Hmm. I guess you could find a cheap wireless router/hub/repeater (don't know the correct term) and plug your 360 into that device. Then you would have to configure that device to talk to whatever wireless network you are running. Surely you can find that device for less than $100.

[xbox 360]______[wireless repeater] ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ [wireless router]____[modem]

One thing good about the XBOX 360 wireless adapter is that it's easy to setup and easy to troubleshoot. In my experience, wireless networks aren't that stable. With the wireless adapter for the 360, I can go into the networking menu and troubleshoot/config easily.

To troubleshoot the option I laid out above, you'd have to connect a laptop or computer to the device to troubleshoot it. Could be a hassle that may or may not be worth the savings.

[rant]

Doesn't the PS3 have wifi built in? And a BluRay player? And bigger hard drive?

You start adding up these expensive accessories that the 360 offers and the PS3 price isn't so bad.
[/rant]

They might have made it where you cant, will have to look into that. Wireless networks for gaming tend to be slow, or atleast the lowered bandwidth hurts it. Might want to ask the big brown eye cause I think he did use a wireless network.

I've got 3 wireless networks in my house. I've connected to Live wirelessly on the XBOX 360 for over a year. You can connect to the network as I described. The uncertains are the price point (not spending $100) and getting the right hardware (picking the right kind of device for the network in place).

It's not a bandwidth problem as the games aren't using up all of the bandwidth. Latency is what causes the biggest problems with wireless connections. If you've got the right equipment and use it right frequencies at the right distances, you can game wirelessly with little to no problems.

Linksys makes a "Wireless Game Adapter." It plugs into the ethernet port and seeks out a Wireless-G network. I used one to make my dad's security system wireless, and actually tested it with my 360 while I was there (Christmas 2005). Worked great with the 360 and continues to work with the security system. Unfortunately, it's almost as expensive as the Xbox peripheral.

I vote for Rapture's idea of using the cheapest Wireless-G router you can find and configuring it as an access point. Would also be innovative.

I have the same adapter. It works pretty well. My dad uses it right now on his computer.

If you ever want to use the adapter for something else I'd recommend a Wireless PCI card for your dad's computer. I've been using one in my desktop for a couple years now. It's easy to install and will clean up wires and associated equipment behind the tower.

It is not just latency. I'd say just as important as latency with wirless QoS(quality of service) is connection jitter.

Here is an example of me ping flooding a wireless comp on my network.

root@jaywhy-desktop:~# ping -f 192.168.1.100
PING 192.168.1.100 (192.168.1.100) 56(84) bytes of data.
.
--- 192.168.1.100 ping statistics ---
1169 packets transmitted, 1168 received, 0% packet loss, time 5888ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 3.523/4.917/14.123/0.748 ms, ipg/ewma 5.041/4.983 ms

Notice the difference between the min and max ping return time. The highest ping was 14ms and the lowest was 3ms a jitter of 11ms (14-3).

Jitter is important because all multiplayer games use time manipulation. Rewinding a multiplayer game like a VCR based on your ping. Determining where the enemy you're shooting at was when you actually shot at them. This makes it so you don't have to lead. If your ping fluctuates constantly this leads to inaccuracies in that rewinding.

Sadly you really can't test this on a Windows computers without some third party app. There is probably something out there though, google will probably find it.

The Linksys WGA54G Wireless-G Gaming Adapter might be a good solution. You can find it for about $80 at Amazon (maybe cheaper other places? Doubt it.). The good thing about this adapter is that it will work universally with any ethernet port (or it should in theory). It's just moving data that comes into it to another network.

It will be hard-wired to the network port on the 360. It will then connect to a 802.11g or 802.11b network. This device will work with any ethernetport. So, you could also use it on the PS3, laptops, PC's, VOIP adapters, and internet appliances.

Note: the Linksys device won't do 802.11a. The XBOX 360 adapter will. Depending on your network setup and how close your console is to your radio, the 802.11a frequency may be better for gaming. I know it's better for HDTV for my setup.

Dlink makes similar products at similar prices. Their website has details. I did find a product, D-Link DWL-G820 Wireless Gaming Adapter, that costs about $65 new. It should do what you want also. However, it doesn't support 802.11a, which you probably aren't using.

Note: Maybe by the end of the year we will see 802.11n devices which will be the fastest wireless networking you'll get in your home. You can bet that wireless adapters will come out that will support the faster speeds at that time. So, if you buy a product now, it will be obsolete sooner rather than later.

Newegg has the XBOX 360 wireless USB adapter for $85.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16874103016

Not too bad.

However, buying the access point hub might be a more versatile for your network and needs.

Can anyone give me some troubleshooting suggestions to connect using the wireless adaptor. i feel like i have tried everything (including spending time on the phone xbox support). I have input my WEP and my xbox can "see" my network and it even shows that there is a strong signal...but when i test connection it fails at the second step: wireless network. Very confused and frustrated.

Unfortunately, there's not much we can do from here but ask you a lot of questions since you didn't provide us with enough information to troubleshoot your wireless network.

My suggestion would be to read the manuals for your wireless router and wireless adapter from cover to cover.

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currently playing: Civilization 4
collecting dust: XBOX 360 Elite console, Halo 3
currently supporting: The guy who's won the most straw polls - r3/\O¯|ution

if u have a laptop that uses wireless you cna use an internet/ethearnet er watever and plug the xbox360 into the wireless conncected laptop, the internet will transfer tot the xbox360 as well as the laptop