Xbox360 wireless connection problem

[InDashMP3]

Thank you for the reply. Perfect explanation!

 

[binaryweapon]

Still struggling - have two questions

I've continued to struggle with this Xbox 360 + RT-N66U connectivity problem; my troubleshooting continues, but I'm running out of ideas.

After giving up on the RT-N66U, I purchased a EA6300...and experienced the same issue. Unfortunately, I didn't check before purchasing and noticed that the chipset is the same family as the N66U. I then went out and bought a N65U unit, which has the Ralink chipset. This router works just fine with the Xbox.

I have two questions:

- This problem didn't always exist; the Xbox Slim ran against the N66U for a decent amount of time without this issue. Is it possible that one of the recent firmware revs, where they update the Broadcom driver, may have caused the issues?

- When rolling back to a previous version of firmware, would the "newer" driver be wiped and overwritten with whatever the older firmware's driver was...or was the driver update a 'no going back' scenario?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bad Teddy]

I've continued to struggle with this Xbox 360 + RT-N66U connectivity problem; my troubleshooting continues, but I'm running out of ideas.

After giving up on the RT-N66U, I purchased a EA6300...and experienced the same issue. Unfortunately, I didn't check before purchasing and noticed that the chipset is the same family as the N66U. I then went out and bought a N65U unit, which has the Ralink chipset. This router works just fine with the Xbox.

I have two questions:

- This problem didn't always exist; the Xbox Slim ran against the N66U for a decent amount of time without this issue. Is it possible that one of the recent firmware revs, where they update the Broadcom driver, may have caused the issues?

- When rolling back to a previous version of firmware, would the "newer" driver be wiped and overwritten with whatever the older firmware's driver was...or was the driver update a 'no going back' scenario?

Thanks in advance.

There's not enough information to answer your question. You'd have to at least tell us what firmware version you were using.

If it wasn't one of the ones with the "Optimized for Xbox" option, then the case for it working correctly with the Xbox was hopeless. If it was one of those and you hadn't actually checked the option, same issue.

Now, if you did have a proper firmware version and had the option checked and it still wasn't working, it would be the first I've heard of such an issue personally. Probably would have needed to look at other settings at that point.

 

[Gingernut]

I've continued to struggle with this Xbox 360 + RT-N66U connectivity problem; my troubleshooting continues, but I'm running out of ideas.

After giving up on the RT-N66U, I purchased a EA6300...and experienced the same issue. Unfortunately, I didn't check before purchasing and noticed that the chipset is the same family as the N66U. I then went out and bought a N65U unit, which has the Ralink chipset. This router works just fine with the Xbox.

I have two questions:

- This problem didn't always exist; the Xbox Slim ran against the N66U for a decent amount of time without this issue. Is it possible that one of the recent firmware revs, where they update the Broadcom driver, may have caused the issues?

- When rolling back to a previous version of firmware, would the "newer" driver be wiped and overwritten with whatever the older firmware's driver was...or was the driver update a 'no going back' scenario?

Thanks in advance.

The Xbox wireless problem is/was caused by the Broadcom wireless driver.

But I recall that in one of the firmware releases for the n66u Asus used the same driver version but had compiled/built it with a different internal driver configuration and as a result it behaved differently.

The Broadcom driver forms part of the firmware, so if you roll back to an older firmware your router will use whatever version is within it.

 

[binaryweapon]

The Xbox wireless problem is/was caused by the Broadcom wireless driver.

But I recall that in one of the firmware releases for the n66u Asus used the same driver version but had compiled/built it with a different internal driver configuration and as a result it behaved differently.

The Broadcom driver forms part of the firmware, so if you roll back to an older firmware your router will use whatever version is within it.

Thank you very much for directly answering both questions. I appreciate you doing so. After reading through the entire 22 page thread, and other sites, I actually hadn't picked up on any post(s) that were as direct as you stating above that it's the Broadcom driver. I'm glad to hear this.

You say "was" (prefaced with "is" however); is it supposed to be fully corrected now?


@BadTeddy: the "Optimize for Xbox" checkbox, for me personally, never corrected the issue enough to be able to download at full ISP package speed. It did raise my throughput from around 300kbps to 4Mbps, and allowed Netflix to work again (mostly), but large downloads were still taking a very long time. Switching to the N56U unit allows full-speed downloads.

 

[NeutralGold]

Thank you very much for directly answering both questions. I appreciate you doing so. After reading through the entire 22 page thread, and other sites, I actually hadn't picked up on any post(s) that were as direct as you stating above that it's the Broadcom driver. I'm glad to hear this.

You say "was" (prefaced with "is" however); is it supposed to be fully corrected now?


@BadTeddy: the "Optimize for Xbox" checkbox, for me personally, never corrected the issue enough to be able to download at full ISP package speed. It did raise my throughput from around 300kbps to 4Mbps, and allowed Netflix to work again (mostly), but large downloads were still taking a very long time. Switching to the N56U unit allows full-speed downloads.

