Official Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter

good points about the adaptor:)

1) it allows you to put you xbox were u want it (for my instance my bedroom on the 3rd floor) and not have to connect it closer to the router via wires.

2) its versitility allows it to work with almost any network :D

3) looks as cool as can be and fits snug on the back of the console, and does not heat up with exsisive use

4) it might just be me but downloading seems to be faster with this device than via wires

bad points about the adaptor:(

1) it was not as simple to set up as it claims u must go to edit setting and look manualy for your home network.

2) its not exactly powerful, with my psp i can get 90% signal in my room with this i only get 50% :( and this can cause lags in game especialy on halo 3 which is graphicly demanding, but works 10000000% on ghost recon were i have had not lag or connection problems

3) you must kick everyone else of your home network to get its ful potential as a small bit of interfirance such as a pc downloading a song will cause lag :(

First things first - it's a Microsoft product, so expect it to be well made and to do its job exactly as it was designed to do. You can argue that MS software is good and bad on any number of levels, but you cannot argue that their hardware is tat! Simply put, all of the MS original xBox 360 hardware is superb, well made, durable and priced competitively.

This is the case in point for the WIFI unit, its small, does it's job well and is silent in doing so. The small cable is an flat USB connector that slots into the back of the xBox and the unit simply "clicks" into place in pre-designated clips at the rear of the unit. There is one light on the unit that turns from RED (no signal) to GREEN (with signal), all very simple and will take no more then 30 seconds to clip into place.

Once in place, all you have to do is turn the xBox on, and configure the "dashboard" to connect to your internet router. The whole process, should take less than 10 minutes, as long as you have your WEP key, you'll be good to go in no time at all.

From a technical stand point, it's rumoured that you will get a faster connection/gameplay using a WIFI connecter, than you will using an RJ45 patch lead. I'm a little unsure as to the validity of this information, as most RJ45's can support GIGABYTE LAN's, which is greater then WIFI capabilities. To be honest, I have both and the only difference that I can see while online gaming is that a patch cable will continue to stream data, were the WIFI router will stream as and when required. This may well be an unfortunate characteristic of my router, but a characteristic all the same.

In short, I would have no hesitation in buying another unit, if mine was to suddenly explode. It's a very good piece of equipment and a useful one if you enjoy playing games online and don't want a grey cable trailing from one side of the house to the other.

This is a fantastic product that works exactly as it should, and depending on your circumstances (i.e. whether you need your 360 to be wireless) this will serve you well. It gets four stars rather than five because it is too expensive. That's not to say it's not worth a purchase, but there are cheaper alternatives out there. But as for the rest of this, I'm going to address some general concerns that have cropped up in these reviews. Hopefully they will be some help to people.

1) HOW TO INSTALL IT: The wireless adapter itself literally clicks on to the back of the console. There is a space for it already there. The cable is a straightforward USB connection that also just slots in to the back of the 360 when the router is in place. It's incredibly straightforward and will take a matter of seconds. As for installation, the adapter doesn't need installing as such. Your 360 will automatically detect it and detect wireless networks. All you need to do is to go to Edit Network settings on the Dashboard, scroll to the third segment of the screen (the bottom segment), and choose your wireless network from the list (if there's more than one on there). Then insert your WEP/WPA key (if you only have WEP I'd recommend changing it to WPA, it's more secure, but that's beside the point). It'll then ask you to test your connection, which you should do, and everything should come back completed. A green light will then pop up on the back of the adapter and you're good to go. The whole process should only take five to ten minutes.

2) I'VE DONE ALL THAT, BUT I STILL CAN'T CONNECT TO XBOX LIVE: Like with any product, there are faulty adapters out there. However, chances are the issue is not with the adapter. Double check that your WEP/WPA key has been entered correctly, and ensure that you have at least a half decent signal. Though problems with this product are rare, there are many possible issues that could arise in any given situation. No room to address them all here, so I'd suggest Googling them. Nearly all have solutions.

3) CHEAPER ALTERNATIVES: There are cheaper alternatives to this if you want to play online wirelessly with your 360. Apparently you can use the original Xbox adapter in the same way, which you should be able to find much cheaper. I haven't confirmed that myself though (and the original adapter will not look as good as the sleek 360 one). You can bridge the connection through another computer or laptop as well. I'm not going to go into detail about doing that here because I don't have the room, but it's nice to be aware of the alternatives.

4) BT HOMEHUB COMPATIBILITY: This product works fine with BT Home Hubs. I'm using it with one at the moment, and indeed have been doing for a while. I've used it with a variety of routers (Netgear and Belkin included) and never experiences problems.

5) WIRED VS WIRELESS: If you can connect your 360 with a wire without inconveniencing yourself, then wired is always better than wireless. Only go for a wireless connection if a wired connection is not possible or practical.

6) DO I NEED A WIRELESS ROUTER? Yes, you do. The wireless adapter is just like one you would plug into a lap top (or like the ones that most laptops have built in nowadays). You still need an internet connection in your house, with a wireless router connected to the phone line to use it.

7) IF MY 360 OVERHEATS, WILL THE ADAPTER MELT? No, it won't. Obviously there are faulty adapters out there, but most of the time issues with the 360 overheating are just issues with the 360, and are not caused by the adapter.

Right, there we go. I think that addresses most of the concerns that I've read about in the reviews. Happy (wireless) gaming everyone.

This piece of kit is absolutely fantastic. Simply plug it into one of your your xbox360's USB ports and go into the wireless settings on the console dashboard. From there, choose your wireless internet router and connect straight to it.. your xbox then remembers the network and will connect wirelessly everytime you turn your console on.

Range is very good.. have had no lag or any problems with connection so it works perfectly.

Only downfall is the price.. but you are getting the only item that can connect you wirelessly, and it is official.

No doubt most people will end up buying one of these, and to be honest it really should have come as standard. It fits nicely onto the back of the Xbox, there are two slots for it to clip into and it uses up the rear USB connector that you probably won't need for anything else. Setting it up is easy enough, although I've found it quite slow - when communicating with my laptop it barely has enough bandwidth to stream music, which seems strange. However, it seems fine when connecting directly to a router and is fast enough for Xbox live.