If you have a home wireless network, you can connect an Xbox 360 to it, and enjoy the media stored on your PC running Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 in other rooms of your home.
It’s not hard to get the most out of your Windows Media Center and Xbox 360 experience, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
First off, the best performance is going to come from a wired connection to your Media Center-based PC. Having said that, if wireless is your choice for networking, then an 802.11a wireless network is the way to go. It will provide the fastest performance with the least amount of interference.
Haven’t heard of 802.11a? Don’t worry—this is a fairly new wireless standard for consumers. Here’s some information on 802.11a and other wireless networks that will help you better understand your options.
The two most common types of home wireless networks are:
- Wireless 802.11b networks
- Wireless 802.11g networks
Think of these two options as pipes that feed information between all of the components on the network. The bigger the pipe, the greater the amount of information that can flow through it (this is called throughput) and the better, faster, and smoother the performance of the network will be. The wireless 802.11g pipe is bigger than the wireless 802.11b pipe, which means that 802.11g wireless networks will likely provide a much more satisfying experience. Keep in mind that wireless router companies will generally give maximum throughputs (referred to as megabits per second or Mbps) for their products, but those numbers may not be achieved in all homes. The key to optimizing throughput is making sure you have the biggest pipe feeding your data throughout the network. This is particularly important when using your Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender to ensure that the Windows Media Center menus work smoothly and that video streams playback flawlessly.Besides throughput, the other factor to consider is interference. Both the 802.11g and 802.11b wireless networks operate on a 2.4GHz frequency, making them equal targets for interference from other electronic equipment, which will degrade the performance of the network. There are many appliances in your home and in the homes of neighbors located close to you that operate on the same 2.4GHz frequency and may affect your wireless performance, such as cordless telephones, microwaves, and baby monitors.  If you are going to connect an Xbox 360 to your wireless network, there are some things that you can do to maximize your network performance.| Note: Regardless of what wireless solution you choose, it is recommended that your Media Center-based PC is connected directly to your router through an Ethernet cable, not a wireless connection. A wireless connection to your router (double-hopping) will degrade the Windows Media Center on your Xbox 360. |
The wireless 802.11a network provides the same throughput rate as 802.11g but does so at a different operating frequency. 802.11a operates on a frequency of 5.15 to 5.35GHz (versus the 2.4GHz frequency) which means there will be less interference from other appliances in and around your home. The lower the rate of interference on the frequency, the better the performance will be. Your Xbox 360 can use 802.11a to access the large media files on your Media Center PC, such as recorded and live TV, photos, music, and movies over the network. The optimal wireless solution is to install a router that can handle all of your needs. Linksys makes a wireless 802.11a+g router. This router can handle 802.11a, g, and b traffic all at the same time. Configured properly it will use the 802.11a pipe to keep your Windows Media Center experience humming along while still providing fast and dependable service to the 802.11g and 802.11b components connected to your network, such as laptops, other computers, and printers.  To complete the process, you’ll need to use an 802.11a wireless adapter for the Xbox 360 in order to take advantage of the 802.11a pipe (you also will need to configure the router properly, so that it’s taking advantage of the “a” pipe, too). Other wireless adapters will also work with the Xbox 360 but only at their designated throughput level. When using your Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender, the bigger the pipe the better the performance. With a big pipe, you’ll scroll through the Windows Media Center menus smoothly, video will play back better, and you’ll flip through digital photos more easily.To create the optimal home wireless network that includes your Media Center-based PC and Xbox 360, upgrade your router to a dual band 802.11a+g, such as the Linksys dual band 802.11a+g, and use an 802.11a wireless adapter on your Xbox 360.You can find wireless networking products that have been designed to work with Windows Media Center at Media Center on Windows Marketplace. |
