Old XBOX360 Setup, Network Adapter? AP? Repeater?

[Boxerz]

I unfortunately purchased an old XBOX360 from a so-called friend. The XBOX360 does not have an internal wireless card so I have to buy a network adapter. I looked around the web and I guess I have to buy a specific type of network adapter specially made for the XBOX360 which runs around the $50-80 range. I mainly wanted to use the XBOX360 to stream movies from my Synology Network Attached Storage (which I haven't learned to configure yet). Currently, I can stream movies from my PC via Windows Media Center (whenever I hook it up via ethernet and bridge my PC's wifi connection).

My problem is that in order for my XBOX360 to get network access, I have to input an ethernet cord which is in the way of everything and bridge my adapter.

I was thinking of purchasing something that would be wireless that I could move around to be close in proximity to my XBOX360 so I could plug an ethernet to it. The router is in the living room and my computer and XBOX360 are upstairs in my room. I felt like a Network Adapter for the XBOX was a waste so I'm thinking Access Point or Wireless Repeater.

Do access points have to be physically connected to the router? Can I plug my XBOX360 into the wireless repeater like I would to a router? I was thinking of a repeater as it could possibly boost the signal for my PC upstairs as well.


I bought this network adapter for the XBOX360, it didn't work.
NETGEAR WNCE2001 Universal WiFi Internet Adapter
http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-WNCE2...8&qid=1362539755&sr=8-5&keywords=access+point

I bought this repeater to extend my range, it would drop connection within 2 minutes.
Anker Uspeed Wireless-N Wi-Fi Repeater Access Point Range Extender 300Mbps
http://www.amazon.com/Uspeed-Wirele...40166&sr=1-1&keywords=anker+wireless+repeater

I have a Netgear 108Mbps WGT624 v4 router and a D-LINK DIR-601 router that I was thinking of converting to APs but I was looking at the DD-WRT guides and these routers weren't supported I think.

 

[beersykins]

A DD-WRT client bridge should facilitate what you're looking for. You could wire your PC into it too so you can consolidate the wireless traffic to a more limited number of devices.

 

[Boxerz]

A DD-WRT client bridge should facilitate what you're looking for. You could wire your PC into it too so you can consolidate the wireless traffic to a more limited number of devices.

Sorry for my ignorance but is that buying a certain type of hardware? When I hear bridge, I automatically think bridging a connection such as my PC has a wifi NIC and an ethernet port.

The other reason why I don't like bridging my connection is that my PC has to be on in order for the XBOX to receive internet.

 

[BigBadAl]

WHat you need is an older WRT series router from Linksys.

With the dd-wrt firmware in place of the original firmware these routers become a LOT more useful/functional.

With the new firmware on such a device you can set the router to function as a wireless bridge.

Basically it let's you use it as an Ethernet connected wifi adapter instead of shelling out for the Microsoft one.

You set the router, now running as a bridge, with all your existing Wi-Fi details, ssid and passphrase and such and connect an Ethernet cable from one of the ddwrt routers LAN ports to your Xbox and the ddwrt router does all of the connection bits and bobs and the Xbox just thinks its connected to a wired network.

There is a much more simple way of doing this, you could use some power line networking devices, plug click, plug click, job done