Wii tip of the day

J

jasongst

CAG Veteran
I was having trouble getting a consistent connection to the internet through the Wii. At first it worked and I even managed to download some updates, but lately it was having trouble connecting at all. Luckily, I stumbled upon the problem / solution:

If you have WEP security enabled, try using the "Open System" option instead of "Shared Key". After changing this setting on my D-Link router, not only do I connect consistently, but the response time is also many times faster than it was before. Now things are great.
 
[quote name='jasongst']I was having trouble getting a consistent connection to the internet through the Wii. At first it worked and I even managed to download some updates, but lately it was having trouble connecting at all. Luckily, I stumbled upon the problem / solution:

If you have WEP security enabled, try using the "Open System" option instead of "Shared Key". After changing this setting on my D-Link router, not only do I connect consistently, but the response time is also many times faster than it was before. Now things are great.[/quote]

I would assume this is an option on my Linksys WRT54GS router, but I am not seeing it.

EDIT: I see in my Advanced Wireless Settings that my Authentication Type is set to Auto. And the other option is Shared Key, so I'm assuming I already have mine setup. Wii dowloads and such have seemed a little slow, though I'm hoping it's just because the console is still new.
 
[quote name='keithp']...and you've just compromised security for your network...nice!...[/quote]

It still requires a WEP key. WEP is bad security anyway. I only use it because my DS doesn't support WPA.
 
The Wii doesn't like the WRT54G very much. Here's some info.

Firstly, secure your network. Keep it on WPA-TKIP, pick your network key.

Once the Wii detects the network, it'll download the updates. However, it will not get through the user agreements.

This is due to the server they are using having a short timeout, as well as many people hitting it at the same time. The Wii is also VERY finicky about firewall settings.

On your router's status page, it will have three DNS addresses: a primary, a secondary, and a third. All devices on your network are likely using your primary.

Go into your network settings page on the Wii, and you'll see the name of your network displayed (such as linksys). On the left and right of this text field are arrows. Use these arrows to navigate manual settings. Fool around with it a bit, and you'll find a field that allows you to manually input DNS addresses.

De-select the autodetect feature.. and manually input your secondary or third DNS address from your router's status page on the maintenance menu. Put the third DNS address as the other choice.

You should be good to go, but the Wii typically prefers channel one or 11 for wireless transmission. Before closing out your router's access page, I'd set it to channel 11.

There.. your network is now secure again, and the Wii should be able to get online.
 
I have the WRT54G. I was having timeouts trying to connect to the store/VC channel. Then I changed to channel 1 on the router and it's all been working perfectly since. No other probs with it using the router at all. No changes to DNS settings on the wii.
 
[quote name='njchris']I have the WRT54G. I was having timeouts trying to connect to the store/VC channel. Then I changed to channel 1 on the router and it's all been working perfectly since. No other probs with it using the router at all. No changes to DNS settings on the wii.[/QUOTE]

Nice! Sometimes it can be fixed from a channel change on the wireless transmission. What hardware version is your router (located on a sticker on the bottom of the router)? Mine is V 5.0.. I've got to set up my brother's this week, and his is a 6.0. I've done a few searches, and many problems seem to be from the 5.0 and below. It's kind of strange.. it leaves me believing that the Wii is really finicky, as the router is a solid piece of equipment.

Hopefully, alot of this will be fixed with a firmware update.
 
[quote name='Skylander7']Nice! Sometimes it can be fixed from a channel change on the wireless transmission. What hardware version is your router (located on a sticker on the bottom of the router)? Mine is V 5.0.. I've got to set up my brother's this week, and his is a 6.0. I've done a few searches, and many problems seem to be from the 5.0 and below. It's kind of strange.. it leaves me believing that the Wii is really finicky, as the router is a solid piece of equipment.

Hopefully, alot of this will be fixed with a firmware update.[/quote]

Mine is a V5 and changing the channel from 6 to 11 completely fixed all of the issues I was having with connecting to the Wii Shop and WiiConnect24.

There is a firmware update for the v5 version on the Linksys site that just came out on 11/27 (1.01.1) but it doesn't address any Wii issues. I just flashed my router with 1.01.0 last week when I was first having issues getting into the Wii Shop. Of course it didn't do anything. You might has well flash your router with the latest firmware anyway, and then try changing the channel. It really works.

As far as the WRT54G (v5) being solid - it really has not been. I got it when it first came out and my internet connection was flaky and slow as hell. It wasn't until a couple firmware updates came out that it has been alright. I had almost gotten to the point of boxing it up and bringing it back to Best Buy when a firmware update finally came out.
 
[quote name='lebowsky']Mine is a V5 and changing the channel from 6 to 11 completely fixed all of the issues I was having with connecting to the Wii Shop and WiiConnect24.

There is a firmware update for the v5 version on the Linksys site that just came out on 11/27 (1.01.1) but it doesn't address any Wii issues. I just flashed my router with 1.01.0 last week when I was first having issues getting into the Wii Shop. Of course it didn't do anything. You might has well flash your router with the latest firmware anyway, and then try changing the channel. It really works.

