X-Box Live cable question (1 Viewer)

[Ike]

What I'm thinking of doing is running a long Cat5 that is constantly hooked up to my X-Box to the back of my desk. When I want to play Live, I'd simply unhook my USB connection between the computer and the modem, and hook in the Cat5.

Would this work? Would I have to unplug the modem everytime I wanted to play Live? Would a long Cat5 slow the connection down? Where can I buy cheap Cat5 in long lengths (50'-100')? What's a Cat5e, and would it work?

 

[Ben Seibert]

You might have to reset your modem each time by unplugging it, but that should work. Spec for Cat5 calls for no slowdown up to 100m I believe, so distance should not be a problem. 100 feet of Cat5 is available at Radio Shack for around $5 or so, and also at Home Depot for a bit more. Cat5e is for gigibit networks mainly, and would work just fine. For making cables, if you have not already, I have a small guide here.

 

[Ike]

Fantastic! Thanks, Ben!

I'm running a Motorola Surfboard SB4100. Is there any known problems with this modem? I see the term tossed around-will I need a "crossover" cable?

 

[Joel Mack]

No, if you're going to do what you described, you need a regular old Cat5 "straight through" cable.

 

[Rob_Pierce]

I had the same type of set-up that you are proposing. Each time I wanted to play Live, I would unplug the cable running to my computer, then plug in the cable running to my XBox. I would then unplug and reset the modem. It gets to be a real pain in the butt, but if that's the only way, it's better than nothing.

I ended up purchasing a NetGear router at Best Buy and it really made a big difference for me. Not only did it get rid of the cable switching problem, but the connection speed for both my computer and XBox increased considerably. If you get the extra cash, I recommend you look into picking up a router; they can be pretty cheap on eBay.

 

[Ike]

Rob,
You mean like this? What else would I need to get that setup up and running?

 

[jason bishop]

if you are on att broadband your modem might slow you down. alot of folks have had to switch to the Toshiba 2200 because up upload speed problems.

 

[Joel Mack]

You mean like this? What else would I need to get that setup up and running?

Yep. That'll do it.

Connect your cable modem to the router, and then one cable each from the router to your PC and Xbox.

You're done!

 

[Rob_Pierce]

You mean like this? What else would I need to get that setup up and running?

Man, Ike, you're good. This is the exact model of the router I purchased (Netgear RP614NA 4-Port Cable/DSL Router). I'm new to the networking world and couldn't tell a hub from a router if my life depended on it (NOTE: please don't submit a message telling me the difference, it's an analogy). The RP614 is a great plug 'n play router and really helped my setup.

I got mine at Best Buy for $59, with an additional $35 in mail in rebates, but that was about 2 weeks ago. If you have any questions about it, let me know.