Misc Which USB dongle to buy for Wi-Fi AP ?

[Distrance]

See title.

The official Nintendo dongle is discontinued for unknown reasons and I can't find it on sale anywhere. There are alternatives though, but I don't want to buy one only to find out it sucks ( ex. connection dc's often and so on ). So post your experiences about your non-official dongles and suggest me which one to buy. The shop to buy it from should ship internationally, Amazon.co.uk is a good choice for example.

 

[Son of Science]

I would just suggest buying a wireless router. None of the dongles are reliable according to reviews I've read

 

[Another World]

the dongles are more headache than they are worth, most do not function in vista/7. from what i recall they require 32 bit drivers as well. the drivers for xp were a pain to get working for more than a few dongles. the official nintendo one had many issues including connectivity problems, which is why they stopped supporting it long before they stopped producing it. you could pick up a very basic wifi router with 802.11b and WEP for under $40, if DS WIFI is allt hat you are looking for.

-another world

 

[Distrance]

The thing is, I know absolutely nothing about how Wi-Fi works or how to set it up. If I bought a router you mentioned, and WEP ( what is this ? ), how would I set it up ? Would I connect my current router to the wireless one .. ?

And what's the range on the Wi-fi ? I personally use cable instead of ethernet, so I would need to hook up the Wi-Fi at downstairs on my mum's computer/router ..

 

[Son of Science]

lol use Google. What router did you buy?

 

[lordrand11]

The thing is, I know absolutely nothing about how Wi-Fi works or how to set it up. If I bought a router you mentioned, and WEP ( what is this ? ), how would I set it up ? Would I connect my current router to the wireless one .. ?

And what's the range on the Wi-fi ? I personally use cable instead of ethernet, so I would need to hook up the Wi-Fi at downstairs on my mum's computer/router ..

First off lol. Secondly on to your question. You don't necessarily need a usb dongle (that is if you have a wifi card or a game console that connect to it or if you have a wireless router). to acces your router you will need to input the gateway address in your internet browser (IE firefox, chrome, opera etc) to find it type in ipconfig /all in command prompt window under accessories in start menu. find the one that says default gateway and write down the numbers you'll need to enter those in browser. when done with that, find in your router where it says security and see what your wep key is (wep stands for Wired Encryption Protectionand is only a way to keep outside people from accessing your wifi via password). write your wep key down and enter it in your wireless device like a ds or something. also make sure when entering it in your device that you choose wep as your security encryption. you should be able to see what the range is on the router. most standard routers have a range of up to 150 - 250 feet. usb broadcast dongles (wifi) usually clock in a range of about 75 - 100 ft.

 

[Distrance]

But I don't have a Wi-Fi router .. yet. Or a Wi-Fi card for that matter. So I was looking for suggestions as to which one to buy. I'd still need to buy it online as everything is cheaper elsewhere than in Finland.

Unless.. there's homebrew or something to turn my Wii into an access point ? Wii can accept Wireless connections but I've bought Lan Adapter for it to connect ethernet cable to it as i didn't have Wi-Fi available.. Now that would be amazing if I could somehow turn my Wii into an access point ..

 

[CannonFoddr]

@ Son of Science: He said 'IF he brought'

@ Distrance: I've only recently gone 'wireless' so I'll give you my experience of how easy/hard 'setting up' was.

- I get my internet access through VirginMedia Fibre-optic cable and NOT through a telephone line, so they supplied me with a Cable modem - which was originally connected to my PC via a standard LAN cable.

So I brought a suitable WiFi Router that was compatible with 'Cable Modems' - you may need one for 'telephone line' - the one I brought was a 'Belkin F6D4230uk4 Wireless N150 Cable Router'

I followed the quick guide that came with it which basically was

• Disconnect the cable going INTO the cable modem from my PC & plug into one of the ports on the back of the Router
• Using the supplied (yellow) cable, plug into the 'modem' socket in back of router & plug the other end into the cable modem
• Switch on the Modem & wait until it boots up
• Switch on the Router & wait until it boots up
• Switch on PC & insert supplied CD (which will boot up)
• Follow instructions on screen
  >> These instruction basically asked 'Have you connected the modem/router up', 'what Country are you in', 'What's your ISP'
  
  Note that in my case My ISP didn't exist in the list of ISP (VirginMedia) but since this company took over from 'NTLWorld' & that WAS on the list - I selected that one instead

Once answered - the software 'transferred settings to Router' - & that was it. I was set up for WiFi & my PC still had internet access

All I needed to do then was type in a IP address on my Web browser (supplied with the router) which had options down the side - one of which is 'Security'
Selecting that & you get a page where you select the type of security you want - the best one to have is 'WEP'.

