Support

Search for:
Category:
Sort:
Article Number
29
Last Updated
06-24-2010 02:53 pm
Access Group(s)
Everyone
Question
Guide for connecting an Xbox to a HomePortal-based network
Answer

Connecting an Xbox(360) to a 2Wire Home Network

Guide for connecting an Xbox to a HomePortal-based network

 It is assumed that your HomePortal is installed and functioning properly.
The Xbox is a third-party hardware device. We can only perform basic troubleshooting to determine network connectivity. Contact Microsoft directly for additional technical support for the unit.

2Wire Tech Support can only verify the basic configuration and connectivity of the Microsoft Xbox when it is connected to the HomePortal via direct Ethernet or the 2Wire Wireless Ethernet client.

We are unable to provide any support for other hardware or any software that you are using. We are happy to help you to verify that your Xbox is connected to the HomePortal’s network. For any questions about the hardware, gameplay or online services, contact Microsoft directly at 1-800-4MY-XBOX (6:00am - 10:00pm PST).

Original Xbox Configuration

Make a physical connection between HomePortal and Xbox: The Xbox has a single Ethernet connection on the back of the unit that you can connect directly to the HomePortal, or connect through an Ethernet hub (or switch) or the 2Wire Wireless Ethernet client.
Verify the Xbox configuration: Turn on the unit without a game CD in the drive; this brings up the main Xbox menu or “Xbox Dashboard”.    
Using the joystick’s control pad, go to“Settings” then click the “A” button on the joystick.
From the “Settings” menu, go to“Network Settings” and click the “A” button on the joystick.
The “Network Settings” window has various options to connect the Xbox to a network or directly to an ISP using PPPoE. Click the “A” button to select “IP Address”.
The Xbox defaults to DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol). If there is a good network connection to your HomePortal, you should see the IP address fields populated. If the Xbox was previously configured for a static IP address, click the “A” button on “Configuration” and select “Automatic”. Click the “A” button to accept the changes or the “B” button on the joystick to go back up one level in the menu.
The “DNS Servers” (Domain Name Service) is set to “Automatic” by default; you may need to reset it to a previous static setting. Simply click the “A” button and change the setting to “Automatic”, then click the “A” button to save the changes.
PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet) is turned off by default; if the Xbox was connected directly to a DSL modem before the HomePortal was installed, you need to change it back to “Off”. Simply click the “A” button on the “Configuration” menu and change to “Off”, then click the “A” button to save the setting.
The “Advanced” tab has the configuration menu for the Xbox-branded wireless adapter, where you change the DHCP Host Name and spoof the MAC (Media Access Control) address if necessary.
Verify the settings; click the “Connect” option and click the “A” button to test the network connection.
The system now checks the physical connection, verifies the IP and DNS addresses then tests the connection to the Xbox Live service. If everything is ok, the test shows “Connected to Xbox Live”.
Click “Help” to view the connection detailed status or the “B” button to go back to the previous page.

Ethernet Connection

  1. Before connecting any cables, check and make sure that there is no disc in the disc tray of your console.
  2. Turn off the console and disconnect the power to the HomePortal.
  3. Connect one end of the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the back of your console.
  4. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to an Ethernet port on the back of HomePortal.
  5. Turn on your console.
  6. Wait 30 seconds and turn on your HomePortal.
  7. Turn on your Xbox 360 console.
  8. In the System Area, select “Network Settings.”
  9. Select “Test Xbox Live Connection.” If you are prompted to sign out, select “Yes.”
    • You are asked to set the locale if you have not set it on the console. Your locale is the country or region from where you are connecting to Xbox Live.

If the Xbox Live test reports Connected, congratulations! You are now successfully connected your Xbox 360 console to Xbox Live. If you would like to review your settings, select “Edit Settings” to review your settings or Xbox dashboard (Y button) to begin gaming.

Wireless Connection

  1. Write down your wireless network name (SSID -example 2WIRExxx) and the security key (WEP key)
    • If you are using an Xbox 360 wireless networking adapter (sold separately from your system), connect the USB connector to the USB port on the back of the console. Do not use the front USB ports.
  2. Turn on your console and wireless device.
    • If you have a wireless-to-Ethernet bridge, turn on the device.
    • If you have an Xbox 360 wireless networking adapter, the device turns on automatically with the console.
  3. Turn on your Xbox 360 console.
    • If this is the first time you are turning on your console, complete the initial setup and create a profile before continuing.
  4. In the System area of the Xbox dashboard, select “Network Settings.”
  5. Select “Edit Settings.”
  6. From the Basic Settings tab, select “Wireless Mode.”
    • You are asked to set your locale if you have not set it on the console. Your locale is the country or region from where you are connecting to Xbox Live.
  7. Is your wireless network name (SSID – 2WIRExxx) displayed on the screen?
    • If it is displayed, select it.
    • If it is not displayed because you are connecting to a wireless network where the network name is not being broadcast, choose “Specify Unlisted Network”. Select the security type for the network, and enter the wireless security settings for the network.
  8. Enter the WEP Key.
    • If encryption is disabled on your HomePortal, you will not have the option to enter wireless security settings.
  9. When prompted, select Test Xbox Live.

If the Xbox Live test reports Connected, congratulations! You are now successfully connected your Xbox 360 console to Xbox Live. Select “Edit Settings” to review your settings or Xbox dashboard (Y button) to begin gaming.

