How to get the Perfect Connection on XBL

It's a simple thing called port forwording. Most users have a Dynamic IP but we shall change it to a Static IP. For people who already have a static ip on their pc and xbox 360 then skip to Step 3. This is a long enough process to get it all working.


Step 1:
Static IP on PC(Windows Vista)

Open up the start menu, and click Run.Type cmd or command in the Open;box. This will bring up a black window. Type ipconfig/all in the window and press Enter. A screen similar like this should pop up.

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I want you to write down some of the information in this window. Take down the IP address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and name servers. Make sure to note which is which. We are going to use this information a little bit later. We are only concerned with IPv4 entries, you can ignore the IPv6 stuff.

The name server entries are a bit complicated. Name Server is just another name for DNS . Some router's act as a proxy between the actual name servers and your computer. You will know when this is the case, because the Default Gateway will list the same ip address as the Name Servers entry. We need to have the correct Name Server IP addresses. If we do not, you will not be able to browse the web. There are a couple ways to get these. The first way is to log into your router's web interface, and look at your router's status page. On that page you should see an entry for DNS servers, or Name Servers. Write down the ip adresses of your Name Servers. Another way to get the correct Name Servers to use, is to give your ISP a call. They should know the ip addresses of your Name Servers right off. If they ask you why you need them, you can tell them you are trying to setup a static ip address on your computer. If they try to sell you a static external ip address, don't buy it. That's an entirely different thing that what you are trying to setup.
Type exit in this window, then press the enter key to close it

Now click control panel double click Network and Sharing Centre and single click Manage Network Connections on the left side of your screen.You may have several network connections in this window. I want you to right click on the one you use to connect to the internet. Then click properties,then click on [b] Internet Protocol Version 4 and then click properties.

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You should now see a screen like this.

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Before you make any changes, write down the settings that you see on this page. If something goes wrong you can always change the settings back to what they were! You should see a dot in the Obtain an IP address automatically box. If you do not, your connection is already setup for a static ip. Just close all these windows and you are done.

Pick an ip address and enter it into the IP Address box. The ip address you choose should be very similar to the router's ip addres. Only the last number of the ip address should be different. If the router's ip address is 192.168.1.1, I might choose 192.168.1.10. The ip address you choose should end with a number between 1 and 254, and should not be the same as the router's ip address.

Every device that connects to your network needs to have it's own ip address. Put the subnet mask we previously found in the subnet mask section. The default gateway should go into the Default gateway box. Enter the dns servers we prevoiusly found into the two DNS Server boxes. Click okay all the way out of this menu. If you find that you can not pull up webpages, the problem is most likely the dns numbers you entered.

Give your ISP a call, and they will be able to tell you which dns servers to use. This is a question they answer all of the time. They will be able to tell you what you should use right away. That's it you should be done! If you can't connect to the internet go back and change your configuration back to what it originally was.

Now moving on to

Step 2
Creating Static IP on Xbox 360
This i had the most trouble with,and dont worry once your run the tests it might say your NAT is strict even it isnt,thats when the port forwarding comes in

Turn on your xbox and go across to system settings,then click Network and edit settings.Sorry for the old Dashboard Pic but its basically the same navigation as the new one.Click on both parts and click Manual instead of Automatic.Now enter your details.

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These may be helpful for people who have these routers

Linksys
IP Address : 192.168.1.250
Subnet Mask : 255.255.255.0
Gateway : 192.168.1.1
DNS : 192.168.1.1

D-Link
IP Address : 192.168.0.250
Subnet Mask : 255.255.255.0
Gateway : 192.168.0.1.
DNS : 192.168.0.1

Netgear
IP Address : 192.168.0.250
Subnet Mask : 255.255.255.0
Gateway : 192.168.0.1
DNS : 192.168.0.1

Enter the the ip address you want to use for your Xbox 360 into this page. It's important to choose an ip address that not in your router's dhcp range. You can check this by login in to your router and looking at it's dhcp or LAN page. Alternatively you can just pick an ip address that is not close to the ip address your xbox was previously using.

For instance if your xbox was using something like 192.168.0.2, then you would want the new ip address to be something like 192.168.0.200. If your xbox was using something like 192.168.0.240, then you would want the new ip address to be something like 192.168.0.2. Only the last group of numbers on the ip address should change, and that group of numbers would range from 2 to 254. Please, don't over think this just pick a number and go with it. I have just tried to provide some guidelines here so you can pick a better number.

Once you are done entering the ip address press the A button.The subnet mask for almost all home networks is 255.255.255.0.At Gateway Enter the ip address of your router into this page. Your router is your network's gateway. Then push the A buttonOnce everything is filled in then run a Test.It may pop up with a msg explaing you have a Strict NAT. If youre having problems its most likely the DNS Servers.Can be retrived on the Routers Config page or by calling your ISP.

Now its time for
Step 3
Port Forwarding on the Router

Now this part is pretty quick and easy if you got everything working. Im describing the tutorial i did to my Netopia 2247-02 but most are quite the same.Note IP Address is most likely different to the one you will be using. This site called ''portforwarding' is really helpful.This link is for the good of man kind

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Open a web browser like internet explorer or Netscape. Enter the ip address of your router in the address bar of your browser. In the picture above the address bar has [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] in it. Just replace all of that with the ip address of your router. By default the ip address should be set to 192.168.1.254. A box may pop up prompting for a username and password. at default it is admin (username) and admin1(password) Now you should be at a page which may look similar to this.

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Be sure firewall is set to Low or Off and NAT is on.
Now click on Expert Mode,click OK. Click Configure,then Advanced and NAT.You should come to a page like this

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Now we click Define Custom Service,click Port Forwarding NOT Port Triggering and should come to a page like this:

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We have to do this 3 times filling in different info.
in number 1:

Service Name: XboxLive3601
Protocol: TCP
(external)Global Port Range: 3074 - 3074
(internal)Base Host Port: 3074

Number 2:
Service Name: XboxLive3602
Protocol :UDP
Global Port: Range 88 - 88
Base Host ort 88

Number 3:
Service Name :XboxLive3603
Protocol :UDP
Global Port Range :3074 - 3074
Base Host Port :3074

You may also have to enter the IP Address that the xbox 360 is using.
Once they are done click on the arrow that will show a list of services.At the bottom will show your custom services.Click on the first one and click Enable.You will be on a page that will ask you to chose the Host Device.The IP Address of the 360 should be visible.Click that and confirm.Repeat process with the other 2.

Now there is one final thing.Underneath Define Custom Service button click on Static NAT and click on your 360's IP to be Static. And that page should look like this:

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Don't forget you will be restarting your router a few times for changes to take affect.