As long as the xbox option is checked in wireless settings, my xbox slim connects at it's full 72 Mbps connection and has streamed upwards of 3-4 MBytes persec. bandwidth. My brothers xbox and a friend of his also functions properly now.

It's weird that you're still having problems with yours. Good luck and hope you get it working.

 

[Bad Teddy]

Thank you very much for directly answering both questions. I appreciate you doing so. After reading through the entire 22 page thread, and other sites, I actually hadn't picked up on any post(s) that were as direct as you stating above that it's the Broadcom driver. I'm glad to hear this.

You say "was" (prefaced with "is" however); is it supposed to be fully corrected now?


@BadTeddy: the "Optimize for Xbox" checkbox, for me personally, never corrected the issue enough to be able to download at full ISP package speed. It did raise my throughput from around 300kbps to 4Mbps, and allowed Netflix to work again (mostly), but large downloads were still taking a very long time. Switching to the N56U unit allows full-speed downloads.

Hrm... that's odd. I never get my full ISP speeds to my Xbox (consistently anyway), but I reckon that's moreso a server and/or NIC limitation than being an issue on my end.

Before the Optimize for Xbox option, 3-4Mbps is around what I was getting. After, I get 12-20Mbps.

Where both routers are concerned, are your settings similar between the two (where possible of course)? If they are it's definitely strange that you were still having issues.

 

[binaryweapon]

As long as the xbox option is checked in wireless settings, my xbox slim connects at it's full 72 Mbps connection and has streamed upwards of 3-4 MBytes persec. bandwidth. My brothers xbox and a friend of his also functions properly now.

It's weird that you're still having problems with yours. Good luck and hope you get it working.

Can I presume that the "72 Mbp" is your ISP bandwidth package?

If so, when you're downloading demo games, etc. are they taking a "long" time. Can you download a 500MB demo in under 5mins?

To add detail to my previous post...the "OfX" setting did allow me to stream ok, but downloading something from the Marketplace was brutally slow. If my math was right I'm downloading demos/DLC/etc. around 500Kbps-3Mbps. After switching to the N56U unit, I was downloading at nearly 15x that rate.

I'm not trying to beat this horse bloody, but just trying to figure out if I should be seeing this fixed now, or if I really am still having an issue.

 

[Bad Teddy]

When you say you "stream ok," what does that mean specifically?

I only ask because even streaming Netflix in HD uses more than 3-4Mbps, so if the only time you're getting less than that is marketplace downloads, something is very odd. Also, instead of trying to calculate your speeds, just use the traffic monitor.

 

[NeutralGold]

To add detail to my previous post...the "OfX" setting did allow me to stream ok, but downloading something from the Marketplace was brutally slow.

I wouldn't let the marketplace hold any basis on network performance. At least around here downloading anything from xbox live can vary greatly. Most of the time you're lucky to get 600KBps when downloading from there. The best way to test your connection is to run the Media Center tuning wizard on xbox. It'll setup a stream test from the computer you watch movies from and you can monitor the performance from within the traffic monitor on the router or setup a network monitor on the pc you're streaming from.

Xbox will also show a graph during the test and anything that performs in the HD part of the graph is upwards of 25mbps and is about what to expect out of the onboard wireless adapter depending on overhead and distance of the slim.

 

[binaryweapon]

I wouldn't let the marketplace hold any basis on network performance. At least around here downloading anything from xbox live can vary greatly. Most of the time you're lucky to get 600KBps when downloading from there. The best way to test your connection is to run the Media Center tuning wizard on xbox. It'll setup a stream test from the computer you watch movies from and you can monitor the performance from within the traffic monitor on the router or setup a network monitor on the pc you're streaming from.

Xbox will also show a graph during the test and anything that performs in the HD part of the graph is upwards of 25mbps and is about what to expect out of the onboard wireless adapter depending on overhead and distance of the slim.

Another great response. Thank you very much.

I don't stream content internally, but now knowing that there are built-in performance checks while doing so will help a lot.

This is a kick butt site.

 

[jphughan]

Binaryweapon, have you checked out the latest firmware, 3.0.0.4.370? It's the first non-beta release to include the new Broadcom driver and Optimized for Xbox option. I've also found that it seems to be slightly more reliable (my iPhone would occasionally connect to Wifi but be unable to pass traffic on the beta), and actually on the beta release I needed the OfX option checked to stabilize AirPlay audio streaming from my iPhone, and now that's no longer the case. I still really wish there were more detail about what exactly the OfX option does; the fact that it's an option and not simply baked into the firmware in an always-on state leads me to believe there might be some sort of drawback to it. Hopefully Merlin can shed some light on that at some point if ASUS won't.

And if you haven't already, I'd also recommend resetting your router to factory defaults immediately after a firmware upgrade since otherwise you can end up with an NVRAM config that has settings that no longer apply to the firmware version you just installed. I remember not doing that caused some config pages to show up oddly once, and for example "Enhanced Interference Management" is no longer an option on the latest firmware. Good luck and sorry you're still having trouble!

