Poll Results - Wireless 360?

Here are the latest poll results:

Do you use a wireless connection for your Xbox 360?

Yes = 6 votes
No = 11 votes
Never heard of wireless = 0 votes
Don't have an Xbox 360 = 1 vote


Okay, so who doesn't have an Xbox 360? Come on, fess up now.

Anyway, I'm finally moved into my new house. Sometimes I regret the decision and sometimes I love it. We'll see what side wins out when the utility bills start coming in and I have to make my first mortgage payment.

My gaming internet set up is still a wired connection for now. I don't have the money or the time to shop around for the best wireless receiver for my Xbox 360. From the comments I've heard so far from friends, I don't want to get the Microsoft wireless receiver as it doesn't work very well. Maybe in a couple of months I can start looking at options.

Right now I have an ethernet cable running along the floor through my house. It crosses the hallway to the bedrooms and crosses in front of the doorway from the front room, but otherwise it's pretty much out of the way of general traffic. The cable is not long enough to snake it up over the doorway or hallway, but I guess I could get a longer one for that. But if I'm going to go wireless eventually I'm not going to be spending my money on longer ethernet cables now. If I was still renting I might, but every penny counts now. And I've been spending a lot of them lately just to get in there and fix some things up.

I've hosted a couple of Gears of War matches and I do notice a little improvement with my connection. It's not enough to make me a better player, but it's easier to get those "host" kills that all my friends really love dying by. Just ask them; they'll tell you.

I really love being able to turn the volume up as loud as I want while playing. It's allowed me to stop and listen for the enemy before charging into things like I did before. At least now I don't have to worry if someone is going to pound on my walls about the noise. No, I'm not blasting out the neighborhood either. I've got wood and tile flooring throughout the main living areas so any sound gets bounced around and seems louder and cavernous than it would if I had all carpeting. But it's nice to not have to worry about the volume as I play.

If anyone knows the type, brand and price of the wireless receiver you're using for your Xbox 360 I'd like to know how it's working for you. Leave a comment or send me a PM on Xbox Live. I'm not looking to buy right away but any fore-knowledge before I do will help.

New wireless receiver: approximately $100
Look of surprise on store employee's face when a girl walks in and knows things about wireless receivers: Priceless

Homeownership

I now own and live in my own house. Would someone please tell me why I did all of this? Besides all the little things like garage door remotes, nonfunctioning phone jacks, dead cable outlets and improperly ordered/delivered refrigerators I now get the pleasure of spending the next thirtly years listening to my backyard neighbors blast their music on a Saturday night. Isn't that why I wanted to get out of an apartment in the first place? If I was still in an apartment and my neighbors were blasting their music that loud the whole complex would hear them. People four apartments down would be pounding on their walls to make it stop.

Like I said, can anyone tell me why I did all of this? 'Cause right now it all feels the same . . . except for my bank account. That is considerably lighter.

Wireless for Dummies

Let me start off by saying I know what a wireless connection is and how it works. I just had to say that because I didn't want you to think I was any more stupid that I actually am.

I'm getting really close to the end of this house buying process. If all things go according to plan I should be in my new house in a couple of weeks. Maybe by then I'll have some mental energy left to post more here.

One of the issues I have with my house is that I will either need to string a long Ethernet cable through out the house from my router to my Xbox 360 or go to a wireless connection for my gaming enjoyment. In my research of wireless connectors for an Xbox 360 it says two things: 1) your Xbox 360 should be within 30 feet of the wireless router, and 2) it should have a clear "line of sight" to the router.

Now depending on what bedroom I turn into my office the 30 feet rule shouldn't be a problem. However, the line of sight one is a big problem. Unless I put my router in the same room as my Xbox 360 there's no way I could get a "line of sight" system set up. I could always leave my consoles wired and convert my computer to the wireless part of my router but I will feel more comfortable if my personal information is not open to anyone walking by looking for a connection. And before dain starts in on me, yes I know there are ways to secure your connection. I'm just saying that's how I feel.

You see, my tech suaveness comes from the actual use of technology. I can make really interesting and complicated Word documents of Excel spreadsheets. Once you start getting into Visual Basics and other more intense programing I start to get lost. That's what my brother dain is for. He's the resident family go-to guy for anything tech related. If anything were to happen to him my whole (Arizona) family would be up a creek when it comes to anything that you plug in. He knows it. And sometimes he can't stand our lack of knowledge. If anything needs to be done to my house to make my gaming systems playable online he's going to be the one to do it.

So if any of you are using a wireless system for your Xbox 360 I'd love to hear how it's working for you. Do you have it in the same room as your router? Does it have a "line of sight" to your router? What's your online performance like? Do you have lag issues? Anything you can tell me I'd really appreciate it. I might know a bunch of things about a variety of subjects but when it comes to technology even the yellow "dummies" books are sometimes over my head.

Why can't life be simple?

I promise I'll get back to the story of my eyes soon. I know you're on the edge of your seats for that one (or could you at least pretend you are?). Unfortunately other things in life are messing with my concentration. For instance: house hunting.

When your realtor tells you you're not going to be able to find anything decent in your price range in the location where you're looking you end doing a lot of soul searching. Do I raise my budget and end up eating Top Ramen Noodles for the next 30 years? Or do I move the location where I'm looking and spend 1 hour or more commuting to work each way, every day, for 30 years?

I resigned myself to renting for the rest of my life, or until I win the lottery (note to self: buy lottery ticket). At least until I got home and had to listen to my neighbors and all their racket. At that point I think it didn't matter where I lived as long as it was quiet. So I'm looking again. And much farther away then where I want to be. Hopefully gas prices won't end up over $5 a gallon anytime soon. If it does I might not even be able to afford the Top Ramen.

Otherwise occupied

July has been a slow month for posts here on my blog. There's a reason. I've been looking at buying a house. While that's not taking all of my time it is taking all of my energy and creative thought. I'd love to have my own place (with a tricked out game room) but this whole process is driving me nuts. Just thought you should know.