Once selected you supply a 'password sentence' - which could be anything you like (e.g you could have something like 'If you want to connect supply this line') - & any devices that wish to connect to your WiFi will need to enter the EXACT same 'password sentence' to be allowed to connect to it

As for the range... well the router I have has 'up to 300m' range
I have managed to connect to my WiFi network when I've been outside the house ~80feet away with no problems & 'full signal strength' - so I can't see you having much problems if you're only upstairs

Hope this helps

 

[Distrance]

So in short, if I got one with Ethernet ( telephone line ), I'd connect my PC to the Wireless Router that would then be connected to the Wired Router with cables ?

Does it matter which router I then buy if I use telephone line ? There are expensive ones and less expensive ones, and I have no idea which one I should buy or does it even matter if I just want one for DSi.

 

[CannonFoddr]

I guess that the principle for Ethernet is the same for Cable modem, although not to sure if the wireless router might conflict with your wired router in some way... guess some1 with an Ethernet setup can help you better with that part

You MIGHT be able to 'replace' the wired router with the WiFi router instead (my router has 4 sockets in the back to connect more than one PC to it via cable). I THINK some routers have built in ethernet etc


As for your 'which one/expensive etc' questions
I only went with Belkin 'cos I heard they had good reviews & were 'easy to set up'. Some 'lesser known' makes may be a lot harder to set up (& when I mean harder - you may need to enter all the required settings by hand)

All I can suggest is

> IF you're only planning to connect JUST your DSi to the Wifi for the occasional online game playing then you won't need an 'all-singing all-dancing high-speed long-range with fancy flashy graphical display' routers so go for a cheaper unit

> IF however you plan to create a WiFi network, perhaps 'streaming' media or getting more than one PC connected up for web browsing etc - then I would suggest going for a unit that has a fast speed [N1 (fastest) > N > G+ > G (slowest)]

> I would also suggest go for the more popular named makes - like Belkin (& I'm sure someone will suggest other manufacturer's)

> Try to find/read reviews about any particular router you may be considering buying - this way you'll see if it's prone to certain faults (IIRC there was one particular make was prone to overheating).

> Check the manufacturer support/forums - that might help you see if people are having problems or not. & see if you can download the manual for the Router you are thinking about - It may have instruction in it showing the setup procedure - read those & see if it's 'too complicated' for you or not

> Ask/Post the question - I'm sure most of GBATempers will be willing to help out wherever possible

 

[Masked Ranger]

Distrance, you're getting too far ahead of yourself and trying to do too many things at once.

The easiest way is for you to replace your coaxial cable modem with a coaxial cable modem with wireless capabilities. You will still be able to keep all your connections to your wired PC and make both your DS and Wii wireless. Check with your internet provider if there are certain manufacturers or brands that you should go with. Some ISP's will support certain routers and will help you for free installing them into your home network.

If you want to go wall->wired router->wireless router-> your PC, then you would need to set the wireless router to bridge mode.

As already mentioned, WEP is the type of wireless security that DS (not DSi) games use. It is the most minimal set of security.

Wifi range is going to be acceptable for most people. Unless you live in a very large house with lots of area, you will be fine. Most single story homes will be completely covered. If you have your wireless router in the basement and you want to get a connection on the third floor, I would be a little worried.

Someone mentioned wireless "speeds". B mode is the only mode the DS does. DSi does b and g modes (sometimes called mixed mode). Everything is backwards compatible. The only concern that leaps out at me is if you play a lot of internet / nintendo wfc games on your wii. I do not play internet games so I can't say what impact going wireless for the Wii is going to be. Generally speaking, what you gain in mobility, you lose in speed. Since you already have an ethernet cable running to your Wii, I would keep it wired. If it isn't broken, why try to change it.

You may want to check out local swap meets or used computer stores or whatever the Finnish version of craigslist is so you can save money.

Just my opinion on your situation.

 

[Distrance]

For the Wii thing, I actually wondered if there was a homebrew or such sort of utility/program to utilize the Wi-Fi ability of Wii and turn my Wii into an access point. As mentioned, it's connected with ethernet cable right now, so I was just wondering if I could skip out completely on buying anything new and somehow have my Wii act as a wireless router when the cable is connected to it. But well, I guess it isn't possible.

As for buying a cable modem with wireless capabilities .. Yeah i don't think that's going to happen. My current cable modem costs around 100€ but was provided free by my ISP, I don't even want to think about what would same kind of modem with wi-fi cost. The reason this router/modem is so expensive I think is because cheaper ones can't run at the speed that my connection is. I have 200/10M plan and I dont want to sacrifice speed by getting less powerful router with wi-fi.

 

[Sao Mortel]

i dont know what you where going to spend for nintendo dongle but its not more expensive in finland...
http://www.mbnet.fi/hintaseuranta/tuote.aspx/26331?sorttaa=3

As for speed wifi is WAY faster than the internet...

 

[AaronUzumaki]

A modem and a router are entirely different. Modems get you internet speeds of up to 50 MB/s, which most routers can handle, since most go 54.5 MB/s or faster. Here's a great router that is cheap and effective. I have one and it works great. http://cgi.ebay.com/LINKSYS-WRT160N-ULTRA-...=item4cf30c3461

Also, because it is probably not a super line, your internet speed is probably more like 10 or 20 MB/s max.

