Nintendo Wii Networking Guide Version 1.2 Copyright 2006 - 2007, Tom "TJ" Nardi (MS3FGX@gmail.com) ================================================================================ = Contents = ================================================================================ 1. Introduction & Overview 1.1...Introduction 1.2...About this Guide 2. Wii Configuration 2.1...Connection Settings 2.1.1...New Connection Profile 2.1.1.1...Search for an Access Point 2.1.1.2...Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector 2.1.1.3...AirStation One-Touch Secure System (AOSS) 2.1.1.4...Manual Configuration 2.1.1.4.1...Device Settings 2.1.1.4.2...Security Settings 2.1.1.4.3...TCP/IP Settings 2.1.1.4.4...DNS Settings 2.1.1.4.5...Proxy Settings 2.1.1.4.6...MTU Settings 2.1.2...Existing Configuration Profile 2.1.2.1...Use this Connection 2.1.3.2...Connection Test 2.1.3.3...Change Settings 2.1.3.4...Clear Settings 2.2...Console Information 3. Configuring a Basic Connection 3.1...Router 3.2...Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector 3.2.1...Requirements 3.2.2...Pre-Installation 3.2.3...Installation 4. Configuring an Advanced Connection 4.1...GNU/Linux 4.1.1...Hardware Configuration 4.1.2...Software Configuration 4.1.2.1...TCP/IP 4.1.2.2...Routing 4.1.2.3...Static IP 4.1.2.4...DHCP 4.1.3...The Complete Wii_Route Script 4.2...Windows 4.2.1...Wireless 4.2.1.1...Supported Devices 4.2.1.2...RT2500 Driver Installation 4.2.1.3...Software Configuration 4.2.1.3.1...RT2500 Soft AP Setup 4.2.1.3.2...Configuring ICS 4.2.2...Wired 4.2.2.1...Hardware Configuration 4.2.2.2...Configuring ICS 4.3...Mac OS 4.3.1...Configuring Internet Sharing 4.3.2...Configuring AirPort Options 4.3.3...Connecting the Wii 4.4...Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector 4.4.1...Using the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector with AOL 4.4.2...Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector Soft AP 4.4.2.1...Driver Modification and Installation 4.4.2.2...Software Modification and Installation 4.4.2.3...Soft AP Configuration 4.4.3...Using the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector with Vista 5. Network Security 5.1...WiFi Security 5.1.1...Cloaked SSID 5.1.2...MAC Filtering 5.1.3...Encryption 5.1.3.1...Use a Strong Key 5.1.3.2...Use the Highest Encryption Possible 5.1.3.3...Limit your Bandwidth 5.1.3.4...Rotate your Key 5.1.3.5...Combine Forces 5.2...Securing your WiFi Router 5.2.1...Use a Strong Password 5.2.2...Disable Wireless Management 5.2.3...Disable Remote Management 5.2.4...Disable Remote Upgrade 5.2.5...Enable HTTPS 5.3...Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector 5.4...Firewalls 5.4.1...Hardware Firewalls 5.4.2...Software Firewalls 5.4.2.1...GNU/Linux 5.4.2.2...Windows 5.4.2.3...Mac OS 5.4.3...Practical Application 5.4.3.1...Inbound Firewalling 5.4.3.2...Outbound Firewalling 6. Reference 6.1...Networking Glossary 6.2...Software AP Compatible WiFi Hardware and Drivers 6.2.1...GNU/Linux 6.2.2...Windows 6.2.3...Mac OS 6.3...Finding the Current TCP/IP Information 6.3.1...Under GNU/Linux 6.3.2...Under Windows 6.3.3...Under Mac OS 6.4...Correctly Configuring a Static IP 7. Playing With My Wii 7.1...Dial L for Lag 7.2...My Wii no WAN 7.3...Not-So-Universal Serial Bus 7.4...Channel Surfing 7.4...Nocturnal Admissions 8. Misc 8.1...Version Information 8.2...Future Additions 8.3...Disclaimer 8.4...Credits ================================================================================ = 1. Introduction & Overview = ================================================================================ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1.1 Introduction - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Guide is an adaptation and extension of my DS Wireless Networking Guide, which I started back in 2005 to address the lack of a comprehensive documentation of that system's networking capabilities. When I heard some of the first details about the Wii, it's networking model, and the fact it would also be using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, I decided to start writing a new Guide focusing on the Wii, which would make use of some of the information I put together for the DS Guide. At the same time, there are a number of new fields to be covered and investigated for the Wii. For example, the Wii supports both WiFi and Ethernet connections, so while the information about sharing your Internet access to the system over WiFi is still going to be valid here, I will also be going into how to do the same thing over an Ethernet network. As the Wii also supports non-gaming online functions, such as content downloads and digital distribution, I will also be covering how to share a dial-up connection with it. For the DS, I did not cover this due to the fact that dial-up users on the gaming network would bring it down for the rest of us, but now that there are other things to do online than simply playing games, I will cover it (and just hope nobody tries to play online games with it). I encourage anyone who reads this Guide to email me with their impressions or suggestions. I am always open to new ideas for the Guide, so drop me a line if you think there is something I should cover. Even if you don't have a technical comment or idea, general feedback is always welcome as well. As with the DS Guide, all of the information in this Guide has been tested on my own network, with my own hardware, as thoroughly as possible. Everything has been written by myself, but I certainly do not forget the help and support I receive from others, and they will all be listed in the credits. I hope that you enjoy this Guide, and more importantly, I hope that it helps you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1.2 About this Guide - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey, you know the drill. This Guide was written entirely in Vim. I did not use word wrap, and instead manually entered carriage returns at or before 80 characters as I wrote it. I did however use the spell check built into Vim, rather than checking it separately in Aspell as I have done in my previous works. A true revolution in my technique. As if there was any doubt, it was indeed, big fun. ================================================================================ = 2. Wii Configuration = ================================================================================ The Wii offers a considerable amount of configuration options in regards to Internet connectivity. You can configure your Wii to connect to a wireless network; and if you have the optional USB Ethernet adapter, can also connect it to a standard wired network. Overall, the network configuration system is very similar to that of the Nintendo DS, so if you have used that system, you should feel pretty comfortable here. To start the configuration on the Wii, you need to make your way to the "Internet Settings" menu. This is the main menu for the Internet configuration on the Wii. To get to this menu, you need to select the "Wii" icon on the lower left side of the Wii's startup screen, then select "Wii Settings". From here, move over to the second page of settings. On this page, select "Internet". If Parental Controls are enabled on your Wii, you will be asked for your PIN to proceed. The following screen will have two buttons "Connection Settings" and "Console Information". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1 Connection Settings - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This screen lists the three connection profiles available. There isn't a whole lot of information presented on this screen. The right side of each connection profile does indicate if it is wired or wireless, so that you don't have to go into each profile to figure out what it is using. Selecting any of the profiles will bring up one of two different screens, depending on whether or not this profile has been configured before. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1 New Connection Profile - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first option you will have when starting a new connection profile is which device you want to use. You can either use the Wii's built-in WiFi, or a USB Ethernet adapter. To select which device, you will press one of two large buttons labeled "Wireless" and "Wired". Selecting "Wired" simply starts the Connection Test, as it assumes you want to use DHCP for a Ethernet connection. There is really nothing to configure (that is unless something goes wrong with the Connection Test). However, if you select "Wireless", there are a number of configurable options. Let's take a look at those now. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1.1 Search for an Access Point - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the mode most people are looking for; this will enable you to get the Wii configured with your WiFi router in just a few seconds (unless something goes wrong, of course). To enter this mode, click on the button, "Search for an Access Point". You should then get the message "Searching for an access point..." along with a noise and a spinning icon on the lower right. This will take a few seconds, and afterwards you will be presented with a list of all the Access Points detected (if any were found). For each AP, you will see three pieces of information: The first, and perhaps most relevant is the name of the WiFi network, or SSID. This is the name that was given to the network to help identify it. You will be using this name to figure out what device you are actually connecting to. Second is an image of a lock. Very simply, if the lock is open, there is no encryption on the network and you will be able to immediately connect to it. If the lock is closed, that means encryption is in place. The last piece of information is a basic indication of signal strength. This should be pretty simple for most people to decipher, since it is very similar to the signal strength indicator on cell phones. The more bars, the better the signal. Additionally, the icon itself will be green, yellow, or red, indicating the condition of the connection. Green is obviously the best, and red is either very low, or no connection at all. You might as well ignore any APs that show up consistently as red, as it is likely the signal is not strong enough to connect. Now that we know what all that means, take a look at the list and decide which one you want to connect to. Simply click on it, and it will automatically setup the connection. If the network is encrypted, a prompt will come up asking you for the appropriate key. You will then see a message asking you if you want to save these settings, select OK. After that it will ask to run a Connection Test. Assuming everything worked and you have a good signal, you should get a message saying "The connection test was successful". If you got this message, you are ready to play online. Now, this is obviously the easiest and most applicable of the connection options. However, it depends on a few things which may be a problem depending on the network setup. First, it depends that the network you are connecting to has SSID Broadcast enabled. This is not always true, as many people chose to cloak their SSID to make it less obvious to other WiFi users. Second, this depends on a DHCP server on the network. A WiFi router contains a DHCP server element (though it might not be enabled on the particular router you are connecting to), but a more advanced network (using WiFi APs and not consumer-type hardware) may or may not have network-wide DHCP enabled. If you fall into a group where any of that is a problem, or else you just want more control over the process, then you should check out Section 2.1.1.4, "Manual Configuration". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1.2 Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You use this option to configure a connection to Nintendo's proprietary Wi-Fi Connector device. This is the same device as was released for the Nintendo DS in 2005, so anyone who got one of those will have no problem. In fact, the setup is identical between the two systems. Once you have clicked on "Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector", you will be prompted to setup the Wi-Fi Connector on your computer, and to select "OK" once you have done so. You should already have the Wi-Fi Connector setup on your computer, but if you have not, then jump to Section 3.2 and read up on the setup procedure. If you have your Wi-Fi Connector setup already, then just keep reading. Click "Next" on the screen to connect to the Wi-Fi Connector. After a few seconds, you should get a pop-up on your computer saying that a user wants to connect to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Open up the Registration Tool by double clicking the WFC logo, and you will see a list of devices (keep in mind, the Wi-Fi Connector works with both the DS and the Wii, so you will see both on this list) that are trying to connect to your computer. To identify individual consoles, the list shows the nickname that the user entered on that system. Simply right-click on the console you want to manage, and either Allow or Deny access for it. After granting permission for the Wii, you will see a message on the screen that says "Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector setup is complete.", and a "Next" button. Select "Next" and it will run the Connection Test as usual. If the test passes, you are ready to play online. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1.3 AirStation One-Touch Secure System (AOSS) - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the considerably unlikely event you are actually reading this Section of the Guide, I will briefly cover what AOSS is and how to use it (not that you ever will). AOSS is a technology designed and used exclusively by Buffalo Technology to facilitate automatic configuration of WiFi devices. As Buffalo is based and does most of it's business in Japan, AOSS is almost completely unheard of in the rest of the world. I have personally never seen a WiFi device in America that actually supported it, beyond the DS, Wii, and PSP; even then, these devices only support AOSS since they have large Japanese userbases. The issue is compounded by the fact that Linksys already has a similar product on the market in the US, which actually has a bit of a following. There are some upcoming devices (built and marketed by Buffalo, surprise surprise) that aim to bring AOSS technology into the lives of gamers, but it is nothing you couldn't do with existing products on the market. To actually use AOSS is very simple. First, make sure your router or AP supports AOSS (it won't, but bear with me here), then click the button that says "AOSS". The Wii will then begin scanning for a signal from the AOSS device. While it is doing this, go to your AP and locate the AOSS button on the front panel, hold the button down until it starts to blink, then let go. After a minute or so, the Wii and the AP should have worked out the proper connection settings. The Wii will inform you of this, and then prompt you to start a Connection Test. If the Connection Test is successful, you are ready to play online. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1.4 Manual Configuration - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are many options under "Manual Configuration", and you will want to know what everything does before you start changing anything. The "Manual Configuration" menu is setup like the "Wii Settings" menu from earlier, you are presented with multiple pages of options that you can cycle through by pressing the left and right arrows on the edges of the screen. Let's take a look at these options, one page at a time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1.4.1 Device Settings - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first thing you will see on this screen are the buttons to select whether the current profile will use the internal WiFi hardware, or the USB Ethernet adapter. This is actually redundant, since you already told it what device you were using, but since you can access this menu later, they decided to just leave the option there anyway. If you are using the Ethernet adapter, the only other thing you need to look at is the TCP/IP and DNS configuration. But if you are using WiFi, there are a number of additional options that you also need to set. On WiFi, you need to put your network's SSID in the center box. This option is here for people who do not have their routers set to broadcast their SSID. If you press the right arrow, you will see the security screen. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1.4.2 Security Settings - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here you are able to select which form of wireless encryption you would like to use. The Wii supports all current forms of encryption, so you won't have any issues as we did on the Nintendo DS. You need to select which encryption scheme you want to use by selecting it's respective icon, and then you will be prompted to enter in the key for it. After you are done with that, press the right arrow again to see the TCP/IP configuration page. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1.4.3 TCP/IP Settings - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This page of the configuration allows you to define the basic TCP/IP settings your console will use to connect to the network. The Wii uses DHCP by default, so generally you should not have to setup a manual IP. But if you would like to do so, simply select "No" under "Auto-Obtain IP Address", and then select "Advanced Settings" to manually enter your TCP/IP information. On the "Advanced Settings" screen, you will be presented with a number of fields, which you will use to enter in the appropriate information. +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Setting | Description | +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | IP Address | This allows you to manually assign an IP | | | address for the Wii to use. | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Subnet Mask | This allows you to manually assign the | | | subnet mask for the Wii to use. | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Default Router | This is the IP for whatever router you are | | | using to connect out to the Internet. | +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ However, this is not enough. To actually connect to the Internet, you also need to configure DNS, which is how the Wii resolves domain names to IP addresses. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1.4.4 DNS Settings - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The DNS page is identical to the TCP/IP page. There are two large buttons labeled "Yes" and "No" to enable or disable automatic DNS configuration. When disabled, you can select "Advanced Settings" to enter in your own DNS servers. You will need a primary and a secondary DNS server. The IPs of these servers can be found in the documentation you received from your ISP, or by looking at your computer's TCP/IP configuration. Read Section 6.3, "Finding the Current TCP/IP Information" for a detailed explanation on how to find appropriate DNS servers for your network. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1.4.5 Proxy Settings - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was surprised to see this on the Internet configuration for two reasons. For one it isn't something many people need (Nintendo didn't even include it on the DS), but mainly I was surprised because this feature was not available on the initial firmware. The "Proxy Settings" page does not come up until after you have updated your Wii. At least, that is true on the launch models. Later Wiis will presumably be shipping with newer firmwares. On this page you will see two large buttons, "Use" and "Don't Use". Their functions are fairly self-explanatory. Now, if you select "Use", you can then select the button "Advanced Settings", which will bring you to the proxy setup page. Here you will see a number of configurable options. The most prominent one being right at the top, "Proxy Server". Here you enter the address for the proxy server you want to connect to, in the form of a domain name. Under that is "Port", which will be the port on the server you wish to connect to. Next is the heading "User Name & Password". Here you can select "Yes" or "No", with "Yes" enabling the "Advanced Settings" button. When you select "Advanced Settings", you will be brought to a screen that requests your username and password on the server. Again, this is an option that few people will need, so if you don't know what this is for you can safely ignore it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.1.4.6 MTU Settings - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I will be honest, until I have time to do some more experimentation with the Wii, I have no idea why this option is even included. Generally you are given an adjustable MTU for WAN connections, but since the Wii lacks any of the authentication protocols that would be required for it to directly connect to a WAN, this option really doesn't make much sense. But, for whatever reason, here it is. All you do on this screen is enter in the size of the MTU in bytes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.2 Existing Connection Profile - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are editing an existing profile rather than starting a new one, you will see a different set of options upon profile selection. The following Sections cover each option, and it's function. