Authored by Kumara Velu in Game Console
Published on 03-10-2009
Do you know that you can connect your Xbox 360 to your computer? By doing so, you could play your favorite movies in your computer through the Xbox to your television set. Isn’t that cool? You could also connect to Xbox LIVE and download cool applications for your Xbox.
This article will concentrate on the various ways you could connect your Xbox to your computer.
Hub/Switch Method
You would need a RJ45 network cable. Have it plugged into your DSL modem. The other end of the cable should go to your Hub’s uplink port.
The next step would be to connect a RJ-45 cable to one of the hub ports. Connect the other end to your computer’s NIC (Network Interface Card).
Finally, you’ll need another RJ-45 cable. Connect it from a free port in your hub to your Xbox port.
You could use the same setup if you prefer to use a switch. With the above connections, you are placing your Xbox on the same network as your PC.
Router Connection
Firstly, you would need to plug a RJ-45 network cable from your modem to your router’s WAN port.
From the router’s free port, you would need to connect a RJ-45 cable to your computer’s Network Interface Card (NIC).
You would also need another RJ-45 cable, which you would need to connect from your router port to the Xbox.
Additional Measures
When you connect your RJ-45 cable to your Network Interface Card in your computer, you must not connect to the router port next to an uplink port which is connected to another router. The same applies when you connect your RJ-45 cable from your router to the Xbox.
Port Forwarding
What if your router comes with a firewall built in? You would have to forward both the incoming and outgoing 8602 ports to the IP address (internal) of your computer. You can find port forwarding instructions in your router manual.
Crossover Cable Connection
You can use a crossover cable to connect two network devices. Such a cable is usually used to network two devices temporarily when you don’t have access to a network hub, switch or router.
You can use the crossover cable method if you already have a modem. If your modem is unplugged, connect the modem’s USB cable to your computer’s USB port.
The next step would be to connect a RJ-45 crossover cable to your Network Interface Card in your computer and run it to your Xbox.
You would need to use a crossover cable only if you’re connecting to a separate Network Interface Card directly from your Xbox.
If you have a hub, switch or router as a go-between device, then you should stick to a standard RJ-45 cable.