 

[Arm73]

@ Son of Science: He said 'IF he brought'

@ Distrance: I've only recently gone 'wireless' so I'll give you my experience of how easy/hard 'setting up' was.

- I get my internet access through VirginMedia Fibre-optic cable and NOT through a telephone line, so they supplied me with a Cable modem - which was originally connected to my PC via a standard LAN cable.

So I brought a suitable WiFi Router that was compatible with 'Cable Modems' - you may need one for 'telephone line' - the one I brought was a 'Belkin F6D4230uk4 Wireless N150 Cable Router'

I followed the quick guide that came with it which basically was

• Disconnect the cable going INTO the cable modem from my PC & plug into one of the ports on the back of the Router
• Using the supplied (yellow) cable, plug into the 'modem' socket in back of router & plug the other end into the cable modem
• Switch on the Modem & wait until it boots up
• Switch on the Router & wait until it boots up
• Switch on PC & insert supplied CD (which will boot up)
• Follow instructions on screen
  >> These instruction basically asked 'Have you connected the modem/router up', 'what Country are you in', 'What's your ISP'
  
  Note that in my case My ISP didn't exist in the list of ISP (VirginMedia) but since this company took over from 'NTLWorld' & that WAS on the list - I selected that one instead

Once answered - the software 'transferred settings to Router' - & that was it. I was set up for WiFi & my PC still had internet access

All I needed to do then was type in a IP address on my Web browser (supplied with the router) which had options down the side - one of which is 'Security'
Selecting that & you get a page where you select the type of security you want - the best one to have is 'WEP'.

Once selected you supply a 'password sentence' - which could be anything you like (e.g you could have something like 'If you want to connect supply this line') - & any devices that wish to connect to your WiFi will need to enter the EXACT same 'password sentence' to be allowed to connect to it

As for the range... well the router I have has 'up to 300m' range
I have managed to connect to my WiFi network when I've been outside the house ~80feet away with no problems & 'full signal strength' - so I can't see you having much problems if you're only upstairs

Hope this helps

I accidentally came across this tread and I found some useful information here.
I have a Nintendo Wi-Fi USB dongle, but as stated by others already it's a little bit of a pain to get it working.
It was messy to install it on XP, but at the end (after trying 4 or 5 different version of the drivers ) it worked.
Then I switched to Vista, and same story, at the end it worked.
But it wouldn''t just work, in fact unless I restarted Vista with the dongle plugged in, my DS wouldn't connect.
Then one day it stopped to work under Vista altogether ! I tried everything ( minus reinstalling Vista ) but no-way.
Thankfully I have a dual boot system (XP/Vista ) and when I need the Wi-Fi, I just boot into XP, but as you can imagine, it's fairly inconvenient .

So I'm looking myself for a wireless router now, and I'd like to thank you (CannonFoddr) for the detailed, child-proof instructions, I copied them and sticked them to my desktop, for future reference !
But I had one more question if you don't mind:
After the initial setup, and once you get the connection going ( with password setup and so on ) , will my new wireless router work even when the PC is OFF, or do I need to keep it on just like when I use the USB dongle ?
If the wireless router would work even when I power the PC down, that would be a major advantage over the USB Wi-Fi dongle.
Thanks for your help !

 

[Distrance]

A modem and a router are entirely different. Modems get you internet speeds of up to 50 MB/s, which most routers can handle, since most go 54.5 MB/s or faster. Here's a great router that is cheap and effective. I have one and it works great. http://cgi.ebay.com/LINKSYS-WRT160N-ULTRA-...=item4cf30c3461

Also, because it is probably not a super line, your internet speed is probably more like 10 or 20 MB/s max.

Well.. I always get confused by the speeds like MB or M and so on but my connection is 200/10M cable and it means that I can download 20.000kB/s at maximum and upload 1000kB/s at maximum ( this is how µTorrent displays it ). I had some older router before this and it was so slow that it couldn't utilize all this speed and I couldn't even use a fraction of my connection. This is why I would prefer to have wlan station just for the wlan and keep my current router separate. My ISP does sell this same router but with wi-fi and it costs .. well, ALOT.

I guess I'll ask around finnish forums so maybe people can link me to exactly what I need with a reasonable price tag.

 

[Masked Ranger]

Arm73: You would need to keep your router and your modem on.

 

[trumpet-205]

If you know absolutely nothing about Wi-Fi setup, go look for those routers that support AOSS. It allows automatic configuration on Wi-Fi settings. Both DS and Wii support AOSS.

 

[Arm73]

Arm73: You would need to keep your router and your modem on.

Thanks, that helps.
But what about the computer ? Will the connection work even if the computer is OFF ?
That's the crucial point for me

 

[Sao Mortel]

YES, yes and yes. The connection does not need a computer at all. That is why its a win win win situation to have a wireless router.
MODEM + WIFI ROUTER = WIFI INTERNET on your wii AND nds AND ipod touch AND laptop