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.2.1 Use this Connection - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This option simply sets the current profile as the default connection to use. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.2.2 Connection Test - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As on the Nintendo DS, this option starts a connection test which verifies that your console is able to successfully connect to the Internet. If this test passes, you should have no problems getting online. If it fails, you should go over your settings again and make sure everything has been entered correctly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.2.3 Change Settings - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This option is the same as selecting "Manual Configuration" when you start a new connection profile, so I won't go over it again here. Read Section 2.1.1.4, "Manual Configuration" for all of the details on what is available to you here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.1.2.4 Clear Settings - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This option allows you to completely wipe the settings for the current profile, and return it to it's default state. When you go back and select this profile screen again, it will take you to the screens as described in Section 2.1.1, "New Connection Profile". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2.2 Console Information - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This screen simply shows the MAC addresses for both the internal WiFi hardware, and the USB Ethernet adapter, if you have one connected. The MAC addresses are important, as you might want to allow only specific devices to connect to your network, and you will need to have the MAC for the Wii to set that up. ================================================================================ = 3. Configuring a Basic Connection = ================================================================================ Nintendo has aimed to make connecting their consoles to the Internet as simple as possible. With the Wii, they have managed to succeed in this goal more so then they were able to on the Nintendo DS, for a number of important reasons. The first improvement is the inclusion of Ethernet support. Even though this is optional (and thus costs more); it is a very important feature to have for people who do not have, or do not want, WiFi. While the DS had to remain wireless just because of the nature of portable gaming, Nintendo originally was not going to offer Ethernet on the Wii either, but they wisely changed their minds towards the end of the Wii's development. A very important update is support for more WiFi encryption types. The DS only supported the outdated and largely useless WEP encryption, while the Wii supports all current forms of WPA, in addition to WEP (many people still chose to use WEP, for various reasons). This means you can get your Wii online without having to compromise your network security. Another big improvement is with the TCP/IP stack itself. The DS's DHCP implementation was very problematic. In many situations, users were forced to setup a manual IP since the DS was not able to configure itself. This is not easy for the average computer user, and made the DS configuration too difficult for some people. The Wii does not have this problem, or at least, it is not nearly as widespread as it was on the DS. Finally, the Wii is using a standard WiFi chipset this time around,instead of the DS's problematic proprietary hardware. This means less compatibility issues with standard WiFi hardware. So now what we know how wonderful it is, let's actually look at how you would configure your Wii with some common devices. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 3.1 Router - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the method of connection that the majority of people will be using. Using a router is the easiest, most efficient, and best documented way of getting your consoles online. With the Wii, you have two options when connecting to a router. If your router is wireless (as most are, at this point), then you can use WiFi. If you would rather use Ethernet, then you can purchase a USB Ethernet adapter and connect that way as well. Let's briefly go over how a router operates, and what you will need to get one setup in your home. The general concept of a home router is simple. It takes your existing Internet connection, and separates it so that multiple devices can connect. It can do this wirelessly through WiFi, or via Ethernet. To use a router, your existing broadband modem will have to support Ethernet itself. USB modems will not work with a standard router. Once you get the router, you will connect the modem up to the appropriate port on the router. It will generally be called "Internet", "WAN", or something similar. Once connected, a corresponding light on the front of the router should come on. You will now need to connect a computer up to one of the LAN ports on the router. For this you will need to have a network interface card (NIC) in your computer, again USB is not going to work. Connect the Ethernet cable between the router and the computer, and then restart the computer. Alternately, you could have the computer renew it's DHCP lease, the method of which will be different depending on what operating system you are using. Once you have an IP from the router, you will then use your web browser to log into it. Consult your manual for the default IP, username, and password required to connect to the router, as each model and brand is different. The first thing you need to do is configure the WAN interface of the router to actually get it online. You will need to select which type of Internet connection you have, and generally some form of authentication (a username and password used to connect to your ISP). This information should be provided by your ISP, and a quick call to them should be able to provide you with all of the information you need. Some routers also have an automatic configuration option which will allow them to figure out their own WAN settings, but again, this will depend on the router itself. You should check your manual to verify what options are available to you. Once you have configured your router for Internet access, you should then move on to the WiFi configuration (assuming you have purchased a wireless router, obviously) and apply some security settings so that you aren't running an open network. Take a look at Section 5.1, "WiFi Security" for more details on that. Once you are able to get online through the router, and your WiFi network has been setup with some basic security settings, your router configuration is complete. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 3.2 Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The setup for the Wi-Fi Connector is pretty straight forward, there isn't a whole lot you need to do, or much that can go wrong (as long as you follow all of the directions, anyway). The most likely problem you will face is if you use a software firewall. You will need to allow the Wi-Fi Connector software though the firewall, but unfortunately some of these products do not work properly with the Wi-Fi Connector, and so that isn't always possible. Due to the amount of firewall products out there, I can't advise on how to correctly configure each one to work with the Wi-Fi Connector software. You will have to check the help files, or the developer's website, to find out how to allow programs though the firewall, and what (if any) adjustments need to be made for the Wi-Fi Connector to work with it). The Nintendowifi.com website also contains some information on software firewalls which might help you if you run into a problem. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 3.2.1 Requirements - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are a few requirements you need to meet to be able to use the Wi-Fi Connector. Check to make sure your setup is compatible before you purchase, or try to install, the Connector. You will need: Broadband Internet Windows XP USB 2.0 A few notes on these requirements: The source of the Internet connection does not really matter. Technically, it doesn't even have to be broadband. All that matters is you have a network interface on your machine that can connect out to the Internet in some way. This interface can also be wired or wireless. So for example, if your Wii is not able to connect directly to the router due to low signal strength or some other issue, but you have a laptop equipped with a wireless adapter and a free USB port, you could use the Connector with that to get the Wii online. Windows XP is required for the Wi-Fi Connector to work. It does not work on any other version of Microsoft Windows. Be sure you understand this before you purchase it. The Wi-Fi Connector does not work with USB 1.0 or USB Hubs. Be sure you have one free USB 2.0 port before you purchase the Connector. The Connector comes with a USB extension cable, so don't worry if your only free port is in the back of the computer, you can use the extension cable to bring the actual Connector to the front of the machine. If you do not have USB 2.0 in your computer, you can purchase a USB 2.0 PCI card for around $20 - $30 at most retailers, such as Radio Shack, CompUSA, or BestBuy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 3.2.2 Pre-Installation - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before you do anything, go to the Nintendowifi.com site and download the latest version of the Wi-Fi Connector software. The version on the CD that came with your Connector is likely out of date, and there are important fixes in the latest versions.The latest version of the Wi-Fi Connector software can be found at the following address: www.nintendowifi.com/consumerservice/downloads/Nintendo_WFC_USB.zip Don't insert the Wi-Fi Connector until the installation process tells you it is time to. If you plug the Connector in first, it will start the "New Hardware Wizard", and it will not be able to find the appropriate drivers. You will want to make sure ICS is not already setup and in use on your system. By default it is not, and unless you specifically setup ICS on your machine before, it will not be running, and there should be no problem. The Wi-Fi Connector documentation recommends that if your computer is connected to a router with an IP of 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, that you should change the router's IP to 192.168.2.1. Personally, I don't understand why they recommend this, since the Wi-Fi Connector sets up an IP range that isn't even in the 192.168.x.x range. When I did the research for this section of the Guide I did it with my main router at 192.168.1.1, and had no problems at all. Still, Nintendo recommends it for whatever reason, so I mention it in case anyone actually has a conflict with their router at those IPs. Now that you have checked your system to make sure it meets the requirements, and completed the pre-installation steps, you can continue on with the actual installation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 3.2.3 Installation - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You should have downloaded a file named "Nintendo_WFC_USB.zip". Inside this archive there will be a folder called "NintendoWFCReg", extract this to the Desktop. Open the folder you just extracted, and double click the "Setup.exe" file inside to start the installer. You will see a welcome message and a warning that firewall or anti-virus software could effect the Connector. Click OK. You will then be shown a box that contains multiple languages. Highlight the language you want the installer to continue in, and click OK. Let the installer run for a bit as the progress bar fills. After a minute or two, the installer will ask you to plug the Connector into the computer. The installer does not make a noise or have a pop-up to tell you to do this, so if you aren't paying attention, you can miss this line, and the installer will just sit there doing nothing. I know I missed it the first time I installed the software. Once you plug in the Connector, the message on the installer should change, and the progress bar will start moving again. The "Found new hardware" pop-up will also come up, as well as a few other windows that involve the installation of the drivers. You don't have to do anything with these other windows or pop-ups, the installation software will take care of it all, just ignore them. At this point, the light on the Connector should be blinking. After the windows about the new hardware, you should also see a message about the computer finding a new network device. Ignore this as well. Around this time, the installer will say it is setting up ICS. Soon after, the installation will finish, and the installer will say "Setup Complete". Click OK to exit the installer. You may now delete the "NintendoWFCReg" folder if you wish. After closing the installer, the registration tool should start in the task bar, which appears as the WFC logo. At this point, the installation of the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector is complete. You will now need to setup and register your Wii with it to actually connect to the Internet. ================================================================================ = 4. Configuring an Advanced Connection = ================================================================================ Anyone can go buy a router and hook their Wii up to that, it's no big deal. But maybe your needs are a little more specific, or you just don't want to put out the cash for a router. Well, you are in luck then, as this Section of the Guide aims to address you specifically. In the following sections, I am going to cover how to share an Internet connection out from your own computer to your Wii, either over Ethernet or over WiFi. This process is not always easy, but for the most part it is fairly straight forward. However, it is important to remember that special hardware is required in every one of the following situations. For sharing your connection over WiFi, you need a WiFi device that is capable of "Master mode" in your particular OS. That is not always an easy order to fill. For Ethernet connections you will obviously need one of the USB Ethernet adapters available for the Wii. You also need to have a spare network card in your computer for the Wii to connect to, as well as a cross-over Ethernet cable to actually connect the Wii to the network card. The cross-over cable is the most important, as this is NOT a standard Ethernet cable, but one that is specifically designed to allow two devices to connect directly to each other, rather than connecting to an intervening switch or hub. However, if you already have a hub or switch, than that can be used instead along with two patch cables. But it is a pretty safe bet that if you are trying to setup this type of a configuration, you probably don't have a pre-existing network or networking equipment. So for the purposes of the following sections, we will just assume you are using a direct connection with a cross-over cable. Before attempting any of these advanced connections, please make sure you have the required hardware. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.1 GNU/Linux - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While GNU/Linux is without a doubt the most capable and flexible operating system covered here, this comes at a price. The wealth of configuration options available can be very overwhelming, and without a standardized GUI across all distributions, we must stick to the console and Bash scripts; not what the average user is accustomed to. But then again, if you are running a Linux system you are already probably more advanced than most readers of this document, so I am confident most people will have no problem here. Under Linux, the WiFi and Ethernet configuration is largely the same, so they will be covered simultaneously. In addition, unlike the other operating systems covered in this Guide, I will be providing a program that can be used to automatically configure the system for you. I will still be explaining each step for those who don't want the automated option, however. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.1.1 Hardware Configuration - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are sharing a connection to the Wii over Ethernet, then you don't have to do anything other than physically connecting the console to the NIC in your computer with a cross-over cable. However, if you wish to use WiFi, there is a bit more to it than that. First of all, you need to have a WiFi device that has good Linux support. This isn't always easy. Getting your WiFi device to work properly under Linux is well out of the scope of this document, so I can't help you there. What is important here is that, whatever type of drivers your device is using, that it supports Master mode. Master mode is an operating mode that allows your WiFi device to work as an access point, rather than a client device as it normally does. While many drivers support this, not all do. Fortunately, it is very easy to test if your device supports Master mode, you simply have to run the following command (where wlan0 is the name of your WiFi device): bash# iwconfig wlan0 mode Master If you get an error along the lines of "Operation not supported", then your drivers don't support Master mode. If you get nothing back, and it just returns to a new line on the console, then your card is now in Master mode, and should work fine. Now, we have the WiFi device acting as an AP, but we still need to configure it to actually be able to connect to it. First we need to give it an SSID: bash# iwconfig wlan0 essid "LINUX_AP" The SSID can be whatever you chose. Choose something that is short and easy to remember. You should also set the channel, as there is no telling what your particular driver is going to initialize it to. bash# iwconfig wlan0 channel 6 Channel 6 is fine for the US, but in other countries, WiFi APs run on different channels, so you may need to adjust the channel based on your region. This will complete the actual hardware setup. But we still have a ways to go. Now we need to configure the interfaces with TCP/IP settings, and configure routing between them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.1.2 Software Configuration - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next, we are going to go over some of the required and optional software configurations to actually get the Wii online. For the purposes of this example, we are going to assume that you already have a working Internet connection in place through your Ethernet card, either by being directly connected to a wired router, a broadband modem, or some other network. However, if you want to connect over some other interface; such as a dial-up modem or WiFi card, then you only need to replace "eth0" with the name of your source interface. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.1.2.1 TCP/IP - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You will need to decide what IP range to use for your new network. You will need to use an IP range that is both in the Class C range and is NOT the range your source interface is in. A good range that follows these rules is 192.168.2.x. Most routers are setup to use either 192.168.0.x or 192.168.1.x, so 192.168.2.x should be out of the range that any router would have assigned. So for this document, I will use 192.168.2.x as the IP range for the Wii's new network. If this does not fit your network for whatever reason, you can of course change this, but keep in mind the two rules you must follow. You will now want to give your destination interface this new IP. To do so, you simply need to run a command such as this: bash# ifconfig wlan0 up 192.168.2.1 This will bring up TCP/IP on the WiFi card, and give it the IP 192.168.2.1. If you are sharing out a connection over Ethernet, simply substitute "eth0" for "wlan0" in the previous command. Now that we have an IP for our destination interface, let's get the rest of the networking sorted out. