Microsoft Wireless-G Xbox Adapter
by Microsoft
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List Price: Our Price: $56.48 You Save: $82.52 (59%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Video Games See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Microsoft Wireless-G Xbox Adapter
Customer Review: Works great including Netgear Router
Summary: 5 Stars
Some of the reviews state that this doesn't work with Netgear Routers. I have a Netgear WGR614v5 and it works with it no problems. Two floors away.
I originally got the Linksys Game Adapter (WGA54G) to work with my son's XBox. However, two days and three hours on the phone with Linksys support failed to get it working. I have a lot of networking experience and knew what I was doing. It was clear that off-shore tech support was just reading a script. So I decided to take it back and get the Xbox Adapter instead.
Setup was a breeze. Just pop in the CD-Rom and it detected my network. Originally, it saw but couldn't connect to my network. I have both WEP turned on and MAC Address filtering (one of the main reasons I went with the Netgear router). I had to initially turn off the MAC filtering and then it connected fine.
Upon examining the attached devices, I noticed that the MAC address of the adpater showed up as the MAC address of the hardwire port on the XBox. Ahh, that was the clue I needed. The adapter clones the MAC address of the XBox. However, you can not just allow that MAC address. The key is you have to allow both the MAC address of the Adapter and the XBox. Then everything works fine even with MAC filtering turned on.
In short, first hook up you XBox directly to the router and check the MAC address (or turn off MAC filtering to start if you need to connect with the wireless first). Then enter both the MAC Address of the Adpater (on the bottom of the adapter) and the MAC addess of the XBox. If you allow both addresses then you can turn on filtering on and it should work.
In all, if all you want is a XBox game adpater, this is the one to go with.
Customer Review: It works better after a firmware upgrade
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased the MN-740 because I needed a wireless solution for my Xbox. Installation was easy, ran the CD in the Xbox and the Xbox did all the configurations on it's own.
The only thing that was weird was that it would frequently drop connection or not detect the Live Service. After searching around the Xbox.com website I found that there was a 2 stage bios and firmware upgrade for the MN-740. You had to download the package and the best way I could make this work was to disconnect my computer from the router and plug the 740 directly into my computer's NIC port. The firmware installer finally detected the 740 and upgraded the internal software.
After reinstalling the MN-740 to the Xbox, it has worked perfectly and seamlessly. I am impressed that now it never drops signal, the signal strength is always high and there is no lag. I can even host large 16 player games with my cable internet without problems.
Needless to say, once I got over the firmware installation fiasco it has been a joy to have. I'm also using the Microsoft MN-500 router to connect it with and there was never a problem with the router. On the router's control screen it even shows a picture of an Xbox when it's receiving information from the MN-740. The MN-740 supports all the security standards including the hiding of the network channel and 128bit encryption. I did discover a small problem with using MAC filtering but after some research on the internet I discovered that you need both the 740's and Xbox's MAC address for a proper MAC filter.
I like this product.
Customer Review: Works great with Xbox 360 after initial setup with Xbox
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this to use with my Xbox 360 because it's significantly cheaper than the Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter. Before I bought this, I was using an Ethernet cable that went from my wireless laptop to my Xbox 360. That worked to get the Xbox 360 online, but the problem with that setup was that I couldn't get my desktop PC to recognize the 360 on the network, so I couldn't stream any of my music from my desktop to the 360. With this Xbox Adapter, however, I can now fully stream all of my desktop media to my 360.
The only problem I had was during the initial setup of the adapter. The installation disc is only usable with the original Xbox, not the 360, so I had to borrow a friend's old Xbox in order to set up the network connection (select the correct network, enter the WEP key, etc). That was a bit of a pain simply because it didn't work for me out of the box, but I don't blame the product for that; it was, after all, designed for the original Xbox and, in that sense, it works perfectly. (Sure, Microsoft could create a patch to get the installation disc to work on the 360, but why would they do that when people still buy the 360 Wireless Adapter for $99?)
All in all, once I got past the set up, this Xbox Adapter has worked like a charm with my Xbox 360. I definitely recommend this over the Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter if for no other reason than price, but only if you have access to an original Xbox to set it up with.
Customer Review: Wireless gameplay made easy
Summary: 5 Stars
If you want wireless online gameplay on your XBox, and have an existing wireless 802.11-G or -B network, this little baby is the perfect ticket. As an avid gamer and a games retailer, I've seen my fair share of wireless networking problems, with few solutions offered that made sense. There are other wireless game adapters out there, but none of them perform as well as this one. Not only does it solve problems, it doesn't CREATE any! (A show of hands: How many of you have found the cure to be as bad as the problem when it comes to wireless networking?) This thing is simplicity itself when it comes to setup and orientation. Your XBox will take care of most of the setup process on its own. The Adapter has an auto-sensing feature that detects your existing network and then configures and aligns itself. Just follow the instructions and let your system take care of the rest. How good is the signal strength? At home, it maintains a perfect signal, with no stalling or lagging, of 54 mbps across three rooms separated by two floors. At work, we moved one fifty feet away, with some large wired hubs and three solid walls in between. Still no lag or disruption. The adapter features both internal and external antennae that allow for extensive range and maximum signal strength. There's even an upgrade option that will allow for increased security. This adapter takes the worry and aggravation out of setting up wireless gameplay, leaving you more time for games...which is always good. Highly recommended.
Customer Review: Microsoft Nails the Hardware
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this shortly after buying my Xbox in 2004. However, before I bought this, I bought the Linksys WGA54G Wireless-G Gaming Adapter since I already had a Linksys Wireless-G Router. It ended up being DOA, as well as the second one I got. I stopped at two strikes and Linksys was out.
Microsoft stepped up with its Wireless Adapter that is smaller than the Linksys and works with the Xbox right out of the box. When trying to resolve the issues with the Linksys gaming adapter I already found out about the incompatibility with UPnP and had it turned off on the router. I simply plugged this in to the Xbox, searched for and connected to my wireless network and I was on Xbox Live.
I bought an Xbox 360 when it launched and right at launch they made it so this adapter work work seamlessly with it. In fact all I had to do was disconnect the ethernet cable from the original Xbox and plug it into the Xbox 360 and it was already connected to the network. All I had to do then was recover my Gamertag which is easy if you remember your hotmail address and password that's connected to your Xbox Live account.
My only gripe remotely related to this is that it would take forever to enter a WEP key using the Xbox controller, but you could connect this to a computer and set it up using a browser as well.