How To Get Your 3/DS/i Online.

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Want to get your DS, DSi, or 3DS online?
Tried one of those WiFi sticks and couldn't get it working?
Have a wireless router but don't know the proper settings to use?

This guide will show you the basic steps for allowing DS connectivity.



Determine what wireless router you have, if any. It's possible for you to have a router and not see any wireless signal. The wireless could be disabled (or it could be a wired router), or the SSID could be hidden (meaning it won't show up in normal scans). On the other hand, just because there's a wireless signal in your house doesn't mean it's your router. Wireless signals can often extend within the range of the next house over, so it's not uncommon for you to pick up the wireless signals your neighbors are putting out.

The best way to determine if you have a wireless router is to ask somebody else in the house, but if they don't know you can go to a wired computer (such as a desktop) and trace the cable back to the box. Routers connect to PCs using ethernet cables, which is like a fat phone line. Trace this cable from the PC to the device it's connected to. On that device should be some sort of brand name and a model, for example "Linksys WRT54G". If you google this model you can quickly find if it's a modem, wired router, wireless router, or a gateway (modem+router in one).

If it's a wireless router, continue with the guide.
If not, consider picking up a wireless router for $40 or so depending on where you look.


Log into your router's settings. XP users click the start menu, then click on "Run". Type CMD and press enter.
Vista/7 users click the start menu, then click in the white box near the bottom. Type CMD and press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER (to run it with elevated rights).


In the command prompt, type ipconfig and press enter.


You might see multiple groups of options, in general the one with the most info filled out is the one you want. You need to look at the default gateway. That's most commonly the local IP address of your router, and it's how you'll log into it. You do NOT want the IPv6 gateway, just the normal one.



Open a web browser, and type that IP address (as listed) into the URL bar (as if you were visiting a web site). If it was the right IP address you'll be presented with a login box of one form or another.





The username could be "admin", "administrator" or blank, and the password can be anything from "admin" to "administrator" "pass" to "password" or "password1", or something else if you've set it differently. Ask whoever set up the router what the password to get into it is, or check this page.



Enable the wireless and make it visible to the DS unit. Wireless may be disabled on your router, or the SSID may be hidden.
Navigate around the router's settings pages until you find the right place to change the wireless settings. Key words to look for are "Wireless", "WiFi", and "WLAN". I can't show you an exact route because it can differ greatly between router models.


Once you find it, make sure that wireless is enabled, and that the SSID is not hidden. The SSID is the name/ID of the network, so if you change it then your network's name will change, and if it's hidden devices can't find your wireless for easy connection.






Set the correct security settings. After changing the above settings, you want to find the wireless security page. There should be a setting to set the encryption type, and the type you choose will depend on what you play.

Playing DS games... WEP.
Playing DSi-enhanced games in a DS/Lite... WEP.
Playing DSi games in a DSi or 3DS... WEP or WPA (PSK).
Playing 3DS games in a 3DS... WEP or WPA (PSK).


After you choose the type, it'll ask you for a pass phrase. Input a random pass phrase and it'll generate one or more keys for you.


These are the access codes for your wireless network, so write them down! They will only contain numbers 0-9, and letters A-F. Save the changes, and if you changed the settings (they weren't on WEP or WPA before) you may need to reconnect your computer to the router and give it the new key since the info changed.






Connecting on a DS/Lite. The DS and DS Lite don't have the WiFi settings menu in the firmware, so you'll need to launch a game with WiFi connectivity and choose to access the wireless settings menu.
Press Nintendo WiFi Connection Settings. Three connections will be listed. Press one that says NONE, or click underneath an existing one to erase it's settings. Connection 1 is preferable as many homebrews and such will not use connections 2 or 3.
Press Search For An Access Point. The DS/Lite will scan for wireless signals, and it should display a list, including yours. Tap on your connection and enter in the WEP key when it's requested. The connection should test and be successful! If not check the troubleshooting steps.
Connecting on a DSi/XL. From the main menu, go to System Settings.
Go right two pages, then press Internet, and then press Connection Settings.
You should see three connections. If you're using WEP, use one of these. If not, press Advanced Setup to access connections 4/5/6 (which can use WPA security). Press the one that says NONE, or click an existing one to get the option to erase it's settings. Connection 1 is preferable as many homebrews and such will not use connections 2 or 3.
Press Search For An Access Point. The DSi/XL will scan for wireless signals, and it should display a list, including yours. Tap on your connection and enter in the WEP/WPA key when it's requested. The connection should test and be successful! If not check the troubleshooting steps.
Connecting on a 3DS. Press on the wrench to access system settings, and press Internet Settings, then Connection Settings.
You should see three connections. Press the one that says Not Configured, or click an existing one to get the option to erase it's settings. Connection 1 is preferable as many homebrews and such will not use connections 2 or 3.
Press Manual Setup, then Search For An Access Point. The 3DS will scan for wireless signals, and it should display a list, including yours. Tap on your connection and enter in the WEP/WPA key when it's requested. The connection should test and be successful! If not check the troubleshooting steps.



Troubleshooting Can't connect properly? Keep dropping out or losing connection? Try these troubleshooting steps.


Changing the wireless channel.
It's possible that there's some interference in the exact wireless spectrum your router is set to broadcast on, so you can log into your router's settings and change it's "channel". There's generally 7-11 channels to pick from, and while many guides say to pick channels 0 or 1, the point is to NOT use a channel somebody else nearby is using. So you should pick a channel that's a few numbers higher or lower than the current channel. If this still has interference, try another channel.


Physically moving.
Wireless can go through walls, but that doesn't mean it makes it through unharmed. The more solid objects a wireless signal has to go through, the more it degrades. Try to move yourself so the least number of walls are between you and the router.


Upgrading the router's firmware.
Sometimes there just may be a bug in the router's coding. If you go to the site of the company that made the router (such as D-Link, Linksys, Netgear, Buffalo, whatever) and go to the support page for your router, you'll often find where to download the latest firmware, and instructions on how to give it to the router. Generally you'll download a .BIN file (by itself or zipped), and then you log into the router and upload that file into it somewhere, but these instructions may vary. Always make sure to do this from a wired connection, not wireless!