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.1.2.2 Routing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next thing you need to get setup is a route between your source and destination interfaces. To do this, we will be using something called IP masquerading or NAT (Network Address Translation). This allows one computer with an Internet connection to share that Internet connection with many clients. To do this in Linux, you will need to use iptables. To use iptables, you will need to be running a kernel release of 2.4.x or above. The following commands will setup NAT between your Ethernet card and WiFi card: iptables --table nat --append POSTROUTING --out-interface eth0 -j MASQUERADE iptables --append FORWARD --in-interface wlan0 -j ACCEPT echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward We now have a connection bridged between your computer's Internet connection, and the WiFi AP. Again, simply substitute your interface names where necessary. Next up, we need to give the Wii an IP. To do this we have two options, either setting it up manually, or using DHCP. As manual configuration is the quicker of the two, let's cover that first. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.1.2.3 Static IP - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To setup a static IP follow Section 2.1.1.4, "Manual Configuration". Entering the following information will get the Wii connected in our example setup: SSID LINUX_AP IP Address 192.168.2.2 Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0 Gateway 192.168.2.1 Primary DNS/Secondary DNS 4.2.2.2 4.2.2.3 (These are public DNS servers which should work for most people) After entering this data, save the configuration and run the Connection Test. If everything has gone well so far, it will pass. Congratulations, you have just setup a basic software AP, and avoided having to buy a proprietary device! Hooray for open source! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.1.2.4 DHCP - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To use DHCP, you will need to have the DHCP server installed on your machine. The easiest way to check this is to run "which dhcpd", which should give a response like: bash# which dhcpd /usr/sbin/dhcpd If you get a message like that, your system already has the DHCP server installed. If you get an error, then you will need to install it. The installation process will depend on what distro you are running, so consult it's documentation to find out how to install the DHCP server package. Now that we have the DHCP server, we will need to feed it a configuration file so it can setup a DHCP pool to use, as well as auxiliary information such as the default gateway and DNS servers. Take a look at the following section to see the complete DHCP configuration file. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.1.3 The Complete Wii_Route Script - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So here it is, the complete script that will automatically setup NAT between two interfaces on your machine to get your Wii online through either Ethernet or WiFi. The reason I give this last and detail everything first is that I want you to understand what is going on here, so that you can fix any problems that may come up. I also want you to understand the requirements for this script to work (see Section 4.1.1, "Hardware Configuration"). If you think you have everything you need, then copy the following text to a file named "Wii_Route.sh" #!/bin/sh # # Wii_Route VER="Version 1.0" # A script to share out an Internet connection over both WiFi and Ethernet, # based on DS_APv2. # Written by TJ Nardi for the Wii Networking Guide # Send bugs, questions, and comments to MS3FGX@gmail.com #-CHANGELOG- # v1.0, First Release #-------------------------User Configuration Section---------------------------# # DHCP Configuration: # Disable/enable DHCP server (0 = Disable, 1 = Enable) # Enable this if you want to automatically configure the Wii with correct # TCP/IP information. The default is 1, Enable. USEDHCP=1 # DHCP configuration file # If you want DHCP support, you need this file. You need to give both the # path and file name. The default is "DHCP.conf", located in the current # directory. CONFFILE=./DHCP.conf # Hardware Configuration: # Operating Mode (0 = Ethernet, 1 = WiFi) # This is a very important option. It selects which mode Wii_Route runs in, # either "Ethernet" or "WiFi". This determines the type of connection you # want to use on the Wii, not the type of connection you use to connect this # computer to the Internet. If you select the wrong option here, this # script will not run properly. The default is mode 0, Ethernet mode. OPMODE=0 # Source Interface # This is the interface connected to the Internet. This can be any interface # on your machine. The default is your primary Ethernet card, eth0. SRC="eth0" # Destination Interface # This is the device that will be used to share the connection to the # Wii. This can either be an Ethernet card, or a WiFi device capable of # going into Master mode. Use the test mode to make sure your WiFi hardware # is compatible if you want to use WiFi. Also, make sure you set this option # correctly in regards to the Operating Mode selection. The default is your # secondary Ethernet card, eth1. DST="eth1" # Bring up source with DHCP before starting AP (0 = Disable, 1 = Enable) # Enable this if you want the source interface to be configured with DHCP # before the script runs. Usually you don't need to do this, so the default # is 0, Disable. SRCUP=0 # DHCP hostname (only used if above is enabled) # If you want to configure your source interface with DHCP, this will be the # hostname it sends to the DHCP server. Useful if you want to see this # machine in your router's DHCP logs. DHCPHOST="WiiRoute" # Destination IP # This is the IP address given to the destination interface. The default # should be fine, you shouldn't change this unless you know what you are # doing. IPADDR="192.168.2.1" # WiFi Configuration: # SSID # The name that your new wireless network will go by. If you don't see this # come up when you are searching for an AP, something is probably wrong. SSID="LINUX_AP" # Channel # 6 should be a safe default, but if you get interference, you might want # to change it to something else. CHANNEL=6 # DS Compatibility Mode (0 = Disable, 1 = Enable) # Enable this option if you are having problems connecting to Wii_Route with # a Nintendo DS. This will tweak the settings a bit to communicate better # with the DS. The default is 0, Disable. DSCOMPAT=0 #-------------------------No need to edit past this line-----------------------# # Values for debug MODE="Master" DHCPTIME=20 ErrorHandler () { # Takes two arguments. The first is the form of error, the second is # the actual error text to display to the user. # Error text must be 52 characters long. if [ $1 == ERR ]; then # This is a critical error, game over. echo "" echo "+----------------------------------------------------+" echo "| ERROR! |" echo "| |" echo "|$2|" echo "| |" echo "| This is a critical failure. The script must abort. |" echo "+----------------------------------------------------+" # Bail out exit 2 fi if [ $1 == WARN ]; then # This is only a warning, we can continue after this, but things might not # work right. echo "" echo "+----------------------------------------------------+" echo "| WARNING! |" echo "| |" echo "|$2|" echo "| |" echo "| This is a non-critical failure. The script will |" echo "| continue, but may not operate properly. |" echo "+----------------------------------------------------+" fi } VerifyCommand () { # Checks to see if given command exists # First argument determines if it will print message, second is the # command to check if which $2 > /dev/null 2>&1; then if [ $1 == 1 ];then echo "OK" fi return 1 else if [ $1 == 1 ];then echo "FAILED" fi return 0 fi } ConfigSRC () { # Bring up source interface with DHCP VerifyCommand 0 ifconfig if [ $? == 1 ];then echo "Setting up ${SRC}..." echo " Checking if DHCP is running..." # Check if PID file exists, hopefully this catches all distros if [ -f /var/run/dhcpcd-${SRC}.pid -o -f /etc/dhcpc/dhcpcd-${SRC}.pid ] then # If dhcpcd has already been run on this interface, don't run it again ErrorHandler WARN " Interface already appears to be configured! " else # If dhcpcd has not been run, then run it now echo " OK, DHCP not running on ${SRC}" VerifyCommand 0 dhcpcd if [ $? == 1 ];then echo " Starting DHCP on ${SRC}..." # Get DHCP IP dhcpcd -t ${DHCPTIME} -d -h ${DHCPHOST} ${SRC} else # If dhcpcd is not found, print error message ErrorHandler ERR " dhcpcd not found! Please install it and try again. " fi fi else ErrorHandler ERR " ifconfig not found! Make sure /sbin is in your path" fi } ConfigDST () { # Set IP for DST Interface VerifyCommand 0 ifconfig if [ $? == 1 ];then echo "Configuring TCP/IP on ${DST}..." if ifconfig ${DST} up ${IPADDR} > /dev/null 2>&1; then echo " Interface ${DST} given IP of ${IPADDR}" else ErrorHandler ERR " Unable to bring up TCP/IP on ${DST}! Wrong device? " fi else ErrorHandler ERR " ifconfig not found! Make sure /sbin is in your path" fi } ConfigWiFi () { # Setup the WiFi hardware VerifyCommand 0 iwconfig if [ $? == 1 ];then echo "Setting up ${DST}..." echo " +---------------------+" # Set mode if iwconfig ${DST} mode ${MODE} > /dev/null 2>&1; then echo " | Mode | ${MODE}" # Set SSID iwconfig ${DST} essid ${SSID} echo " | SSID | ${SSID}" # Set channel if iwconfig ${DST} channel ${CHANNEL} > /dev/null 2>&1; then echo " | Channel | ${CHANNEL}" else # Show a warning if card failed to change channels ErrorHandler WARN " Failure while attempting to change WLAN channel! " fi # Set data rate # Check for DS compatibility mode to determine rate. if [[ ${DSCOMPAT} = "1" ]]; then RATE="2M" else RATE="Auto" fi if iwconfig ${DST} rate ${RATE} > /dev/null 2>&1; then echo " | Rate | ${RATE}" else # Show a warning if card failed to change rate ErrorHandler WARN " Failure while attempting to change WLAN rate! " fi echo " +---------------------+" else # Show an error if card failed to go into master mode ErrorHandler ERR " This WLAN device will not work with Wii_Route. " fi else ErrorHandler ERR " iwconfig not found! Is wireless-tools installed? " fi } StartNAT () { # Enable NAT through IPtables VerifyCommand 0 iptables if [ $? == 1 ];then echo "Setting up Network Address Translation..." iptables --table nat --append POSTROUTING --out-interface ${SRC} -j MASQUERADE iptables --append FORWARD --in-interface ${DST} -j ACCEPT echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward else ErrorHandler ERR " iptables not found! Make sure /sbin is in your path" fi } StartDHCP () { # Configure and start the DHCP server, if it has been enabled by the user VerifyCommand 0 dhcpd if [ $? == 1 ];then echo "Setting up DHCP Server..." # Make sure the server isn't already running if [ -f /var/run/dhcpd.pid ]; then ErrorHandler WARN " dhcpd is already running! " else # Check that config file is where it is supposed to be if [ -f ${CONFFILE} ]; then # Start dhcpd with DST interface and config file dhcpd ${DST} -cf ${CONFFILE} 2> /dev/null else ErrorHandler ERR " Configuration file not found! Cannot configure DHCP" fi fi else ErrorHandler ERR " dhcpd not found! Please install dhcpd and try again" fi } SystemTest () { # Run some basic tests to verify and hardware capability and system sanity clear echo "Wii_Route Diagnostic Mode" echo echo "Hardware Configuration" echo "---------------------------------" if [[ ${OPMODE} = "0" ]]; then echo "Operating Mode: Ethernet" else echo "Operating Mode: WiFi" fi echo "Source Interface: ${SRC}" echo "Destination Interface: ${DST}" if [[ ${OPMODE} = "1" ]]; then echo -n "Checking for Master mode on ${DST}: " if iwconfig ${DST} mode master > /dev/null 2>&1; then echo "OK" else ErrorHandler ERR " This WLAN device will not work with Wii_Route. " fi fi echo echo "System Checks" echo "---------------------------------" echo -n "Checking for ifconfig: " VerifyCommand 1 ifconfig if [ $? == 0 ];then ErrorHandler ERR " ifconfig not found! Make sure /sbin is in your path" fi echo -n "Checking for iwconfig: " VerifyCommand 1 iwconfig if [ $? == 0 ];then ErrorHandler ERR " iwconfig not found! Is wireless-tools installed? " fi echo -n "Checking for iptables: " VerifyCommand 1 iptables if [ $? == 0 ];then ErrorHandler ERR " iptables not found! Make sure /sbin is in your path" fi echo -n "Checking for dhcpcd: " VerifyCommand 1 dhcpcd echo -n "Checking for dhcpd: " VerifyCommand 1 dhcpd echo -n "Checking for DHCP Configuration: " if [ -f ${CONFFILE} ]; then echo "OK" else echo "FAILED" fi } # This is where execution actually starts. # Make sure the user is running with root permissions if [ "$UID" -eq "0" ] then # OK, the user has root permissions, let's get rolling... # Determine operating mode based on the argument used to start Wii_Route case "$1" in 'start') # This starts Wii_Route # Print the boilerplate clear echo "Wii_Route ${VER}" echo "------------------------------------------------------" if [[ ${OPMODE} = "0" ]]; then echo "Starting Wii_Route in Ethernet Mode..." else echo "Starting Wii_Route in WiFi Mode..." fi echo # Setup SRC # If enabled, setup source interface if [[ ${SRCUP} = "1" ]]; then ConfigSRC else echo "Skipping Source Interface Configuration..." fi # Setup DST # If WiFi, then configure the card first if [[ ${OPMODE} = "1" ]]; then echo ConfigWiFi fi echo ConfigDST # Start NAT echo StartNAT # If enabled, setup DHCP echo if [[ ${USEDHCP} = "1" ]]; then StartDHCP else echo "Skipping DHCP Configuration..." fi echo echo "Wii_Route Started!" exit 1 ;; 'stop') # This stops Wii_Route # Print the boilerplate clear echo "Wii_Route ${VER}" echo "------------------------------------------------------" echo "Stopping..." echo if [[ ${OPMODE} = "1" ]]; then echo "Setting ${DST} to sane defaults..." iwconfig ${DST} mode managed channel auto rate auto 2>/dev/null echo "Done!" echo fi echo "Shutting down ${DST}..." ifconfig ${DST} down 2>/dev/null echo "Done!" echo echo "Shutting down DHCP server..." # Kill it, then remove PID, since it doesn't seem to do so on it's own killall dhcpd 2>/dev/null rm /var/run/dhcpd.pid 2>/dev/null echo "Done!" exit 1 ;; 'test') SystemTest ;; *) echo "usage: $0 start|stop|test" esac # If the user doesn't have root permissions, they end up here else echo "Sorry, you need to have root permissions to run this script." echo "Either login as root, or run this though sudo. If using sudo," echo "make sure /sbin is in your path." fi # EOF Now, you will want to make the file executable, so run the following command in the directory where Wii_Route.sh is saved: bash# chmod +x ./Wii_Route.sh Now, for the DHCP section to work, you will need to have a DHCP configuration file. Paste the following lines into a file named "DHCP.conf" and save it in the same directory as Wii_Route.sh (the location of the DHCP file can be changed in the configuration if you wish). # DHCP.conf # # A simple DHCP configuration file to go # with the Wii_Route script. # #-CHANGELOG- # v1.0, First Release # # Global Options # This line defines the DNS servers the Wii will use # feel free to change these to those of your ISP option domain-name-servers 4.2.2.2, 4.2.2.3; ddns-update-style none; # IP Range subnet 192.168.2.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 { # This will allow for 50 clients range 192.168.2.100 192.168.2.150; option routers 192.168.2.1; } # EOF You will want to read over the top section of Wii_Route.sh and make sure those settings are correct in relation to your hardware and LAN setup. You have to make sure the destination interface is in a different IP range than your current network (source interface). I wrote the scripts to use the 192.168.2.x network, since I know of know home router that uses this network (they mainly use 192.168.1.x, and some use 192.168.0.x). If anyone has a home router that uses the 192.168.2.x network, please send me an email so I can modify the scripts to use something else. The top section of the script also lists a few optional features that you might want to use. The comments explain them pretty well I think, so just read what I have written before each setting, and you should be able to understand everything. Generally speaking, the default settings for both the IP ranges and features should work in most situations. Also, as with most things involving system configuration in Linux, you will need to run the Wii_Route.sh script as root, or at least though sudo. The script will warn you if you don't have the proper permissions to be running it. If you are using sudo, make sure that /sbin is in your path, as most of the system configuration programs needed are in there. As for the actual operation of Wii_Route.sh, there are three arguments that it will take which make it do different things. If you run Wii_Route.sh without any arguments, you will get output that looks like this: bash# usage: ./Wii_Route.sh start|stop|test Going over each mode briefly: Start: This starts NAT between the source and destination interfaces, and activates your WiFi device if you are operating in WiFi mode. file. Stop: This will turn off the destination interface (if it is a WiFi device, it will return it to a normal operating mode as well), and stop the DHCP server if you enabled it in the first place. Test: Handy for troubleshooting, this will run through some basic tests to see if you have all of the required programs installed, and if your hardware is configured properly. This will also test if your WiFi card supports Master mode. After you have the files installed and you think everything is correctly setup, run "./Wii_Route test" and see if you have any failures. You should also verify that the interfaces it is using are correct. If everything looks good there, run "./Wii_Route.sh start" and hope for the best. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2 Windows - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Windows is a troublesome one. There is simply no easy way to share out an Internet connection over WiFi. It isn't impossible, it is just complicated. On the other hand, sharing the connection out over Ethernet is no problem. But the method to share a connection over Ethernet is completely different than over WiFi. So they will be separated into their own Sections, rather than covered in one large Section as in Linux and Mac OS. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.1 Wireless - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Windows soft AP section has proven to be quite an adventure. Originally, I had intended to find some method of using any garden variety WiFi adapter as a soft AP under Windows, like I had worked on for Linux. But as time went on, and the more research I did, I realized this was just not going to be possible. Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom, decided that including a comprehensive system for setting up WiFi cards was not important enough to include in Windows. Windows contains no built in method to put a card into Master mode, or setup a software AP even if it let you switch modes on the card. Instead, Microsoft just let the hardware manufacturers handle advanced setup in their own drivers. Not surprisingly, most manufacturers did not bother to include advanced features, and just went with the bare minimum. Most didn't even bother to create a configuration program for the card, and instead left it all to Wireless Zero Config. So after all my searching, I present you with the soft AP Guide for Windows, such as it is. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.1.1 Supported Devices - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Windows soft AP section will focus on devices using the RT2500 chipset, which is arguably the most popular soft AP capable device on the Windows platform. I can't even say that all cards with a RT2500 chipset work out of the box with these methods. In actuality, GigaByte created some advanced drivers and configuration programs for their own line of cards, one of which happened to be based on the RT2500. It is possible to take these drivers and configuration program and use them with other cards that are based on the RT2500 chipset. To find if your card uses the RT2500 chipset, or you are looking for a model to buy which has it, take a look at this list: http://ralink.rapla.net Any card that is listed under PCI or PCMCIA should work, but not USB. Luckily, the RT2500 chipset is pretty popular, and many cards use it. It is also used in a lot of budget priced hardware, so even if you don't have one, you can get one starting at about $15. In addition, in line with my original goals for this Guide, RT2500 devices can be used on every version of Windows from 98 SE upward. This section will focus on Windows XP, but the steps to configure a Windows 98 or 2000 machine will be very similar, and you should have no problem adapting the instructions here. Even though this section is only going to be discussing a single type of device, there are a few other chipsets that can be put into Master mode under Windows. I can't give you an exact number of cards out there that can do this, nor can I give you any way to tell for sure if the card will support it before you buy it. I do at least know that there are a few popular chipsets and adapters out there that are capable of it, such as Centrino. The best way to find out is to Google the model number of the adapter, and see if any mention of it being used as a soft AP comes up. Some sites also list soft AP capability on the product page for the adapter, so you might get lucky there. As I do more research and hear from people on the Internet, I will add any more compatible devices I find to Section 6.2, "Software AP Compatible WiFi Hardware and Drivers". If you do find a generic WiFi device capable of operating as a soft AP, all you should need to do is follow Section 4.2.1.3.2, "Configuring ICS". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.1.2 RT2500 Driver Installation - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assuming you have already confirmed your device is using the RT2500 chipset, you can now continue on with the driver installation and system setup. The first thing you need to do is uninstall the current drivers. It doesn't matter which drivers are currently installed, you need a completely clean slate to perform the rest of the installation steps. Windows will likely ask you to restart after the installation, so go ahead and let it do so. When the machine starts back up, you need to download and install the GigaByte soft AP drivers. At the time of this writing, they can be located here: http://tw.giga-byte.com/Support/Communication/Driver_Model.aspx?ProductID=955 In the event that the above link is no longer valid, then simply search the Gigabyte website for the "GN-WPKG" adapter, and navigate to their support page for it. Inside of the zip archive you will find a directory called "WPKG vx.xx", where "x" is the current version number (at the time of this writing, it is version 1.14). Extract this directory to your desktop; open the folder, and double click the "setup.exe" file inside to start the installer. The installation is fairly straight forward, there are no special adjustments you need to make or anything, so just let it go through with the defaults. As usual, Windows will tell you to reboot after the driver installation is done. After the computer has booted back up, you should see a new icon in your system tray. It will be a blue "G" with a signal indicator underneath. There is going to be a red "X" over the icon at this point. If you see that icon and Windows does not throw up any error messages, then the hardware setup for your RT2500 device is complete. Next we will need to configure the soft AP settings (using the software from the Gigabyte drivers) and then setup ICS, which will allow devices to connect to the Internet through your computer. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.1.3 Software Configuration - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are two phases to the software configuration in the Windows soft AP setup. The first phase is actually configuring the soft AP itself so that devices can connect to it. This includes the channel, operating mode, SSID, etc. This is the most basic part of the setup, if this is not done properly, your client devices may not even be able to see the soft AP, let alone connect to it. This part of the setup is also completely focused on the RT2500 line or devices, or more accurately, the software Gigabyte provides in their drivers for those devices. If you are using another soft AP compatible chipset, then you will need to adapt the information here to work with the software provided with your drivers. The second phase of the setup is installing and starting the ICS service. This is a basic form of routing and NAT which allows your computer to host an Internet connection for other devices to use. The configuration for ICS is very simple, and will work pretty much the same way on any Windows version since Windows 98 SE. The ICS configuration is also generic in the sense that it will work with any soft AP device you are using and is not dependant on the RT2500. If you are using a different device, then the ICS configuration is probably the only really useful thing here for you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.1.3.1 RT2500 Soft AP Setup - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Again, just to be clear, this section works only for devices using Gigabyte's soft AP drivers. While the general information here will be applicable to other devices, the actual configuration options and settings will likely be totally different. To begin the soft AP setup for RT2500 devices, we start by right-clicking on the wireless device's icon in the system tray. You will be presented with a menu asking how you want to configure the device. Select "Switch to AP Mode". If you don't have that option, go back to Section 4.2.2, "RT2500 Driver Installation", and verify you performed the driver installation properly. Once you have selected "Switch to AP Mode", a new window will come up called "Gigabyte SoftAP Utility". This is the program that you will be using for the rest of this section. It is how you configure every aspect of the RT2500 soft AP setup. There are a considerable amount of options in this program, but for the purposes of this simple setup we will only be going over the minimum settings required to get a connection working. If you want to explore more advanced options such as MAC filtering, then consult the Gigabyte documentation and Section 5, "Network Security" for details and more in-depth explanations. The first option you need to configure is "Wireless Mode". You need to set this to at least "802.11 B/G Mixed" for it to work, but if your device supports it, setting it to "B Only" would be a better choice. Next you will have the option for "TX Rate". You can leave this on "Auto" if you like, but setting it to "2 Mbps" would be better for device compatibility. If you set this to "Auto" and experience problems establishing or maintaining a connection, try changing it. You then have the option "Channel", which obviously changes the channel your soft AP will operate on. For the most part this doesn't matter, as long as there isn't interference or existing WiFi traffic to congest the channel you are trying to run on. To be safe, you should set this to either channel 1 or 11. These are rarely used by other devices, and don't overlap other channels in the WiFi spectrum. The final option you need to set is "SSID". This is important, as it is the name you are going to be looking for when searching for this network to connect to. The name itself does not matter, as long as it is something you can easily remember. Once you have made these changes, click "Apply" and then "Close". That completes the basic soft AP setup for the RT2500 device. This is not a secure setup by any means, only the minimum required to get a reliable connection to your device. If you want to enable more security on your soft AP, then take a look at the Section 5, "Network Security", which gives details on the various WiFi security mechanism's available to you, and their proper implementation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.1.3.2 Configuring ICS - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have made it this far, you should have already installed the correct soft AP drivers for your device, and configured it properly. To begin the configuration, you need to get to the "Network Connections" screen on your computer. Click "Start" then "Control Panel". When it opens up, click on "Network and Internet Connections". Finally, click on "Network Connections" down on the bottom. Here you will see all of the networking devices on your computer. The first thing you need to figure out is which network connection you are going to setup ICS on. This connection can be anything, a NIC connected to a router, a USB modem, it could even be a dialup connection. Any interface that is able to properly connect to the Internet can be used. Once you have determined which interface you are going to use, it is helpful to rename it to something you can easily remember, but it is not required to do so. Select the device you determined to be the one connecting you to the Internet, right click on it, and click on "Properties", then click on the "Advanced" tab. On this page you should see a heading called "Internet Connection Sharing". Under it, you will want to click the box next to "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection". There is also an option that says "Establish a dial-up connection whenever a computer on my network attempts to access the Internet". If you are sharing out a connection from a dial-up modem, you will want to enable this. It allows your computer to automatically dial out and connect to the Internet whenever a device wants to get online. If you don't have this enabled, you will need to manually connect up to the Internet on the computer running ICS before you try to get online with a device connected to the soft AP. Now click on "OK". A message should pop up telling you that the NIC will take the IP of 192.168.0.1. Just click "Yes". This completes the soft AP configuration. Assuming your hardware device is working properly and you setup ICS correctly, you should now be able to connect to the Internet through your computer with any WiFi-enabled device. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.2 Wired - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sharing an Internet connection over a local network is pretty easy. Windows includes what is known as ICS, or Internet Connection Sharing, for this purpose. This is basically Microsoft's own little take on NAT. It allows you to quickly setup a configuration where your primary Internet connection is routed out to a secondary interface (usually a network card), and a DHCP server is automatically setup for you. The following information is based on Windows XP, but should be applicable to all versions of Windows since Windows 98 SE. The actual steps will be slightly different in previous versions of Windows, and in 98 SE you will actually have to install ICS from the Windows CD, but the overall concept will remain the same. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.2.1 Hardware Configuration - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first thing you need to figure out is which network connection you are going to setup ICS on. This connection can be anything, a NIC connected to a router, a USB modem, a WiFi card, it could even be a dialup connection. Any interface that is able to properly connect to the Internet can be used. Generally you would use your primary Internet connection, but again, you can use whatever one you like. Once you figure out which interface you want to use as the source, it might be helpful to rename it so you can keep track of which one it was. Next you need to figure out which device the Wii will actually be connecting to. Unlike the source interface, this is limited to being a standard NIC. For example, if you have two NICs and one is connecting you to the Internet, then you would connect the Wii to the second one, which is likely going to be called something like "Local Area Connection 2". You should definitely rename this connection for future reference, call it something like "Wii Connection". Now that we have decided on the interfaces we are using, lets go ahead and actually configure ICS. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.2.2.2 Configuring ICS - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Click "Start", then "Control Panel", when it opens up, click on "Network and Internet Connections". Finally, click on "Network Connections" down on the bottom. Here you will see all of the networking devices on your computer. Remember the device you determined to be the one connecting you to the Internet? Well, right click on that device, and click on "Properties", then click on the "Advanced" tab. On this page you should see a heading called "Internet Connection Sharing". Under it, you will want to click the box next to "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection". There is also an option that says "Establish a dial-up connection whenever a computer on my network attempts to access the Internet". If you are sharing out a connection from a dial-up modem, you will want to enable this. It allows your computer to automatically dial out and connect to the Internet whenever a computer (or in this case, a Wii) wants to get on the Internet. If you don't have this enabled, you will need to manually connect up to the Internet on the computer running ICS before you try to get online with the Wii. Now click on "OK". A message should pop up telling you that the NIC will take the IP of 192.168.0.1. Just click "Yes". This completes the ICS configuration, all that's left to do is physically connect the Wii to the secondary network card in your computer. Once the hardware is connected, you simply need to start a new configuration profile and select "Wired" as described in Section 2.1.1, "New Connection Profile". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.3 Mac OS - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Compared to the other operating systems in this Guide, sharing out a connection is by far the easiest to do in Mac OS. With only a few clicks you can select between using Ethernet or WiFi. Because of this, the two methods are covered in the same section, as the process is almost completely the same. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.3.1 Configuring Internet Sharing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To enable "Internet Sharing", you first go to the "System Preferences" menu, then click on "Sharing", under "Internet & Network". You should now see a bar with three sections: "Services", "Firewall", and "Internet". For the time being, we are only interested in the "Internet" tab, so click that. You will now be on the "Internet Sharing" page. You will see a box that lists the networking devices on your Mac. You should see at least two entries here. You may or may not have more devices listed, but you need at least two, one to connect the Internet, and the other to connect to the Wii itself. Now, there will be a line saying "Share your connection from:", followed by a drop down box. This is the source interface for "Internet Sharing", select whatever device that you use to connect out to the Internet. Under the section that says "To computers using:", you need to click the box next to the device you wish to use to share the connection out. You can either select one of the Ethernet cards, or you can select "AirPort" if you have an AirPort card installed in your machine. When you select the destination device, it will link the two and establish routing between them. That is all for the "Internet Sharing" configuration. Clicking "Start" would activate "Internet Sharing", and begin routing packets between the two interfaces. However, if you selected "AirPort", you will first need to configure the WiFi settings. If you have selected an Ethernet device, you can just click on "Start" and then proceed to Section 4.3.4, "Connecting the Wii". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.3.2 Configuring AirPort Options - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the "Internet Sharing" page, click on the button "AirPort Options...". The first option you will see is going to be "Network Name". This is the SSID of the WiFi network you are about to create. Set this to whatever you like, but just make sure you remember it. Next you will see "Channel". Leaving this on "Automatic" should be fine, but if you experience problems with interference you might want to try setting the channel manually. Moving on, you will see the section dealing with encryption. If you want to enable WEP on your new soft AP, this is where you would configure it. After clicking the box next to "Enable encryption (using WEP)", you would then enter a key to use. If you are planning to use 128 bit WEP then enter in a 13 character key, and if you want to use 40 bit WEP then enter a 5 character key. If it is not obvious, you should use 128 bit encryption, but the choice is yours. After you have made these settings, click "OK". You have now configured the AirPort card. If you are following this Guide exactly, you should now be back on the "Internet Sharing" page that you started from. Everything should be setup correctly now, so click on "Start" to enable "Internet Sharing". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.3.3 Connecting the Wii - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The problem here is that the Wii, just like the DS, does not seem to work with the OSX DHCP server, which means it can not automatically configure itself against your newly created soft AP. I am working on a way around this problem, but for the time being, you will need to configure your Wii manually. By default, the destination interface should have an IP address of 10.0.2.1, with the subnet mask 255.255.255.0. So the appropriate settings for the Wii would be as follows: +--------------------------------------------------+ | IP Address | 10.0.2.2 | |--------------------------------------------------| | Subnet Mask | 255.255.255.0 | |--------------------------------------------------| | Default Router | 10.0.2.1 | +--------------------------------------------------+ You will still need DNS servers however, which you can find by following Section 6.3.3. If that doesn't work, then you need to find the TCP/IP settings for your destination interface. Go to "System Preferences", click "Network", then select the interface you are connecting to from the device listing. Click on the "TCP/IP" tab, and you will be presented with an easy to understand listing of the relevant TCP/IP information. You can then follow Section 6.4 to base a static IP configuration off of this information. Once you have determined the proper IP settings to use, follow Section 2.1.1.4, "Manual Configuration". You will enter the SSID of your AirPort card (if you are using WiFi), then the IP information you got from your system. You will also need to enter in your WEP key if you chose to enable encryption under the "AirPort Options" menu. After that, run the "Connection Test" and hope for the best. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.4 Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While the Wi-Fi USB Connector is designed to make getting online as easy as possible for people without being too technical, there are still some advanced things you can do with it, though completely unintentional on Nintendo's part. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.4.1 Using the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector with AOL - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It seems like a lot of people are asking this same question, so I decided to add it to the Guide. The key to using the Wi-Fi Connector (and any other soft AP) with AOL is to not use the official AOL software to connect. You must create a new connection, and use that to log in. To do this in Windows XP, you will first click "Start", then "Control Panel", then "Network and Internet Connections", finally, click on "Network Connections". You will now see a screen that shows your current Ethernet connections. On the top left hand corner of this window, you should see a small box that says "Network Tasks". Within that box there is an option that says "Create a new connection", click it to start the "New Connection Wizard". The first page of the wizard describes what it can help you do. Click "Next", and it will ask what kind of connection you want to make. Make sure the radio button next to "Connect to the Internet" is selected (by default, it is). Then click "Next". Select "Set up my connection manually", and click "Next". Select "Connect using a broadband connection that requires a username and password", and click "Next". The wizard will then prompt you for the name of this new connection. You can use anything you like, but it is probably a good idea to make it something you will remember later. Naming it "AOL WFC" would not be a bad idea. After you have entered the name, click "Next". Now you will need to enter your AOL username. Enter your username, with the aol.com suffix (I.E. username@aol.com). You can then either enter your password here to have it saved, or leave the box blank so that you will be prompted for the password every time it tries to connect. It doesn't matter either way for the purposes of the Wi-Fi USB Connector, so do whatever you feel comfortable with. After entering in your credentials, then remove the check for "Make this the default Internet connection", but leave the other two options enabled. Then click "Next". On the final screen, you will see an overview of the setup for the connection you just made. Look over it to see if it appears correct, if not, go back and check everything. There is also an option to "Add a shortcut to this connection to my desktop". Selecting this would probably save you some trouble down the line. If you are happy with everything, click "Finish". Now, when you want to use this new connection, you would either click the shortcut the wizard made, or select it from the "Network Connections" screen. After you have signed into AOL with this new connection, go ahead and install the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector, and all should be well. A little note, I said to make sure to disable "Make this the default Internet connection" so that you could still use the AOL software to get on the Internet normally. If you would like to bypass the AOL software completely, keeping that option enabled will make that your primary Internet connection, and allow you to use the Internet without the AOL software. