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XBox LAN
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Posted by: SpikedJuice
Hello.
I am stuck. And confused. After much research on the internet, all I could find was a titbit of information here and a little there, so now I need some advice to straighten things out.
I'm looking to link up 3, maybe 4 XBox's (or XBoxes) together for multiplayer Halo over a LAN.
So far, I know that I require an ethernet hub and ethernet cables. But lets break it down:-
Ethernet Hub: Exactly which one do I need? A Switch or an actual Hub? What's the difference? I've even seen websites selling Switch/Hub in the same box. And what about the speed: should I get a 10Mbps or one that can handle 10Mbps/100Mbps?
Ethernet Cables: I've been told I can't use a crossover cable or the official 'rip-me-off-do' Microsoft Link Cable and that I should use a CAT5e, but I have also seen CAT6 cables - any difference?
Many thanks in advance for your help and any pointers as to where the best place to buy all this networking gear would be much appreciated.
Posted by: Tecil
Well to make a long story short you need something like this
http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/231023.asp
I've been to a couple Xbox Lan parties where they used those and they worked great, plus they are not too expensive.
The other option is to buy a switch or hub (I recommend a switch) and then five straight through CAT5 cables.
Posted by: Blackknight
Boy that whole set up must be a lot of hardware. If you had 16 players that'd be:
4 xbox's
4 copies of halo
4 TV's
16 controllers
4 LAN cables
Hub
Wow.
Posted by: Maverick
Just out of curioisty, what is the difference between a switch, hub, and router? Don't they all do pretty much the same thing?
Posted by: Tecil
Hubs are only as fast as the slowest interface so if everyone is on 100bT and one person are at 10bT then they all run at 10bT.
Switches auto sense the speed and compensate. So if your 100bT you run 100bT, and if your other computer is 10bT it runs 10bT.
Routers forward data packets across conjoining networks. Like when you have a LAN connected to a WAN (IE your computer hooked to an ISP). A DSL Modem or Cable Modem is in fact a router.
Posted by: Maverick
I gotcha. But cant you conenct your DSL/Cable connection to a Hub, though?
Posted by: Tecil
Yes you can, you can plug it into the Uplink port on a hub or switch to share the internet connection.
Posted by: Maverick
So there is no real advantage to a hub and a router...
Posted by: SpikedJuice
Thanks for the advice! Makes things a lot clearer. Just one (or two) final question(s):
Should I get a hub/switch that can handle 10Mbps or one that can handle 10/100Mbps? Will there be XBox link games in the future that will need a 100Mbps connection?
Many thanks again for your help.
Posted by: Tecil
I would get a Switch they run a little more $ but are worth it. And if your playing Xbox on LAN then it won't really matter as all Xbox Ethernet ports are 100MB anyways.
Posted by: Maverick
 Quote:
Originally posted by Maverick
So there is no real advantage to a hub and a router...
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Posted by: SpikedJuice
Thanks for the advice 
Sorry to drag this out further but can I simply buy any hub/switch for the XBox?
I have done a little more research and have discovered something about "managed" and "unmanaged" hubs/switches. May I ask what the difference is? And will the XBox automatically setup the network for me? I have had some experience with setting up PC networks in the past and they've never been that easy!
Many thanks again for your help!
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