| Nintendo Wi-fi Usb Connector |
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The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector is an accessory, developed jointly by Nintendo and Buffalo Technology , which allows Nintendo DS and Wii users without a Wi-Fi connection or compatible Wi-Fi network to establish one via a Broadband -connected PC . Inserted into the host PC's USB port, the connector functions as a Wireless Access Point for the Nintendo DS and Wii, permitting the user to connect to the Internet to play Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection games and various other online functionality. FUNCTIONALITY The Nintendo W-Fi USB Connector is a rebranded Buffalo WLI-U2-KG54-AI,1 which is based on the RT2500 chipset and as such is different from most other Wi-Fi adapters in that it can operate as a software access point (also referred to as a soft AP). Few adapters can do this under Windows, as Windows lacks both the software necessary to configure a soft AP and capable drivers for natively supported hardware. By bundling a soft AP compatible device with their own proprietary software, Nintendo was able to overcome this and at the same time greatly simplify the otherwise complicated process of putting a supported device into soft AP mode, configuring it, and routing Internet traffic over it. While not officially supported by Nintendo, the USB Connector can function as a standard wireless adapter by using modified Ralink or Buffalo Technology drivers. In addition, these drivers also provide support for Windows 9x and 2000. Detailed instructions on how to modify and install said drivers can be found in Section 4.4.2.1 of the (Unofficial) DS Wireless Networking Guide.2 CRITICISM As with any consumer device, there have been a number of complaints and criticisms made of the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector since its release. While the device works as advertised for the majority of users, there have some valid complaints brought up about its design and functionality. These users often fall outside of the target audience for the Wi-Fi USB Connector (namely Microsoft Windows users without a pre-existing wireless network or the technical expertise to configure one),3 which likely explains the lack of an official response from Nintendo in regards to some of the issues. Proprietary authentication Easily the most obvious (and in many ways, the most valid) criticism of the Wi-Fi USB Connector is that it uses a proprietary authentication mechanism. Because of this, the Wi-Fi USB Connector works ''only'' with approved devices, which at this time is limited to the DS and Wii consoles.4 This behavior was an intentional design decision on the part of Nintendo, as it prevents outside parties from connecting to the Wi-Fi USB Connector with their computers and accessing the user's Internet connection or computer. Still, many users would appreciate the option of using the Wi-Fi USB Connector with standard wireless devices. While the Wi-Fi USB Connector can be modified to circumvent this, the modification is beyond the capability of most users and is naturally unsupported by Nintendo. Operating system support An increasingly common complaint of the Wi-Fi USB Connector is the fact that its configuration software only supports Microsoft Windows XP . At the time of the Wi-Fi USB Connector's release, the main concern was the lack of support for older versions of Windows, principally Windows 2000 . However, the present concern is the exact opposite, a lack of support for Microsoft's latest offering, Windows Vista . To date, Nintendo has made no official announcement as to when a Vista-capable version of the Wi-Fi USB Connector software will be available, only that they are looking into the problem. 5 Unfortunately, support for older versions of Microsoft Windows is highly unlikely at this point. These operating systems are no longer supported by Microsoft and lack the advanced networking features and functionality present in modern versions of the Windows operating system. Even less likely is support for Unix -like operating systems, including Linux , Mac OS X , and BSD . The situation is not an uncommon one for users of said operating systems, as proprietary hardware devices have a tendency to focus on Windows first (and often only) simply due to the installed userbase. However, it is possible to use the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector in client mode (that is, as a device to connect to a wireless network rather than create one) under Linux 6 and BSD 7 when using the appropriate drivers. Internet connection sharing The core functionality of the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector is provided by Window's Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) feature, which allows a Windows computer to act as a router and automatically configure client devices for Internet access. Unfortunately, due to limitations in ICS, there are a number of caveats with this method. Like the Wi-Fi USB Connector software itself, ICS offers the user no configurable options. This means that ICS may not function as expected, or at all, in complex network environments. In addition, Windows cannot handle multiple ICS configurations simultaneously, or in other words, only a single application or network device can use and configure ICS at one time. This means that if your network is currently relying on ICS or you use software that utilizes it (such as Windows Media Center Extender for the Xbox 360 ),8 you may not be able to use the Wi-Fi USB Connector at all. Software firewall compatibility While not actually a fault with the Wi-Fi USB Connector itself, due to the nature of the device, a software Firewall installed on the computer hosting the Wi-Fi USB Connector will interfere with its operation. To alleviate this issue, the user must allow the software full access to the Internet, or manually specify acceptable port ranges to allow through the firewall; depending on how that particular firewall is configured.9 Unfortunately, some firewall products (like ZoneAlarm ) are incompatible with the Wi-Fi USB Connector software and must be either uninstalled or disabled, leaving the computer open to possible attack from external sources. The user's only option in this scenario is to risk connecting to the Internet unprotected, or install a different firewall product. Network topology A common complaint from more advanced users is the complete lack of user-configurable options in the Wi-Fi USB Connector software and installer. For the novice user this is seen as a much-welcomed advantage of the Wi-Fi USB Connector over a traditional wireless router, but for those users who wish to use the device in a more complicated network environment, it can be an insurmountable obstacle. For example, the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector will cause an IP conflict if an existing network is using the 192.168.0.x or 192.168.1.x IP schemes, both common IP ranges used in consumer routers.101112 PACKAGING The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector includes a USB extension cable, a manual, and a software CD. It is recommended that you download and install the latest version of the Wi-Fi USB Connector software rather than using the version on the CD, as important updates have been made in the newer versions. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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