As far as the WRT54G (v5) being solid - it really has not been. I got it when it first came out and my internet connection was flaky and slow as hell. It wasn't until a couple firmware updates came out that it has been alright. I had almost gotten to the point of boxing it up and bringing it back to Best Buy when a firmware update finally came out.[/QUOTE]

Forgot to suggest flashing the router's firmware, but I'm hoping that Nintendo updates the Wii firmware to fix connectivity issues.

Whenever I've set up wireless networks for friends/friends-of-friends, I've used the WRT54G.. I think maybe one or two were speedboosters. I guess it depends on the wireless card or device connected to it. I use it at my house, and I'll sit on the porch with a laptop smoking and drinking a glass of tea when the router is on the other side of the house.

Personally, I try to stay away from D-Link or Netgear products. I've had some shitty experiences with D-Link (although I know some will disagree with me). I know that I tried out a D-Link wireless router once, and the damned thing dropped constantly.

I forget the model #, but I also use a Linksys wireless card. I was wary about it at first as I play multiplayer on this particular PC from time to time, but I've never lost connection during a game with it.
 
Personally, I try to stay away from D-Link or Netgear products. I've had some shitty experiences with D-Link (although I know some will disagree with me). I know that I tried out a D-Link wireless router once, and the damned thing dropped constantly.

I forget the model #, but I also use a Linksys wireless card. I was wary about it at first as I play multiplayer on this particular PC from time to time, but I've never lost connection during a game with it.
Click to expand...
My Netgear router dropped me all the time, but the free D-Link router that came with my Verizon FIOS has never dropped even once. Go figure. There definitely seem to be some lemons floating around out there.

Oh, and I'm using the cheapo Airlink+ adapters from Fry's.
 
I'm using WAP on my Belkin G router, and all I had to do was select the connection, input my guest password (internet access only), and I was done.

Am I missing something?
 
i have a WTR54G that is set to WEP (stupid DS) and i have had no problems at all with connecting to the network. i get messages, miis and have no problems with downloading or shopping for vc games
 
For those of you having problems with your Linksys, may I ask exaclty what type of problems are you having?

-Have you been able to connect at all?
-Could you download the update and nothing more?
-Have gotten any games over your connection?
 
[quote name='lebowsky']Mine is a V5 and changing the channel from 6 to 11 completely fixed all of the issues I was having with connecting to the Wii Shop and WiiConnect24.

There is a firmware update for the v5 version on the Linksys site that just came out on 11/27 (1.01.1) but it doesn't address any Wii issues. I just flashed my router with 1.01.0 last week when I was first having issues getting into the Wii Shop. Of course it didn't do anything. You might has well flash your router with the latest firmware anyway, and then try changing the channel. It really works.

As far as the WRT54G (v5) being solid - it really has not been. I got it when it first came out and my internet connection was flaky and slow as hell. It wasn't until a couple firmware updates came out that it has been alright. I had almost gotten to the point of boxing it up and bringing it back to Best Buy when a firmware update finally came out.[/QUOTE]


you guys probably already know this, but v5 and up of the WRT54G have been known to be flaky thanks to linksys' official firmware, which is why they're generally avoided. the reason being that linksys changed the firmware implementation to avoid having to release the source (and allow 3rd party firmware, as they had to with v1-v4 - search for info on dd-wrt if you have one of these). they also halved the ram and effectively neutered the device. there's a "micro" version of dd-wrt (more here) that may help you out, though.

then, of course, they released the WRT54GL, which reverted to the old hardware, and charged $20 more.

new coke, meet coke classic...
 
[quote name='Skylander7']The Wii doesn't like the WRT54G very much. Here's some info.

Firstly, secure your network. Keep it on WPA-TKIP, pick your network key.

Once the Wii detects the network, it'll download the updates. However, it will not get through the user agreements.

This is due to the server they are using having a short timeout, as well as many people hitting it at the same time. The Wii is also VERY finicky about firewall settings.

On your router's status page, it will have three DNS addresses: a primary, a secondary, and a third. All devices on your network are likely using your primary.

Go into your network settings page on the Wii, and you'll see the name of your network displayed (such as linksys). On the left and right of this text field are arrows. Use these arrows to navigate manual settings. Fool around with it a bit, and you'll find a field that allows you to manually input DNS addresses.

De-select the autodetect feature.. and manually input your secondary or third DNS address from your router's status page on the maintenance menu. Put the third DNS address as the other choice.

You should be good to go, but the Wii typically prefers channel one or 11 for wireless transmission. Before closing out your router's access page, I'd set it to channel 11.

There.. your network is now secure again, and the Wii should be able to get online.[/QUOTE]

My Wii found and uses my WRT54G perfectly right out of the box. I do run DD-WRT on it thou. So maybe it likes that better.
 
