the B button to back up.

19. Highlight "Test Xbox Live Connection" and press the A button.

The Xbox should connect to your wireless network.  It should then connect to the internet.  If yours is like mine, it will fail when connecting to Xbox Live.  Not to worry!  Just try playing on Xbox Live.  It should work.

DONE!

If the Xbox does not connect to your wireless network or it does not connect to the internet:

1. Power down the Xbox and the WGA600N.  Turn on the Xbox and let it boot up.  Then turn on the WGA600N and give it a minute to start up.  Then repeat the "Test Xbox Live Connection".

2. If you still have trouble, then double-check the network settings in your Xbox.  If they look good, go to your computer and login to the WPA600N and check the settings.

3. Check the settings in your main router to make sure it is not blocking the internet connection.

Remember, you are looking to see if the Xbox can access the internet.  Don't worry if the test fails when it tries to access the Xbox Live website.

Happy gaming!

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