Verifying Xbox is connected to the HomePortal

To verify if the unit is being seen inside the HomePortal, simply open Internet Explorer and surf to the UI page of the HomePortal at http://192.168.1.254 (http://172.16.0.1) on older models) or http://home. Inside the page, click to the “Local Network” link at the top of the page.
You should see the Xbox showing up by its IP (Internet Protocol) address unless the DHCP Host Name has been changed in the Xbox. Click the “View device details” link to get more information.
View the details: this Xbox is connected using a 2Wire Wireless Ethernet client, therefore, it is showing up as a Wireless device. You can also verify by the MAC address, as all Xboxes start with “00:50:F2”.
You can also verify connectivity by pinging the Xbox from the HomePortal. Browse to the HomePortal’s Management page at http://192.168.1.254/management (http://172.16.0.1/management on older HomePortal). On this page, click the “Network Tests” link under “Troubleshooting”. Type the Xbox IP address in the “Host:” field, change “Test:” to 5, and click “Start”. The ping tests the connection to the Xbox five times and returns five successful replies from the IP address.
You can also verify connectivity by pinging the Xbox from a PC on the network. Start by bringing up a command prompt. This can usually be done in Windows by clicking “Start” then “Run” and typing “command” (for Windows 98/ME) or “cmd” (for Windows 2000/XP).
At the command prompt, type“ping” and the Xbox IP address, for example, “ping 192.168.1.254”. If the Xbox is online and running, you should see replies.

Xbox Live additional troubleshooting steps

Your HomePortal does not require any additional special configuration settings to support Microsoft Xbox Live service.    HomePortal software version 3.3 is not required for the Xbox to connect to the Xbox Live service.  The Xbox Live service is compatible with all HomePortal current and previously shipped software.  Simply connect your Xbox to the HomePortal network and log on to the Xbox Live service.
If you are experiencing problems connecting to the XBox Live service, follow the troubleshooting procedures provided in your XBox Live documentation or XBox Live CD sleeve.
If you continue to have trouble, here are some additional troubleshooting tips:

Reconnect your original Xbox to the HomePortal

  1. Turn off the Xbox and disconnect your HomePortal from the electrical outlet.
  2. Connect one end of an Ethernet cable to the Local Ethernet port on your HomePortal.
  3. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the back of the Xbox console.
  4. Plug your HomePortal back into the electrical outlet and wait for all lights to turn solid green before proceeding.
  5. Turn on your Xbox console (without a disc in the tray).
  6. From the Xbox Dashboard, choose “Settings.”
  7. Select “Network Settings,” then connect.  The connection test should pass.

Reconnect your Xbox 360 to HomePortal

  1. Turn off the Xbox 360 and disconnect your HomePortal from the electrical outlet.
  2. Connect one end of an Ethernet cable to the Local Ethernet port on your HomePortal.
  3. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the back of the Xbox 360 console.
  4. Plug your HomePortal back into the electrical outlet and wait for all lights to turn solid green before proceeding.
  5. Turn on your Xbox console (without a disc in the tray).
  6. From the Xbox Dashboard, choose the “System” tab.
  7. Select “Network Settings,” then “Test Xbox Live connection”.  The connection test should pass.

Create custom HomePortal firewall settings

Although a custom firewall setting should not be required, manually configuring your HomePortal firewall ensures that it is not preventing your connection to the Xbox Live service.
HomePortal software version 3.x: (scroll to next section for software version 2.x)

  1. From your computer, open a browser and type http://homeportal into the address line to access your HomePortal configuration pages.   Alternately, you can type http://gateway.2wire.net
  2. Under the list of Connected Devices you should see a device labeled "unknown device".  This is the Xbox unit.
  3. Click the "View your home network" link in the same box.
  4. Click "Edit firewall settings" next to the unknown device.
  5. In the lower left corner of this screen, click "Add a new user-defined application."
  6. Enter "Xbox Live" for the Application Name.
  7. Select Protocol "TCP".
  8. In the port "From:" and "To:" boxes enter 53. Do not change other settings.
  9. Click Add.
  10. Repeat steps 7-9 for the following ports and protocols.
    11. Name port protocol
    Xbox 1 53 UDP
    Xbox 2 88 TCP
    Xbox 3 88 UDP
    Xbox 4 3704 TCP
    Xbox 5 3704 UDP
  11. Click "Done" in the lower right corner.
  12. Under "Select a Host Computer" select the "unknown device".
  13. Under "Select the Application(s)" click "User-defined."
  14. Select "Xbox Live" in the box on the left and click "Add.
  15. Click "Done" in the lower right corner.

HomePortal software version 2.x

  1. From your computer, open a browser and type http://homeportal into the address line to access your HomePortal configuration pages. 
  2. Click the "HomePortal Upgrades" button. If you have an upgrade available, download the upgrade.  If you do not have an upgrade available, continue to step 3.
  3. Under the list of Connected Devices you should see a device labeled "unknown device".  This is the Xbox unit.
  4. Click the "Advanced" link in the same box.
  5. In the lower, left corner of this screen click the "Add an application" link.
  6. Enter Xbox 1for the application Name.
  7. Select Protocol "TCP."
  8. Leave the Protocol setting as "Other."
  9. In the port "From:" and "To:" boxes enter 53. Do not change other settings.
  10. Click “Done” on the "Add Application" page.
  11. Repeat steps 5-10 for the following ports and protocols.  You need to create a new name for each entry.
    12. Name port protocol
    Xbox 1 53 UDP
    Xbox 2 88 TCP
    Xbox 3 88 UDP
    Xbox 4 3704 TCP
    Xbox 5 3704 UDP
  12. Click Done on the "Hosted Application" page when you are finished creating the list above