 

[Bad Teddy]

Bad Teddy, have you checked out the latest firmware, 3.0.0.4.370? It's the first non-beta release to include the new Broadcom driver and Optimized for Xbox option. I've also found that it seems to be slightly more reliable (my iPhone would occasionally connect to Wifi but be unable to pass traffic on the beta), and actually on the beta release I needed the OfX option checked to stabilize AirPlay audio streaming from my iPhone, and now that's no longer the case. I still really wish there were more detail about what exactly the OfX option does; the fact that it's an option and not simply baked into the firmware in an always-on state leads me to believe there might be some sort of drawback to it. Hopefully Merlin can shed some light on that at some point if ASUS won't.

And if you haven't already, I'd also recommend resetting your router to factory defaults immediately after a firmware upgrade since otherwise you can end up with an NVRAM config that has settings that no longer apply to the firmware version you just installed. I remember not doing that caused some config pages to show up oddly once, and for example "Enhanced Interference Management" is no longer an option on the latest firmware. Good luck and sorry you're still having trouble!

Uhh... huh?

I'm not having any problems lol. None related to my Xbox anyway, although I really do wish Asus would fix the 5GHz frequency -.-

As for what the OfX setting does (assuming you understand the underlying code anyway), Merlin posted it a little while ago in another thread. I forget which thread, but it is indeed on here. It might be in the thread related to .370 for that matter. I can't recall.

 

[jphughan]

^ D'oh! Meant to address that to binaryweapon. Updated my post, sorry! I'll look for the writeup on the OfX option, thanks for the tip!

 

[mozbius]

Binaryweapon, have you checked out the latest firmware, 3.0.0.4.370? It's the first non-beta release to include the new Broadcom driver and Optimized for Xbox option. I've also found that it seems to be slightly more reliable (my iPhone would occasionally connect to Wifi but be unable to pass traffic on the beta), and actually on the beta release I needed the OfX option checked to stabilize AirPlay audio streaming from my iPhone, and now that's no longer the case. I still really wish there were more detail about what exactly the OfX option does; the fact that it's an option and not simply baked into the firmware in an always-on state leads me to believe there might be some sort of drawback to it. Hopefully Merlin can shed some light on that at some point if ASUS won't.

And if you haven't already, I'd also recommend resetting your router to factory defaults immediately after a firmware upgrade since otherwise you can end up with an NVRAM config that has settings that no longer apply to the firmware version you just installed. I remember not doing that caused some config pages to show up oddly once, and for example "Enhanced Interference Management" is no longer an option on the latest firmware. Good luck and sorry you're still having trouble!

I see ASUS RT-N66U B1 Firmware Version 3.0.0.4.370 (released 2013/06/11)
and ASUS RT-N66U B1 Firmware Version 3.0.0.4.272 (released 2013/07/03)

Which one is the good one? The one with the bigger version but released earlier or the version with a smaller number but released the latest?

 

[Bad Teddy]

If you mean "good one" in terms of which one actually works properly, that would be .272. If you mean in terms of which one allows the Xbox 360 to work properly, then .370.

As it stands you've got to choose between the 5GHz frequency being screwed up, but having the Xbox 360 work properly - OR - having your network be generally stable, yet the Xbox 360 won't have full speed.

Unless you're one of the lucky devils who has an NIC that works with the 5GHz frequency of new driver in .370 anyway (or you don't need the 5GHz frequency).

 

[jphughan]

What are the 5 GHz issues? I use it exclusively between a Dell Wireless 1520 card, an Intel 6300 card, an iPad 3, and two iPhone 5s and haven't seen any issues on either firmware.

Mozbius, see this thread about the firmware: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11737

 

[Bad Teddy]

What are the 5 GHz issues? I use it exclusively between a Dell Wireless 1520 card, an Intel 6300 card, an iPad 3, and two iPhone 5s and haven't seen any issues on either firmware.

Mozbius, see this thread about the firmware: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11737

Consider yourself lucky. Some people can't connect to 5GHz at all. Some people can only connect to it at 20MHz. Some people can connect, but it eventually just disconnects. Meh... all sorts of stuff. It's just generally borked on the new wireless driver.

 

[mich]

So to sum up the current firmware options (only listing non-beta, currently downloadable):

Merlin 270: 5GHz works, Xbox doesn't
Stock 272: 5GHz works, Xbox doesn't
Stock 370: 5GHz doesn't work, Xbox works
Merlin 372: 5GHz works, Xbox doesn't (?)

I haven't tested all of these myself, so please correct me if I'm mistaken. As far as I can tell, Merlin 372 does have the Optimized for Xbox setting, but it does not actually fix the Xbox problems (probably because the older wireless driver does not support it?)

 

[msb]

In my case with v370, Xbox works and 5gHz works on all of the only capable devices we have, Ipads and Iphones.