Wireless and Online Gaming

Wireless gaming is the latest addition to the world of online gaming. Game systems such as the Xbox, PS2, and GameCube all have standard Ethernet connection ports to connect to a home’s broadband access point. Due to the obvious advantage of wireless Internet gaming, some of the gaming systems’ new models (such as Nintendo Revolution) will have a wireless Internet adapter built in to the unit. Gamers seeking a wireless Internet connection with the older models will be required to purchase a wireless gaming adapter.

The advantage of wireless gaming connectivity speaks for itself. You don’t have to worry about being in close proximity to your broadband modem or deal with the hassle of running Ethernet cables all throughout your house. Game systems connect to a broadband access point via wireless gaming adapters.

Wireless Gaming Adapters

Wireless gaming adapters function primarily with the two most common at-home broadband connection types, those being DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) and digital cable. DSL and digital cable services are similar in that they both connect to the Internet via a modem. Wireless gaming adapters connect with the wired DSL / digital cable modem line through an access point. The access point serves as the bridge between the wired broadband and wireless broadband connection. The wireless adapters connect to the game systems and receive their signal from the broadband access point. The signal strength and the speed generated from the connection will vary from one wireless gaming adapter to another.

Wireless Gaming Adapter Types

There are multitudes of options to choose from when selecting a wireless gaming adapter. Two brands that are synonymous with quality wireless broadband connectivity are Linksys and D-Link.

Linksys WGA54G Wireless – G Gaming Adapter: The Linksys WGA54G adapter provides any Ethernet-compatible gaming system with high speed wireless broadband connection capabilities.

Linksys WGA54G features include some of the following:

• Compatible with Wireless – B (802.11b) gaming adapters.
• Compatible with PlayStation, Xbox and GameCube gaming systems without any type of driver installation.
• Provides head-to-head Internet gaming speeds of as much as 54 Mbps. (Connection is lag-free.)

D-Link Wireless 108AG Gaming Adapter: This sleek unit offered by D-Link is powered by GameFuel System Technology.

D-Link Wireless 108AG features include some of the following:

• Unit is backward compatible with 802.11b.
• Utilizing either 802.11a or 802.11g, the 108AG provides Internet gaming speeds up to 108 Mbps.
• System supports 64/128-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy.
• GameFuel System Technology makes network management simple and convenient.