[quote name='njchris']I have the WRT54G. I was having timeouts trying to connect to the store/VC channel. Then I changed to channel 1 on the router and it's all been working perfectly since. No other probs with it using the router at all. No changes to DNS settings on the wii.[/QUOTE]

I did this as well. I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread, as I was getting very frustrated with the Wii's online capabilities. Thanks for the help.
 
[quote name='monkeypox']you guys probably already know this, but v5 and up of the WRT54G have been known to be flaky thanks to linksys' official firmware, which is why they're generally avoided. the reason being that linksys changed the firmware implementation to avoid having to release the source (and allow 3rd party firmware, as they had to with v1-v4 - search for info on dd-wrt if you have one of these). they also halved the ram and effectively neutered the device. there's a "micro" version of dd-wrt (more here) that may help you out, though.

then, of course, they released the WRT54GL, which reverted to the old hardware, and charged $20 more.

new coke, meet coke classic...[/quote]

Yeah, I found that out the hard way. All of my friends had the WRT54G and raved about it so that is what I got...only to find out I had a V5.
 
[quote name='monkeypox']you guys probably already know this, but v5 and up of the WRT54G have been known to be flaky thanks to linksys' official firmware, which is why they're generally avoided. the reason being that linksys changed the firmware implementation to avoid having to release the source (and allow 3rd party firmware, as they had to with v1-v4 - search for info on dd-wrt if you have one of these). they also halved the ram and effectively neutered the device. there's a "micro" version of dd-wrt (more here) that may help you out, though.

then, of course, they released the WRT54GL, which reverted to the old hardware, and charged $20 more.

new coke, meet coke classic...[/QUOTE]

This will be added to my FAQ most definitely. I didn't know about any of this, and now that I read it, and see that the router I purchased a few weeks ago is a neutered model, I must ask if I should get rid of it.

I went to the Wiki and read info on it and some of the links it had, and the general notion I got was "if it aint broke, don't worry about it." 'Cuz I'm running the latest official firmware on a V6 and it goes just fine, especially with the "switch to channel 1" trick that others have tried.

That said, if it is indeed worth it to get the newer GL model, I could always keep this one as a backup/travel router to keep with the Wii, and replace it with the beefier model.

Any additional help you could provide would be most appreciated.
 
I got a D-Link from vontage, and it worked out of the box. It has no firmware updates, but it was already set to channal 11, and the wii connected with no probs. I couldent get the wep to work untill i relized it dident like fire fox. HA.
 
[quote name='Strell']This will be added to my FAQ most definitely. I didn't know about any of this, and now that I read it, and see that the router I purchased a few weeks ago is a neutered model, I must ask if I should get rid of it.

I went to the Wiki and read info on it and some of the links it had, and the general notion I got was "if it aint broke, don't worry about it." 'Cuz I'm running the latest official firmware on a V6 and it goes just fine, especially with the "switch to channel 1" trick that others have tried.

That said, if it is indeed worth it to get the newer GL model, I could always keep this one as a backup/travel router to keep with the Wii, and replace it with the beefier model.

Any additional help you could provide would be most appreciated.[/QUOTE]

strell, it's really up to you. if you aren't having any problems with it so far, you're probably okay. chances are, if the router's going to break down, it would've happened by now. me, I'd probably return it, but only because I'd be using the "unofficial" firmware for the extra features and control. if you want to go that route, the GL (or somehow finding an older revision of the wrt54g) is one solution. another is this buffalo router. I just bought one for my parents and plan to flash it once it arrives. was around $30 after google checkout at buy.com.
 
[quote name='Skylander7']Nice! Sometimes it can be fixed from a channel change on the wireless transmission. What hardware version is your router (located on a sticker on the bottom of the router)? Mine is V 5.0.. [/quote]Mine's from the earlier versions. I think it's the 2nd one.
 
[quote name='Strell']This will be added to my FAQ most definitely. I didn't know about any of this[/quote]

You mofo. I PM'ed you about that last week!

I guess I should have made the title of the PM something about Wangmotion. ;)
 
[quote name='lebowsky']You mofo. I PM'ed you about that last week!

I guess I should have made the title of the PM something about Wangmotion. ;)[/QUOTE]

I linked to your entire thread about it! With a side note that "I will cull this later, and steal all the glory and womens for myself."

But yes. Wangmotation at the top of any TPS report memo'd to me will get my attention in more than one way.
 
Maybe we should change the post title to "Wii Wifi Help", sticky it, and keep it going. Strell, thanks for adding this to the Wiki.

I think we should have a dedicated connectivity support thread. Info here is more precise, accurate, and informative than the support forums at Ni.0ntendo (where you have conflicting information posted by some).

Whoever posted that link to the WRT54G wiki about the version neutering.. thanks. I never even suspected that was going on with the firmware. My brother got a v 6.0 and a wireless PCI card, and I'm going to try that firmware when I set up his network tomorrow.
 
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