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.4.2 Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector Soft AP - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector is a very strange device. It was created to make setting up a wireless network easy for users who do not have a wireless router and don't want to go through the trouble of setting one up; but at the same time imposes a number of artificial limitations that are a bit strange. First, perhaps some background information is in order. Nintendo did not design or build the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector. The Wi-Fi Connector is in fact a Buffalo WLI-U2-KG54-AI adapter which simply has been branded with the Nintendo logo. The WLI-U2-KG54-AI is based on the USB version of the RT2500 chipset, which, if you have read the Windows Soft AP section, you will recognize as one of the very few devices capable of creating a true wireless network under Windows. Nintendo was only in control of the software side of the product, which is where they started making some strange decisions. First of all, Buffalo provides drivers for Windows 98, Windows ME, and Windows 2000 for the WLI-U2-KG54-AI adapter. Nintendo on the other hand, decided to limit their OS support to Windows XP only. Nobody but Nintendo will ever know why they decided to place this limit on the Wi-Fi Connector, but the best guess I could hazard would be that they didn't want to have to support users running older versions of Windows. This decision has garnered the Wi-Fi Connector considerable criticism from many on the Internet. The second, and more pressing, change to the original Buffalo installation is limiting the types of clients that can connect to the device. Using an RT2500 device in soft AP mode would normally allow all WiFi devices to connect, but Nintendo specifically limited the Wi-Fi Connector software to only communicate with Nintendo's own hardware (at the time of this writing, those devices being the DS and Wii). At least this limitation can be justified; Nintendo designed the Wi-Fi Connector software with security in mind, and indeed it does provide a very secure wireless network. Many people have heard the horror stories of improperly configured wireless networks allowing intruders access to their computer and Internet connections, and it has generated a negative predisposition in the minds of many consumers. The Wi-Fi Connector however, being limited to only Nintendo's own products, provides these gun-shy users with wireless access for their game systems while not compromising their network security. Even so, there are many people who would rather be able to use their Wi-Fi Connector with the rest of their WiFi equipment, and that is exactly what this section of the Guide will allow you to do. Be warned however, the process that is described in the following text is by no means a simple installation. If you follow this Guide exactly you should not have any problems, but if you are not an advanced computer user you may want to read the rest of this section before actually making any changes on your system, and then decide after you have read it all if you want to attempt it yourself. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.4.2.1 Driver Modification and Installation - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first phase of the installation will require you to modify the official drivers for the Buffalo WLI-U2-KG54-AI adapter to allow them to work with Nintendo's rebranded version of the device. Despite sounding a bit frightening, this is actually one of the easier steps of the installation, in the grand scheme of things. First you will need to go online and download the drivers from the Buffalo website. At the time of this writing, the required file can be downloaded at the following URL: http://www.buffalotech.com/support/getfile/?U2KG54_1-01-02-0002.zip If that link is no longer valid, you will have to manually navigate to the download page for the WLI-U2-KG54-AI and get the required file. First, go to the Buffalo website located at: www.buffalotech.com Once you have selected your region, move your mouse over "Support" and click on "Downloads". On the Download page, click on the drop-down box and select "Wireless-G Keychain USB 2.0 Adapter with Auto Installation" under "Wireless". This will then load the page for the WLI-U2-KG54-AI. Click on the "Download" link under "Drivers", the current version is 1.01.02.002. You should now have a file called "U2KG54_1-01-02-0002.zip" on your computer. Inside of this archive you will find a directory called "U2KG54", and under that, directories for the different operating systems the driver has versions for. I should say at this point that modification of the driver should work on any of the supported operating systems. However, I am personally only able to test on Windows XP. If you attempt this on an older version of Windows, I would be very interested in hearing how it works out for you. Extract the "Win2000" directory to your desktop, and open it up. Inside you should see 5 files. The only one you need to touch is "NETU2G54.INF". This file tells Windows which devices will work with the driver, and needs to be modified in order for the rest of the setup to work. Before we can make any changes to the file however, we have to make it writable. Right click on NETU2G54.INF, then click on "Properties". At the bottom of the window you should see a check in the box next to "Read-only". Click on this box to remove the read-only attribute on the file, and then click "OK". You can now open up the file in Notepad by right clicking on it, selecting "Open With...", and then choosing Notepad from the list of programs. Near the top of this file you will see a section that has the heading, [Adapters]. As you may of guessed, this is the list of devices that the driver will associate itself with. The section will look like this in the stock driver: [Adapters] ; DisplayName Section DeviceID ; ----------- ------- -------- %rt2500usb.DeviceDesc% = rt2500usb.ndi, USB\VID_0411&PID_005E %rt2500usb_nai.DeviceDesc% = rt2500usb.ndi, USB\VID_0411&PID_0066 %rt2500usb_ai.DeviceDesc% = rt2500usb.ndi, USB\VID_0411&PID_0067 All you need to do is add the following line: %rt2500usb.DeviceDesc% = rt2500usb.ndi, USB\VID_0411&PID_008B So the [Adapters] section should look like this when you are done: [Adapters] ; DisplayName Section DeviceID ; ----------- ------- -------- %rt2500usb.DeviceDesc% = rt2500usb.ndi, USB\VID_0411&PID_005E %rt2500usb_nai.DeviceDesc% = rt2500usb.ndi, USB\VID_0411&PID_0066 %rt2500usb_ai.DeviceDesc% = rt2500usb.ndi, USB\VID_0411&PID_0067 %rt2500usb.DeviceDesc% = rt2500usb.ndi, USB\VID_0411&PID_008B After you have added the correct line, save the file and close it. Now that you have modified the driver itself, we can proceed with the actual installation of the driver. Before attempting the next steps, make sure you have completely removed the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connector software and drivers from your system. Make sure you have restarted your computer since removing the older drivers as well, to avoid any conflict when you try and install the modified Buffalo drivers. Once you are sure your system is clean of the old drivers, plug your Wi-Fi Connector into the computer. In a second or two you should see a pop up saying that it has detected the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector. The "Found New Hardware Wizard" will then start. It may ask if it can connect to the Internet to search for drivers. Select "No, not at this time", and click "Next". It will then ask where you want to install the drivers from. Select "Install from a list or a specific location (Advanced)", and click on "Next". Make sure that "Search for the best driver in these locations." is selected, and then click the box next to "Include this location in the search:". Then click on "Browse". Navigate to the directory that your modified NETU2G54.INF file is in, click "OK", then click "Next". You will get a warning about the driver having not been tested for Windows XP compatibility. Ignore it and just click "Continue Anyway". After the installation, a bubble should come up at the bottom of the screen saying that the installation was successful. You should also notice you now have a new icon down in your system tray, which will look like a computer with waves coming out of it with a red "X". This indicates that you have a new wireless network device installed that has not yet been configured. At this point, your Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector is operating as a standard wireless adapter. You can now use it to connect your computer to a wireless network (such as a home router, or public access point) if you wish. Read the next section to learn how to configure your modified Wi-Fi Connector installation to work as a soft AP. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.4.2.2 Software Modification and Installation - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At this point, you should have your Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector working as a standard wireless adapter under Windows. From here, we will download the appropriate software to configure a soft AP and make the required modifications so that it will work with the Wi-Fi Connector. As covered previously in this Guide, Windows does not include any inbuilt method of configuring a soft AP like Linux and Mac OS do. Because of this, we need to rely on the hardware manufacturers to develop their own software to accomplish the task. The obvious problem there however, is that the hardware manufacturers only develop software that works with their own devices, not any hardware you pick up off the shelf. That's the issue we will be addressing in this section. We need to modify the advanced WiFi configuration software from another manufacturer's device to work with the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector. This is going to be a bit more difficult than the driver modification, and will require some software you may not have on your computer. Namely, you will need a hex editor to complete this part of the setup. For those who are not familiar with the term, a hex editor allows you to modify binary files, like computer applications. If you were to attempt to open a computer application in a text editor, it would just come out as gibberish, but a hex editor knows how to handle the data and makes it editable (to an extent). If you do not already have a hex editor on your computer, I would suggest using "XVI32", which can be downloaded for free from: http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/freeware/xvi32/xvi32.htm XVI32 is nice because it is small, capable, and does not require a full installation on your computer, you just copy the folder to your computer, and run it from there. Specifically helpful to us is that XVI32 features a very advanced "Replace" function, which will make editing the files much easier. The rest of this section will be written with XVI32 in mind, in terms of the menus and options it presents. However, you should still be able to follow along with any hex editor you are comfortable using if you chose to do so. After you have gotten your hands on a hex editor, you will now need to download the software that needs to be modified. For this, we are going to be using the WiFi configuration software from the ASUS WL-167g adapter. At the time of this writing, the software could be located at the following URL: http://dlsvr01.asus.com/pub/ASUS/wireless/WL-167g/Utility_2933.zip If that is no longer valid however, you will have to manually navigate to the download page for the WL-167g. First, go to the ASUS website located at: www.asus.com Once you have selected your region, click on "Download", and in the search bar type in "WL-167g". On the resulting page you should see a link that says "WL-167g related files for download", click on it. On the next page, click on the "Utilities" tab, then click on the "Global" link to begin the download. You should now have the file "Utility_2933.zip" downloaded onto your computer. Inside of this archive there will be a directory called "Utility", extract this to your desktop. Run the "setup.exe" file inside of this directory to start the "ASUS WLAN Card Utilities Setup". You will first be asked to select your language. Make the selection and click "Next" to proceed. On the Welcome screen, click "Next" again. It will then ask where you want to install the files. The default is fine, but you can change it if you wish. After the installation, it will ask you if you want to restart your computer. There is really no reason to, since we didn't install the ASUS drivers, but you can go ahead and reboot if you like. Now comes the fun part, actually modifying the individual programs to fool them into working with the Wi-Fi Connector. Start up XVI32, and click on the "Open" icon. Now navigate to where the ASUS Utilities were installed. By default this should be: C:\Program Files\ASUS\WLAN Card Utilities\ Inside this directory you are going to see a number of files. To start, click on "AsAuthen.dll". The main window of XVI32 is going to fill with data now. Don't worry about it, you won't need to touch any of that. Click on "Search", and then "Replace...". Under "Find", make sure that "Text String" is selected, and paste the following line into the box: USB\VID_0B05&PID_1706 Then click the top "Text -> Hex" button. The text you just copied should now show up in the lower window in hex. Go down to "Replace with", again making sure that "Text String" is selected, and copy the following line into the box: USB\VID_0411&PID_008B Click on the lower "Text -> Hex" button. Again you should see the text changed into hex. Now click on "Replace All". You should get a pop up window telling you how many occurrences were replaced, just click "OK". Now click on the "Save" icon, and then "Open". You have now completed the modification on the first file. You must repeat these exact steps over for the remaining files. XVI32 will remember the text you have entered to be replaced, all you need to do is click the appropriate buttons to open the file, replace the line of text, save the file, and open the next one. You must edit the following files: AsAuthen.dll Center.exe Mobile.exe StMonitor.exe TShoot.exe Wireless.exe Wizard.exe We just edited AsAuthen.dll, so that leaves the 6 .exe files left. Once you have edited those files, there is one final step left. Open "My Computer" and navigate to the directory where the ASUS Utilities are installed, and go into the "Driver" directory. Under "Driver", go into the directory named "WinXP", and then "AP". Here you should find a single file called "rt2500usb.sys". You must copy the rt2500usb.sys file to: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\ You will get a prompt asking you if you want to overwrite the file, click "Yes". Make sure the Wi-Fi Connector is plugged in, and click on "ASUS WLAN Control Center" icon on the desktop. You are likely going to get a number of error and message windows popping up, but there is only one you need to worry about. There should be a window named "Wireless Option", in this window you need to make sure that option which says "Only use our WLAN utilities..." is selected, and then click "OK". A wizard will now start, click on "Cancel", and then "OK" on the message that will result. Close any other wizards or messages that have opened themselves. You should now see the "ASUS WLAN Card Settings" window, with the Buffalo WLI-U2-KG54-AI shown as the current device. This completes the modification of the ASUS WLAN Card Utilities. You now have the required software to setup a soft AP using the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.4.2.3 Soft AP Configuration - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In this section we will actually configure the soft AP, and get the Internet running through it. The ASUS software makes this very simple, and you should be up and running in only a few clicks. Open up the "ASUS WLAN Control Center", and click on the "Config" icon. On this page you should see a tab that says "Soft AP", click on it. Here you need to click on the bubble next to "Soft AP Mode". This will put the device into Master mode. On the bottom of this tab, you should see a diagram of a network, and on the bottom left there should be a window that says "Available Network Connections". Select which one of those connections is currently connecting you to the Internet, and drag that up to the box that is next to "Internet". Make sure the box next to "Enable ICS" is checked. Now click "Apply". After a moment you should get a warning about changing the modes of the adapter, click "Yes". A few seconds later and you should get another window popping up to tell you that enabling ICS may take awhile, click "OK" again. Then wait, like the message said, this can take awhile. You will know that it is finished when the green "Apply" icon becomes greyed out again. Once this happens, click on the "Basic" tab. On this tab you need to enter in the SSID your soft AP will use. Make sure that "Hide SSID" is not checked, or else you won't be able to find your soft AP when you search from your devices (though you could always manually configure it). Then move down to the channel selection. You can use any channel you want, but it would be a good idea to either use 1, 6, or 11. Now down on the bottom, click "Advanced". On this new tab, go to the pull down box next to "54g Mode:" and select "802.11b Only". Click "Apply", then "OK". Your Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector has now been converted to a standard soft AP. You may now connect your client devices to it and begin using it as you would any other WiFi access point. However, I highly suggest you look at the "Encryption" and "Access Control" tabs in the Control Center, and enable some form of security. Read Section 5, "Network Security" for a more in-depth explanation of these features. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 4.4.3 Using the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector with Vista - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the time of this writing, Nintendo has not released an updated version of the Wi-Fi Connector's drivers or software to work with Windows Vista. This is a situation that is common for many Vista users, as spotty device and software support has plagued the operating system since it's release, and will likely continue for some time. In the meantime, the Wi-Fi Connector can be made to work on Vista by utilizing Vista's "Compatibility Mode" settings. While this method has been shown to work for some users, it is important to note that others have reported significant instability. But, as there is currently no other alternative, you don't have anything to lose by trying. Before you begin, make sure that you have Vista's "User Account Control" (UAC) enabled. Many Vista users have disabled UAC as it's constant prompts annoy them (which is a mistake, but that is another story entirely), so if you have disabled UAC, use the following steps to enable it again. Open the Control Panel, and in the upper right hand corner of the window you should see the Search box. Type "user accounts" into this box to display the User Accounts settings dialog. Click on the entry called "Turn User Account Control (UAC) on or off". You will then see a few lines of text describing what UAC does and why you should use it, with a check box underneath that says "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer." Verify that the box is checked, and click "OK". Now that you have verified that UAC is enabled, you can continue on with the actual installation process. Start by downloading the latest version of the Wi-Fi Connector software (as described in Section 3.2.2, "Pre-Installation"), and extract it to the desktop. Go inside of the "NintendoWFCReg" directory that was created, and set the compatibility mode for both of the EXE files (Setup.exe and mdriver.exe) to "Windows XP (Service Pack 2)". To set the compatibility mode, right click on the EXE file and select "Properties". Then go to the "Compatibility" tab, check the box next to "Run this program in compatibility mode for:", and select "Windows XP (Service Pack 2)" from the drop down list. Not start the installer by running "Setup.exe", and proceed as you are instructed. Make sure to only insert the Wi-Fi Connector when prompted for it. After the installation, the Wi-Fi Connector software will likely not work, and in fact will probably just crash. This is normal, since you must set the compatibility mode for the newly installed software just as you did for the installer. To set the compatibility mode on the Wi-Fi Connector software, navigate to the directory: C:\Program Files\WiFiConnector\ Here you will see three EXE files, DEVREMOVE.exe, NintendoWFCReg.exe, and SoftAPUninst.exe. Even though you really only need to set the compatibility mode for NintendoWFCReg.exe, you should set all three applications to "Windows XP (Service Pack 2)" for the sake of completion. Once the compatibility modes have seen set for these programs, start the Wi-Fi Connector software again. With any luck, it should now run correctly. Of course, that doesn't mean it won't have it's problems. For the most part it will be usable, and certainly enough to hold users over until an official Vista solution is available, it does suffer from occasional problems. The Wi-Fi Connector software will occasionally fail to start, or will close as soon as the computer boots up, which usually just requires you to start the software up again. If you are having a problem connecting to the Wi-Fi Connector and the software is running, you may need to reboot the computer to get everything working again. At the very least, once the software is up and running and you are connected, you shouldn't have any problems after that. The problems usually only occur when you are trying to start up the connection, not while you are using it. ================================================================================ = 5. Network Security = ================================================================================ Security, it is an elusive beast to be sure. It's a topic that many people do not truly understand, which puts them at great personal risk in today's modern world. Perhaps an FAQ for a game system is not exactly the place to get too heavy on users for not using good security practices. I realize this, and I also realize I run the risk of getting off-topic with such a section in this Guide (in fact, I have dialed this section back considerably from it's DS counterpart). But I really do believe this information is critical, and just because you are having fun playing games doesn't mean you should get lax with common sense. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.1 WiFi Security - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wireless security is essentially a myth. The very concept of sending data over the air using hardware that any consumer can purchase cheaply and without a license makes it a dangerous technology. Over the years, many different technologies have been developed to help increase the security of WiFi networks. It is only until very recently where they have reached the level at which we can run a WiFi network without too much concern. Obviously, not everyone can afford the latest and greatest hardware, so not everyone has access to these new technologies. Because of this, it is important to cover even the older technologies. Here I will explain what each technique does, why it works; and at the same time, why it doesn't. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.1.1 Cloaked SSID - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cloaking simply means that your WiFi device does not publicly broadcast the SSID. This will cause general purpose WiFi devices and software to not list it, essentially hiding it from people who did not know the network was there. The problem with this feature is that it can make setting up new devices difficult. The Wii does not list networks unless their SSID is being broadcast; so to configure it with such a network, you would either need to manually set it up, or temporarily enable SSID broadcasting. So how effective is this in the real world? Well, not very, unfortunately. It doesn't do a whole lot more than make configuring your own devices a bit more complicated. If your goal is to block your neighbor from casually connecting up to your network (perhaps by mistake), a cloaked SSID would have the same effect on them, their hardware would not show the network. If you are dealing with a person that is not actually trying to access your network, but perhaps just doesn't know any better, this would deter them. But to anyone more advanced, it is nothing more than a parlor trick. The flaw with cloaked SSIDs is that every time a client device authenticates or deauthenticates, the SSID is sent out in the 802.11 frames. Good software like Kismet can pick up on this, and find the SSID even if you have enabled cloaking. This makes cloaked SSIDs all but completely useless as a serious security device. But hey, it sounds cool, right? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.1.2 MAC Filtering - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAC stands for Media Access Control, it is a unique identity that all network devices must have. MAC addresses are part of the second level of the OSI Model, and are mapped to IP addresses on the third layer of the OSI Model via ARP. MAC addresses are an essential element to TCP/IP, and it is vital that both the MAC addresses and ARP tables are valid for TCP/IP to function properly. By design, there can never be two devices with the same MAC address (though as with everything, accidents do happen, I have heard about NICs shipping from the factory with identical MACs in the past), so they can be used as a form of physical security. Locking out all but specific MAC addresses can secure a network from unauthorized access. Well...in theory, anyway. In concept, MAC filtering is a bulletproof approach to wireless security. In the real world however, it is possible to "spoof" (fake) the MAC address of the network card in a computer. That means an attacker can gain access to a MAC filtered AP simply by sniffing the network traffic for an allowed MAC and cloning it to his own network card. To the AP, the attacker's computer would appear to be one of those allowed to access the network, and therefore get full access. At first glance, it would appear that MAC filtering is almost completely useless against a knowledgeable attacker. But, not all is lost. As TCP relies on sane MAC addresses to function properly, two MAC addresses cannot exist on the same network without serious problems coming up. Because of this, a MAC can only be reliably spoofed when the card that actually owns that MAC address is not active. This obviously limits the attacker's access, and needs to be circumvented if their goal is to setup a long-term connection to the network. To do this, the attacker would either have to disable MAC filtering, or add the real MAC of his network card to the list of authorized devices. Either action will not only make his presence known, but would also require the attacker to get access to your router or AP's configuration (more on that in Section 5.2, "Securing your WiFi Router"). Also, if the only WiFi device accessing your MAC filtered router is the Wii, you are in a bit better shape, since you won't be authenticated with the AP nearly as much with the Wii as you would be with a computer. The attacker would have to get lucky enough to be sniffing your AP at the same time you were playing a game, to be able to get the MAC of your Wii. If the attacker can't sniff a MAC that is authorized to connect to the AP, there is no way they can get though the MAC filtering. So with the proper application, you can see a realistic benefit from MAC filtering. Just make sure to keep an eye on the MAC filtering configuration on the router, and limit the amount of time you spend authenticated to the AP, if possible. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.1.3 Encryption - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Encryption is the most effective method of defending against an attacker from connecting to your network. While on the DS we were limited to the very week WEP, the Wii supports all current forms of WiFi encryption. Still, even the highest forms of encryption can be circumvented if not deployed properly. The following information is very general in nature, and will not necessarily apply to all forms of encryption. However, for the sake of simplicity, I will list them all under the general concept of "Encryption". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.1.3.1 Use a Strong Key - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A universal truth with all passwords or keys is that anything in the dictionary is inherently insecure. Such passwords can be quickly cracked with so called "dictionary attacks", which (as the name implies) go though all of the words in a predetermined dictionary file to attempt to guess the correct password. Dictionary attacks are many many times faster than actually cracking the key by decrypting it. If you can successfully protect yourself from such attacks, you will instantly make your network more difficult to compromise. There are a number of tips to protect yourself from dictionary attacks: Be sure to never use a word that can be found in the dictionary. This includes names of people or places. Obfuscate your key with alternating capital letters and numbers. To really create a secure key, add in some symbols or even non-printable Hex characters. Using these tips will help you create a key that is much more secure than just plain text. For example, rather than using "password", you could use "\[P4$5W@r|)]/". Try finding that in Webster's. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.1.3.2 Use the Highest Encryption Possible - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This one is fairly obvious. Use the highest encryption that your hardware supports. If you are using 64 bit WEP, you are a much easier target for an attacker, as it can be cracked in literally minutes. If you are using WPA with a strong key you are in much better shape. That is why it is important to use the highest form of encryption that all of your devices will support. You are limited here by your most outdated piece of hardware. All modern routers are going to support WPA, but some older devices may not (as covered previously, the Nintendo DS only supports WEP). At least this time around, the Wii is not going to be the limiting factor. You just have to find out what is the best encryption every one of your WiFi devices supports, and then enable that on your router. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.1.3.3 Limit your Bandwidth - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A lot of data needs to be sniffed out of the air to successfully crack most forms of encryption. If you can limit the amount of data you transfer, you can make it that much more difficult to crack. Unless your devices really need to be wireless, connect them via Ethernet. If you can get it down so that only one (or even none) of your devices is connected to your WiFi network, then you will sharply reduce the amount of data you are sending though the air. If the only device that ever uses your WEP protected AP is a single Nintendo Wii, it would take a very, very long time to generate a significant amount of data. How long? Well, let's see: On average, it takes about 700 MB worth of sniffed traffic to crack a 128 bit WEP key. Meanwhile, let's say the only thing you do on your Wii is download SNES games from the Virtual Console. Let's say they are about 3 MB each. Doing some simple math, you would have to download about 233 games to generate 700 MB of traffic. This is of course a very rough estimate, and doesn't take a number of things into account, but it gets the point across. Clearly, no casual attacker is going to sniff your connection for months just to get online. After a day or two, he is going to move on to an easier target. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.1.3.4 Rotate your Key - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As covered in the previous section, cracking a key requires significant data to be transferred over the network for the attacker to sniff and analyze. Because of this, the process of cracking the key can take a long time, depending on the rate of data being transferred over your network. Therefore, you can conceivably change the key often enough that it isn't possible to generate sufficient data to successfully crack it before it is changed again. If you were to change out your key every 25 days or so, by the time an attacker had collected an appreciable amount of data, you would already be using a new key, making his collected data completely useless. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.1.3.5 Combine Forces - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Even with the steps above, WiFi can still be a liability. That is why you should not rely on just a single method of security for your network. You need to have a comprehensive plan that covers multiple vectors. It is important to pair smart encryption practices with other techniques, such as MAC filtering, cloaked SSIDs, and firewalls. By combining all of these security features, you can create a network that is simply not going to be worth the effort for a casual attacker. No WiFi network is completely safe from attack, and if there is an attacker that has for whatever reason specifically targeted you, with enough effort, they will get in. But if the only threat to your network are leachers and WarDrivers, 9 times out of 10, if they see a network that is using multiple security measures, they will simply move on a bit down the street to the next network, which will almost certainly have little to no protection. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.2 Securing your WiFi Router - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An important aspect of wireless security, one which many people forget, is properly securing the wireless router itself. If you are using a soft AP, including the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector, there is not much to worry about. Granted the security of your computer is very important, but you are not going to have a browser-based configuration system just sitting out in the open on your computer, like you do on a standard WiFi router. Though this configuration page on your router, it is possible to do all sorts of nasty things, including locking you out of your own router, and even destroying it by doing an improper firmware flash on it. Also, as mentioned in Section 5.1.2, "MAC Filtering", the router configuration also holds the MAC filtering information, and can be used to allow an attacker to add his MAC to your router's authorized list, and get full access to the network. It is vitally important to lock down your router to prevent anyone else but yourself from accessing it. There are number of things you can do to secure your router, but not all hardware will support all features, so just do the best you can with whatever the router supports. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.2.1 Use a Strong Password - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's very important to use a strong password for you router's web interface, as it is much easier to guess, brute force, or dictionary crack the password on a router than an encrypted network. It is possible to detect the manufacturer of your router by it's MAC OUI, and many sniffing programs will automatically show the attacker what brand router you are using. From there, it is a simple Google search to find the default username and password that company uses. If you never changed your password from the default one, you have just been compromised in a matter of seconds. If you changed your password, but made it something simple, like "secret"; you aren't in much better shape. The web authentication that most home routers use can be dictionary cracked very rapidly. Running tests on my own routers, it only took a few minutes for a dictionary cracking program to run though a list of over 3000 common passwords, and find the simple password I had set for the test. As with the default password, the process of getting control of the router was simple and over in took only a few minutes. Now, let's say that you follow the guidelines I talked about in Section 5.1.3.1, "Use a Strong Key". Such a password would not be discovered with a dictionary attack, so the only option for the attacker would be to attempt a brute force attack. In a brute force attack, the software is set with the minimum and maximum length of the password, and what characters to use (for example, numbers only, alphanumeric, capital letters only, etc), the software will then attempt every possible password combination within the given parameters. As you could imagine, this would take a massive amount of time to complete. Take for example the password I gave in that section, "\[P4$5W@r|)]/". To have a 100% chance of cracking the password, the brute force software would need to be configured to go up to 13 characters, and use full ASCII key-space. That gives us 2,812,901,617,993,870,347 possible combinations. Go back and read that again. At best, you are only going to be able to try 5 passwords per second or so against the router, given the speed of the connection and the response time of the router itself. As if it had to be said, that would take many, many, many, many, years to complete. But to be precise, it would take about 17,839,305,000 years to crack that password using a brute force attack. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.2.2 Disable Wireless Management - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wireless Management allows users connected to the router via WiFi to access the router's web configuration. This is almost certainly not what you want to do. If your computer is connected to the router over Ethernet, then you will absolutely want to disable this option. All this does it makes it possible for an attacker to get into your router configuration from outside of your home. If your router supports it, and it won't effect your usage of the device, then disable this immediately. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.2.3 Disable Remote Management - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remote Management is a feature on some routers that allow the web configuration page to be accessed over the Internet, with the idea that you could manage your router from anywhere on the planet. Obviously, this is almost completely useless in every way, and should be disabled. There are few good reasons you would ever need to access your router from outside your home, and they certainly don't outweigh the considerable risk of having your configuration open up to all of the Internet to see. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.2.4 Disable Remote Upgrade - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remote Upgrade allows your router to be flashed with a firmware sent to it over the Internet. This is a disastrously stupid option, and should be disabled and completely forgotten about. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.2.5 Enable HTTPS - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some routers will allow you to chose HTTP or HTTPS for the web administration page. HTTPS is more secure than HTTP as it encrypts data sent to and from the site. In this case, the data you want to secure is your password. If you are using just HTTP, it would be possible for a attacker connected to your network to sniff your router password as you login. If this happens, it doesn't matter how good your password is, he will have it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.3 Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While it might not have been Nintendo's initial goal when creating the Wi-Fi Connector, the device does manage to offer considerable security. Each DS or Wii is identified by the Connector though the console's nickname, rather than the MAC address of the device. While it is very easy to sniff the MAC of the DS with even the most basic software, capturing the nickname is another story entirely. It is possible, but well out of the realm of standard WiFi cracking. Not only that, but each console needs to be interactively authenticated by the user from the computer with the Wi-Fi Connector. There is no way for a device to sneak onto the Wi-Fi Connector. In fact, the Wi-Fi connector doesn't even show up to standard WiFi hardware. Bottom line is, there is currently no known way to spoof an authenticated DS or Wii and connect up to a Wi-Fi Connector. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.4 Firewalls - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The firewall is the key element in network security. Essentially, a firewall is anything that blocks incoming or outgoing traffic to a computer or network based on a set of predefined rules. Firewalls can protect your internal network from attacks from the Internet, or keep users from sending out information that they are not allowed to. On the same note, firewalls also tend to be a big source of trouble for non-technical users. The same protection that keeps attackers from accessing your computer from the Internet can also block your computer games from connecting to other players, or your file transfers from completing. A common, and very unfortunate, mistake that many users make is to simply disable the firewall if it blocks a protocol they are trying to use. This is a very bad idea, you should never disable your firewall. Instead, make the effort to find out what ports and protocols your program needs, and allow them in the router configuration. This way your software will continue to work, and you will still be protected. In the following sections, I will cover the two main types of firewalls; hardware firewalls and software firewalls (in Linux, Windows, and Mac OS). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.4.1 Hardware Firewalls - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A hardware firewall is any dedicated device that filters traffic into a network. I say network, rather than computer, because hardware firewalls are almost always used when there is more than a single client to protect (though hardware firewalls designed to be used with a single computer do exist). When talking about hardware firewalls for the home user, you are going to be dealing with SOHO routers, which almost all include a basic firewall. These small firewalls are almost all inbound firewalls. I know of no consumer router that offers outbound firewalling from the factory. Though more advanced hardware firewalls are capable of it, however. Hardware firewalls are a good deal for the user that has their own small LAN they want to protect, as they can protect all of the machines equally. However, they are likely overkill for a user that simply has one computer connected up to the Internet. To allow traffic into a network, hardware firewalls will generally have multiple rules which you can configure to forward specific traffic to a predetermined IP address within the network. Most consumer hardware firewalls also include a DMZ function, which allows all traffic from the Internet to access the IP address specified. While it is never a good idea to place your personal computer in the DMZ, it is occasionally necessary to place a device there that needs access to multiple ports at once, like a game console. Hardware firewalls work on the Network layer of the OSI model, which means they have the advantage of working seamlessly with any operating system or device capable of connecting to an Ethernet network. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.4.2 Software Firewalls - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A software firewall is actually a program that runs on the computer it is protecting, and actively monitors and filters all traffic on that computer. Software firewalls can act as both inbound and outbound firewalls. Outbound firewalling is easy to do in a software firewall, since the firewall is running on the computer right along side the programs that need to access the Internet. Some software firewalls will interactively notify the user when an inbound connection has been blocked, or when a program is requesting an outbound connection. While helpful, these messages and requests for confirmation tend to annoy some users. The exact opposite of a hardware firewall, the software firewall is a good choice for protecting a single computer, but is not suitable to protect an entire network. Software firewalls also tend to require more configuration than their hardware counterparts. Since a software firewall is just that, a piece of software, each operating system uses a different software firewall program. Some operating systems include this ability, while others might require the user to install their own software firewall. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.4.2.1 GNU/Linux - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Linux includes it's own firewall system built into the kernel. In 2.2 kernels, it uses IPChains, and in 2.4+ kernels, IPTables is used. As every standard distribution is using at least a 2.4 kernel, you only need to worry about IPTables. IPTables is capable of nearly any form of firewalling or NAT possible, so the sky is the limit when it comes to configuration. IPTables is generally configured from he command line, or more accurately, by putting commands into a script, and having that run at boot time. If a GUI is your thing, there are some good front-ends for IPTables, such as Firestarter, Guarddog, Firewall Builder, and Knetfilter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.4.2.2 Windows - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Windows has not had a built-in firewall included until very recently, not until Windows XP Service Pack 2, to be specific. Also, not surprisingly, the Windows firewall is not very advanced; and can only do inbound firewalling, not outbound firewalling (very unusual for a software firewall). This limitation is due to Microsoft's concept of computer security, and that the firewall's only duty is to protect a computer from infection, not protect a computer that is already infected with a trojan. Right or wrong, this behavior is confirmed to be in the Vista as well. Configuration of the Windows firewall is essentially selecting which services will be open on a specific interface, and which ones will be blocked. As the Windows firewall is very basic, it is advised to download and install an alternate software firewall (if you don't already have a hardware firewall upstream, that is). I would recommend Kerio Personal Firewall 2.1.5 (the last freeware version of Kerio's firewall product). Besides being free and more advanced than the Windows firewall, Kerio PF also has the advantage of working on Windows 98/ME/2000. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.4.2.3 Mac OS - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OSX includes a fairly complete firewall that is built into the kernel, not unlike IPTables in Linux, known as ipfw. IPTables and ipwf are pretty similar in their operation. They both use individual rules to build the firewall, can be setup though scripts, and support detailed logging. Like IPTables, ipfw does not have any GUI in and of itself, but OSX does include a GUI for it by default. However, ipfw is capable of much more than it's fairly simplistic GUI can present to the user. Many of the more advanced capabilities of the OSX firewall cannot even be accessed from it's GUI, they need to be enabled from the Terminal. This includes the ability to block outbound traffic, as by default, the OSX firewall only blocks inbound traffic like the Windows firewall. Having to use the Terminal to configure the more advanced aspects of ipwf has always been a criticism of the OSX firewall system. However, even when limited to only the GUI interface, the OSX firewall is still more capable than the Windows firewall. The GUI attempts to be a balance between the most commonly used features, and ease of use. At least you are always open to using those advanced features if you feel you need them, while the Windows firewall just isn't capable of them in the first place. An interesting note about the OSX firewall, it cannot be turned off. This is part of Apple's security model, to help protect their machines by having the firewall active from the very first time the computer is setup. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.4.3 Practical Application - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All the information in the world is useless if you don't have a way to practically apply it to your situation. In the following sections, I will cover how you the user can implement some of the firewall technology previously covered to help protect your network when opening it up to wireless access. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.4.3.1 Inbound Firewalling - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The easiest and most reliable way to setup inbound firewalling for your network is though the use of a hardware firewall. As mentioned before, the primary form of hardware firewall for the average consumer is a home router. This device will include a inbound firewall capable of blocking all unsolicited requests to the machines on your network, wired and wireless. The firewall contained in the average home router is enabled by default, and does not require any setup from the user. The moment you connect your computer to it, you are under it's protection. This makes the hardware firewall the easiest to deploy out of all the options available. The only configuration you may need to do on your hardware firewall is allowing traffic into your network that you specifically want. For example, if you want to run an FTP server from your computer, you would need to forward that traffic to the IP of your computer. As I mentioned before, all of the software firewalls are also capable of inbound firewalling. It is important to remember though, that this will only protect the computer it is running on, and not the rest of the network. These also will involve a bit more setup than the hardware firewall. Speaking about the Wii specifically, you generally will not have to make any adjustments to an inbound firewall to get online and in a game. However, on some routers there are bugs or inconsistencies in the way it handles NAT and forwarding, and it might be necessary to do some additional setup for you to connect to the WFC service. If you are getting errors when connecting to the WFC though a router, you might want to setup port forwarding to the Wii, or place it in the DMZ. In either event, it would help if you setup the Wii with a static IP to make the configuration easier. If your Wii is connecting to the Internet though your computer, either via the Wi-Fi Connector or other soft AP, the incoming firewall may need to be adjusted to allow all traffic into the Wii if you are experiencing errors while playing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 5.4.3.2 Outbound Firewalling - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As I mentioned previously, consumer hardware firewalls generally do not posses any outbound firewalling capability. For that reason, they will not be mentioned in this particular section. This section is only concerning software firewall products. I won't go into a lot of detail here. As the software firewall setup is going to be completely different for every platform, it is better than I go into specifics in each operating system's individual section. The general concept here is that you can limit how a device can connect out to the Internet, in an effort to only allow legitimate traffic through. Speaking about the Wii specifically, you can use outbound firewalling on the computer that is sharing it's Internet connection to the system. This has a very real benefit, especially if you are running a standard soft AP that any device can connect to. You can limit outbound connections from the wireless side to only connect to Nintendo's WFC servers, blocking everything else. This will prevent somebody from connecting up to your soft AP and using your Internet connection. ================================================================================ = 6. Reference = ================================================================================ Here is some general information that may be of use to people reading this Guide, I will add more to this as the Guide expands. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 6.1 Networking Glossary - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These are simple definitions for some of the terms used in this document. Access Point An Access Point (often referred to simply as an "AP") is the central hub in a WiFi network. All devices connect through the AP to reach the Internet, each other, etc. For most people, the AP will be contained in their wireless router, though stand-alone APs are also available for those who have existing wired networks. DHCP DHCP is system that allows the automatic assignment of IP addresses to devices on a network. Almost all home routers have a DHCP server, and the majority of people connected to home routers, wired or wireless, are using DHCP. DHCP is advantageous as it makes adding new devices to the network very simple. DNS If the IP address is to be compared to a phone number, then DNS could be compared to the phone book. A DNS server holds records that equate hostnames to IP addresses. This is used to convert human-friendly addresses, like Nintendo.com, to IP addresses. A device is generally configured with the addresses for two different DNS servers, a primary and a secondary. This allows for a backup in the event the primary DNS server is not responding. Gateway A gateway is another term for a router. In this case, the gateway is generally a home router of some sort, though in the case of one of the advanced connections, the gateway is actually the computer sharing out the Internet connection. ICS ICS stands for "Internet Connection Sharing". This is Microsoft's term for NAT, and while it is fairly limited in scope and capability (as are most Microsoft products), it is effective enough for the home user. IP Address An IP address is the human-readable address used to define a device on the network. The easiest way to think of an IP address is like a phone number. Everyone with a phone has a phone number and that number is unique to that person but not necessarily to that phone. A phone can have it's number changed, just as a device on the network can have it's IP changed. MAC Address The MAC address of a device is built into it's networking hardware. Every network-enabled device has a unique MAC address that can be used to identify it. MTU MTU stands for "Maximum Transmission Unit". The MTU is the size of the largest packet a particular protocol can transmit. Generally speaking, the higher the MTU the better, but a overly high MTU can lock up a slow network interface. NAT NAT stands for "Network Address Translation". It is the method in which an Internet connection can be shared to other devices. This allows you to connect multiple devices to the Internet without each device needing a dedicated connection. Proxy A proxy is best described as an intermediary between two networks. A client connects to the proxy server, and then the proxy connects to the destination server or network on the client's behalf. This is used for a number of things, such as making your Internet activity anonymous or connecting through a encrypted tunnel rather than on the open network. This is not something the average home user needs, or even understands, but may be required on more advanced networks. SSID "Service Set Identifier", or SSID, is the method by which wireless networks are identified by users. The SSID is embedded in every packet transfered by the wireless network. Every device that wishes to be part of the network must know the proper SSID. The SSID can contain 32 alphanumeric characters, and can usually be "hidden" or "cloaked" to provide a minimal level of security for your network. WEP WEP is an outdated method of WiFi encryption. It contains numerous vulnerabilities which allow it to be circumvented very rapidly. Whenever possible, a higher form of encryption than WEP should be used. This is not always possible however, as not all devices support higher forms of encryption, such as the Nintendo DS. WPA WPA was designed to replace the flawed WEP encryption system. While WPA is certainly not without it's faults, it offers much more secure operation. At this time, circumvention of a WPA network is not enough of a threat for the average person to even consider. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 6.2 Software AP Compatible WiFi Hardware and Drivers - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following lists hardware and drivers that either I have personally tested, or have on good authority, should work with a software AP setup. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 6.2.1 GNU/Linux - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +-------------------------------------------------+ | Device | Interface | Driver | +-------------------------------------------------+ | Realtek RTL8180 | PCMCIA | rtl8180 + sa2400 | | Linksys WM11 | PCMCIA | HostAP | | AmbiCom WL1100C | CF Card | HostAP | | Centrino | Mini-PCI | IPW2100 | +-------------------------------------------------+ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 6.2.2 Windows - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +-------------------------------------------------+ | Device | Interface | Driver | +-------------------------------------------------+ | Centrino | Mini-PCI | Offcial Drivers | | RT2500 | PCI | Gigabyte SoftAP | | ASUS WL-167g | USB | Official Drivers | +-------------------------------------------------+ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 6.2.3 Mac OS - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +-------------------------------------------------+ | Device | Interface | Driver | +-------------------------------------------------+ | AirPort | PCI | AirPort Drivers | | AirPort Extreme | PCI | AirPort Drivers | +-------------------------------------------------+ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 6.3 Finding the Current TCP/IP Information - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following sections will cover how to find your current TCP/IP information (IP, subnet, gateway, and DNS servers) in Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. Note, for all of the operating systems listed, the first DNS server listed is always the primary, and the next server listed is the secondary. In reality, the order that the DNS servers are queried does not really matter for most home users, so don't worry too much about the order in which you enter them on the Wii. In fact, some users might find they don't even have a secondary server listed. If you are unclear as to the meaning of any of the information below, consult Section 6.1, "Networking Glossary". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 6.3.1 Under GNU/Linux - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Under Linux, there are a few commands you will want to run to get all of the TCP/IP information. The first command we will look at is "ifconfig", which will show you the IP settings for any interface on the system. The output of "ifconfig" will look something like this: bash# ifconfig eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0A:E6:D0:17:93 inet addr:192.168.1.100 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0 UP BROADCAST NOTRAILERS RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1 RX packets:2763 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0 TX packets:2986 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 RX bytes:1543179 (1.4 MiB) TX bytes:390496 (381.3 KiB) Interrupt:11 Base address:0x2000 lo Link encap:Local Loopback inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0 UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1 RX packets:61 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0 TX packets:61 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:0 RX bytes:6708 (6.5 KiB) TX bytes:6708 (6.5 KiB) Your system may have more interfaces than this, but the one you are most likely going to want to look at is eth0, your primary Ethernet adapter. The entry for "inet addr" is your machine's IP, and the entry for "Mask" is your subnet. Now that we have the IP information, we will now look for our default gateway. To find the default gateway, run the command "route". The output of "route" will look something like this: bash# route Kernel IP routing table Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface 192.168.1.0 * 255.255.255.0 U 0 0 0 eth0 loopback * 255.0.0.0 U 0 0 0 lo default 192.168.1.1 0.0.0.0 UG 0 0 0 eth0 Here, the last line is the important one. This shows the default router your machine is using to connect out to the Internet. Finally, we will find the DNS servers the machine is using to resolve hostnames to IP addresses. To find the current DNS servers, we will look in the file "/etc/resolv.conf". To read the file, we will use the command "cat /etc/resolv.conf". The contents of the resolv.conf file will look similar to this: bash# cat /etc/resolv.conf # Generated by dhcpcd for interface eth0 nameserver 151.204.0.84 nameserver 151.197.0.39 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 6.3.2 Under Windows - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Under Windows, there is really only one command you need to know to find out the current TCP/IP information for your machine. First, you will want to open up the command interpreter. To do this, click the "Start" button, then click on "Run" and in the dialog box, type in "cmd". Then hit enter. You will be presented with the command interpreter window, in this window, you will type the command "ipconfig /all". The output will look similar to this: Windows IP Configuration Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : MyComputer Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . : Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Generic Ethernet Controller Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-XX-00-XX-00-XX Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.100 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 151.204.0.84 151.197.0.39 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 6.3.3 Under Mac OS - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Linux, Mac OS uses the "ifconfig" tool to set and view TCP/IP options. The output of "ifconfig" will look something like this: lo0: flags=8049 mtu 16384 inet6 ::1 prefixlen 128 inet6 fe80::1%lo0 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x1 inet 127.0.0.1 netmask 0xff000000 gif0: flags=8010 mtu 1280 stf0: flags=0<> mtu 1280 en0: flags=8863 mtu 1500 inet6 fe80::20a:95ff:fed4:3456%en0 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x4 inet 192.168.1.100 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.1.255 ether 00:0a:95:d4:34:56 media: autoselect (10baseT/UTP ) status: active supported media: autoselect fw0: flags=8822 mtu 2030 lladdr 00:0a:95:ff:fe:d4:34:56 media: autoselect status: inactive supported media: autoselect Here, the primary Ethernet adapter is "en0". The entry after "inet" is the IP for the machine. Again, as in Linux, you will view the contents of /etc/resolv.conf to see the DNS servers: To read the file, we will use the command "cat /etc/resolv.conf". The contents of the resolv.conf file will look similar to this: nameserver 151.204.0.84 nameserver 151.197.0.39 The method to view the default gateway is different in Mac OS than Linux. To find the default gateway under Mac OS, run the command "netstat -m". The output of "netstat -r" will look something like this: Routing tables Internet: Destination Gateway Flags Refs Use Netif Expire default 192.168.1.1 UGSc 17 35 en0 127 127.0.0.1 UCS 0 0 lo0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 UH 12 323181 lo0 192.168.1 link#4 UCS 1 0 en0 192.168.1.1 0:20:78:ce:c0:ec UHLW 16 0 en0 1158 192.168.1.100 127.0.0.1 UHS 0 10 lo0 Here, the top line is the important one. This shows the default router your machine is using to connect out to the Internet. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 6.4 Correctly Configuring a Static IP - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I think that given my profession and general interest in the subject, I tend to take some things for granted. Specifically, I just assumed that people were aware how to properly configure a device to use a static IP without causing an IP conflict or other such problem. But looking at user's comments on the Internet, I can see that is clearly not the case. So in this section I am going to cover the proper way, or at least the easiest way, to give a device a static IP address. The first thing you need is the current configuration from one of the devices already connected to the network, namely your computer. To find the relevant information on your computer, consult section 6.3, "Finding the Current TCP/IP Information". Once you have taken note of all the information, proceed on. Most of the information should be directly copied into the Wii's static IP configuration. This includes the subnet mask, gateway, and both the primary and secondary DNS servers. The only thing that needs to be changed is the IP. Two devices cannot have the same IP address, so you have to make sure that the IP you set for the Wii is not currently in use, or will be in the future. The problem here is that if the computers on your network are using DHCP, it could eventually cause a conflict if the IP you have setup for the Wii is pulled from the DHCP server. Thankfully, most routers will assign a specific DHCP range, allowing for many IP addresses that can be used without fear of the DHCP server ever trying to give it out. These are generally the lower IPs, so we will continue on with that assumption. Let's say that the IP address of your router is 192.168.1.1, and your computer is 192.168.1.100. Now, if you were to give the Wii the static IP of 192.168.1.101, there could be a conflict if another computer using DHCP came onto the network To avoid this, we are going to use an IP address that is lower than the DHCP server is going to use. Taking again the example router IP of 192.168.1.1, we can assume that the IP 192.168.1.10 would be safe to use for the Wii. It is low, so DHCP probably won't use it, and it is high enough that you could still add other static devices below it. Of course, this is going to change depending on your network setup, which is going to be determined by your router. But the concept is simple. You take the IP of your router, and increase the last digit by about 10. So if the router is 192.168.0.1, then use 192.168.0.11. The important thing to remember, aside from making sure the IP you chose is not already in use, is to make sure you change only the last digit. If you change any of the other ones, you will put your Wii out of the network, and you won't be able to establish a connection. ================================================================================ = 7. Playing With My Wii = ================================================================================ In this section, I will share my observations, thoughts, and experiments in reference to the Nintendo Wii and it's networking capabilities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 7.1 Dial L for Lag - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dialup, what can I say? Nearly every person on the Internet today has used a dialup connection at least once in their lives, so none of us can really be to critical on those who are still using the technology. For some people, it is an issue of cost. Others want broadband, but don't have access to it where they live. Whatever the reason, there are still many people stuck with high latency and low bandwidth WAN connections. Unfortunately, the gaming industry as a whole has all but completely abandoned these people, and design their hardware and software with only broadband in mind. The Wii is no different, and Nintendo has made it clear that they do not support dialup connections of any form. The same is true for the DS. Now, for the DS Wireless Networking Guide I also chose to steer clear of dialup connections (though technically there is nothing I could do to stop you from using it anyway) because of the nature of the DS's online capabilities. All the DS was capable of was multiplayer, and with the exception of the less demanding games, dialup users adversely effect all the other players it the game when they attempt to connect. However, with the Wii Nintendo has greatly expanded the amount of Internet based applications. While there is obviously still multiplayer gaming; we now have weather reports, news headlines, messaging, and content downloads. These functions do not demand a fast Internet connection. Besides taking longer to download content on a dialup connection than on broadband, there is no real difference. Because of this, I do support using dialup on the Wii; assuming you aren't tying to play multiplayer games online, at least. Any of the advanced connections detailed in Section 4 of this Guide can be used with a dialup connection. I have heard from a few people sharing out a dialup Internet connection with their Wii in the real world, and for the most part things are working well. Messaging and system updates work normally. The Internet Channel is also confirmed to work, as well as the Forecast and News Channels. However, you cannot access the Shop Channel with dialup, as the connection times out before it connects. Originally it was thought that this could be caused by the general instability of the Shop Channel at launch, but the situation still remains to this day. At this point, it is pretty clear that Nintendo is actively closing connections to clients on slower links. Why they are doing this is not so clear, but for the time being that is the way they are handling it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 7.2 My Wii no WAN - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One of the odd things I noticed on the Wii, or perhaps more accurately, one of the things I did not notice on the Wii, was any form of WAN authentication. The Wii is only capable of getting a simple DHCP lease. Anything else simply won't work. This can be a problem for people who want to directly connect their Wii to a broadband modem with the USB Ethernet adapter. While some ISPs do use just DHCP leases, many don't. For example, most DSL carriers will be using PPPoE, which the Wii has no support for. This is unlike other consoles, such as the PS2 and Xbox, which are designed to be directly connected to a broadband modem as well as a local network. Clearly Nintendo's goal with the Wii was only WiFi from a local AP, so it is not much of a surprise that they didn't design the Ethernet configuration as robustly as consoles which use it as their primary method of connectivity. While this is not a problem for most people, there are still many users who don't have a router and simply connect their game console to their modem when they want to play online. Unfortunately, depending on your ISP, this is not always possible on the Wii. It could be addressed in a system update, but until that point affected users will have to either buy a router, the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector, or setup one of the advanced connections from Section 4 if they wish to connect their Wii to the Internet. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 7.3 No-So-Universal Serial Bus - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When it was announced that the Wii would support an optional USB Ethernet adapter, many people foolishly thought that you would be able to use any generic device. This is of course not the case. Nintendo makes money on peripherals, and they aren't about to let you use any hardware you want if they can help it. You can NOT use just any generic USB Ethernet device, don't waste your money. The primary method of using Ethernet on your Nintendo Wii is through the "Wii LAN Adapter", which you can purchase through Nintendo's online store for $24.99 USD. The LAN Adapter was unfortunately not ready for release with the Wii, but as of the time of this writing is now available on Nintendo's online store (with other retailers scheduled to get it later on). If you don't want or can't get the official LAN Adapter, there are a few other options at your disposal. In theory, other devices with the same chipset (AX88772) should work, but I have not been able to locate any to test myself. There are a number of USB Ethernet adapters that use this chipset, including the KINAMAX NT-USB20 (old version), Airlink101 ASOHOUSB, and the Digitus DN-3016 and DN-3006. RadioShack now carries one such adapter (that actually has a "Wii Compatible" sticker on it) for $24.99. Unfortunately, it is getting hard to find compatible devices online anymore. As of Feb 2007, NewEgg is only selling the new version of the KINAMAX adapter, and no longer carry any adapter that will work with the Wii. At this point, your best bet might be to with Datel's offering, also called the "Wii LAN Adapter" (good, I wouldn't want this to get confusing). I have not been able to examine one of these devices myself, but I would be willing to bet anything that it is simply a AX88772 based device that they just put in their own fancy case (which, admittedly, is pretty sharp looking). As of this writing, the "Wii LAN Adapter" is available from the Datel website for $29.99 USD (plus S&H). This officially makes it the most expensive Ethernet option on the Wii, oddly enough. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 7.4 Channel Surfing - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A popular response to any WiFi related issue on the Wii is "Change the channel to 1 or 11.", Nintendo themselves even have this tip up on their official troubleshooting site for the Wii. While this often helps, very few people really understand why. The issue is one of interference. Wireless communication is plagued by the effects of outside interference, be it other wireless communication devices or electromagnetic interference (EMI). For WiFi, there are only 3 channels that do not overlap each other in the RF spectrum, and those are 1, 11, and 6. These channels are the best to use because they are less susceptible to interference from other WiFi devices. The idea is that if three different APs, each running on one of those channels, were placed side by side, they would not interfere with each other. That works well in concept, but unfortunately almost all manufacturers set their APs to channel 6 by default, so the benefit of using a non-overlapping channel is completely negated. This does however leave channels 1 and 11 rarely used for WiFi communication. They also have the advantage of being on the extreme ends of the 802.11 2.4 GHz spectrum (well, as far as the Wii can go, at least). This means that the chances of interference from other WiFi traffic and EMI (from microwaves, phones, TVs, etc) are sharply reduced, which in turn improves signal reception and cuts down on re-transmission. So the point is, channels 1 and 11 are generally not used by other WiFi devices and are farther away from the frequencies generated by various home electronics; which makes them prime candidates for use on your own WiFi network. However, all of that only comes into play if you are actually experiencing interference. If you have no problems with EMI and there are no other WiFi networks around you, all of the WiFi operating channels should work fine. Of course, this situation is getting increasingly less common in the 21st century, so you might as well just adjust your WiFi channel to be safe. For best results, always set the channel for your Access Point or soft AP to be at least 22 MHz away from the frequency used by the nearest WiFi device. However, for simplicity's sake you could just use 1 and 11, which will almost certainly be clear of traffic. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 7.5 Nocturnal Admissions - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Man, I love this Section heading. I thought it up one night and immediately ran to my note pad to write it down, I was terrified I would lose this bit of brilliance forever. Ironically though, the Section I had originally envisioned is no defunct, due to changes made in firmware version 3. Well, at least the title still works... I was going to do a Section on how WiiConnect24 works, what it does while the system is sleeping, etc, etc. But as of firmware version 3, WiiConnect24 functionality has been completely changed. It used to be that when connected to a router, the Wii would be active literally 24/7 as long as WiiConnect24 was enabled. The only time it didn't remain connected full time was when you were using the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector, presumably because Nintendo didn't expect the host computer to be active all the time. But in the current firmware, the Wii behaves this way on all connection types. Rather than being constantly connected to the network, it goes on for just a minute or so every couple of hours. In fact, it is so infrequent that I have immense trouble recording it's uptime accurately. The functionality on the user side is the same (though I would suspect it now takes longer for your Wii to realize something is waiting for it), but behind the scenes it is a totally different game. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say this was done in a move to try and prevent more Wii consoles from overheating in WiiConnect24 mode. Rather than running the fan while the machine was in standby, Nintendo chose to shut down the WiFi hardware while not in use, and taking that a step farther, minimized WiFi use in the first place. Assuming that was their intent, then they made the right choice as far as I am concerned, though some part of me does regret that "WiiConnect24" can't be taken literally anymore. ================================================================================ = 8. Misc. = ================================================================================ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 8.1 Version Information - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Changes for 1.2: Updated Section 6.1, "Networking Glossary" -Merged with DS version Added Section 2.1.1.3, "AirStation One-Touch Secure System (AOSS)" -Useless... Added Section 7.5, "Nocturnal Admissions" -WiiConnect24 changes Updated Section 8.2, "Future Additions" -Mention possible merge Updated Section 7.3, "No-So-Universal Serial Bus" -RadioShack adapter mentioned Changes for 1.1: Fixed typo in Section 7.4, "Channel Surfing" -That was a silly one there... Fixed typos in Section 7.1, "Dial L for Lag" -Shop, not Shopping Channel Fixed typo in Section 4.4.2.2, "Software Modification..." -Missing \ Updated Section 4, "Configuring an Advanced Connection" -Ethernet details Updated Section 7.3, "No-So-Universal Serial Bus" -New version of KINAMAX out Fixed typo in Section 4.1.3, "The Complete Wii_Route Script" -Found from Google Updated Section 6.1, "Networking Glossary" -Added SSID, should have had this... Updated Section 4.3.3, "Connecting the Wii" -Little clarifications Updated Section 7.4, "Correctly Configuring a Static IP" -Lots of little fixes Added Section 4.4.3, "Using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connector with Vista" -For now Changes for 1.0: Updated Section 7.2 -New hardware for Windows/Mac Completed Section 4.2.1, "Wireless" -Finally! Added Section 8.3, "Disclaimer" -I probably should have this... Completed Section 4.4.2, "Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector Soft AP" -Finally! Changes for 0.83: Replaced all instances of "Ethernet Kit" with "USB Ethernet Adapter". Slight changes to Sections 4 and 4.2.2.2. Updated Section 7.2, "My Wii no WAN" -Added that some ISPs will be unaffected Updated Section 7.3, "No-So-Universal Serial Bus" -Nintendo adapter is now out Updated Section 4.2.1, "Wireless" -Current Windows soft AP progress Changes for 0.82: Updated Section 4.3.3, "Connecting the Wii" -Default IP info added Updated Section 2.1.1.3.5, "Proxy Settings" -Firmware issue, thanks Fin Updated Section 7.1, "Dial L for Lag" -Info on Forecast and Internet Channels Removed Section 6, "FAQ & Troubleshooting" -I don't think I need it this time Updated Section 7.3, "No-So-Universal Serial Bus" -KINAMAX/Datel info added Changes for 0.81: Fixed typo in Section 2.1.1.1. Thanks, Grant. Fixed typo in Section 2.1.1.2. Thanks, Patrick. Fixed typo in Section 5. Thanks, Sean. Added Wi-Fi Connector software download URL Updated Section 4.3.3, "Connecting the Wii" -Looks like the DHCP problem is back Updated Section 8.1, "Dial L for Lag" -Thanks to those who contacted me on this Fixed typo in Section 7.3.3. Thanks, Nick. Added Section 8.4, "Channel Surfing" 0.80: First release, Nov 19th, 2006. Covers...well, a lot. The main things not done are the FAQ and Windows soft AP. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 8.2 Future Additions - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is a brief list of things I am working on, both in the short and long term. Short Term: Any changes Nintendo decides to make with updates. Study WiiConnect24 activity Long Term: Supplant Wii_Route with new script Break off extraneous topics and create "General Networking Guide" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 8.3 Disclaimer - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Due to the nature of this Guide, or more specifically, some of the particular sections of it, there is a high chance that you may encounter unexpected problems with your setup that are not addressed in this document. Please be aware that while all of the things in this document have worked for me in my own testing, that they may or may not work as well in your environment. While I will try and help if there is a problem, I cannot be held responsible for said problems. This Guide is provided for educational use only, and any changes you make to your network or computer are done so at your own risk. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 8.4 Credits - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to: My Wife, for buying me the Wii and...well...being my Wife. Love you, Baby. Linus Torvalds for creating the Linux kernel, and making the world happy. Patrick Volkerding for creating Slackware, and making me happy. Andrea Merello, for writing the RTL8180 driver I use for my WiFi hardware. Christian Maas, for writing the excellent XVI32. www.chmaas.handshake.de ravuya, for OSX information and screen shots. www.rav.efbnet.com Ectospheno, for his invaluable experience, and assistance with the OSX section. NikeXTC, for confirming that standard AirPort cards are soft AP capable. Prince_Valmont, for information on using the Wi-Fi Connector under Vista. All of the sites that graciously host this document. Everyone I don't hate. # EOF