What Do I Need to Connect My Wii to the Internet?

I’m new to this whole current-generation gaming via the internet thing, so please walk me through this in the simplest terms possible. I’ll describe what I have at home, and hopefully one of you can explain to me what I need to do to complete the process.

I currently have internet access through my cable company (Comcast). At the west end of my house is my computer, hooked into a wired router (provided by my cable company). In the middle of my house is my TV and my Wii. I have a cable line coming up through the floor and into my DVR. My brother has a router that he no longer needs and has offered it to me.

Here’s what I hope I need to do: plug my brother’s router into the Wii, hook the cable line into the router, Bob’s my uncle, and I’m Wii-ing it up with the masses via the internet.

However, something tells me there’s going to be significantly more to it than that. Please help!

I took a look at my own Wii and cannot find any ethernet port on it and the manual makes no mention of one either, you would need such a port to connect it to a router thru a wire, this leads me to assume that you can only connect the Wii wirelessly (which is what I did). Maybe someone with more knowledge can help.

You can use a USB to ethernet adaptor to connect it to a wired router.

HH, I’m pretty sure what you’re identifying as your router is actually a cable modem, which you’ll need an extra one of to connect your Wii directly to the nearest cable outlet.

If you get a wireless router and connect your cable modem > wireless router > computer, you can connect your Wii to the same router wirelessly, which will be cheaper.

A quick Google search revealed that you need a Wii Lan Adapter to connect the Wii in a wired method

http://www.home-network-help.com/wii-lan-adapter.html

Is this your Nintendo Wii you’re talking about? :smiley:

After you get it online, you’ll need the Wii Console Codes of every one of your friends/people you know with it. After that, you’ll need the code for every game that you want to play with your friends. You’ll have to put those codes in for each friend in order to play that game with them.

If you wanted to dip your toe in the water with regards to playing online and this generation’s consoles, either other console is so much better than the Wii, it’s not even funny. On the plus side, lots of people have a Wii on this website. Even though they don’t play online too much, at least you’ll have a bunch of Miis in your Mii Parade. Woo.

With regards to your actual question, get a wireless router. That’s a LOT faster and it’ll end up being more convenient and cheaper.

Get a Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector.

Plug it in to a free USB port on your computer, follow the instructions on the Wii and no fuss, no muss you’re online.

You’re going to be severely disappointed when you try to “Wii it up on the internet” and find there is really no such thing. Unless you have Rockband or something and want to download songs you should not waste any time or energy trying to get your Wii online because most games barely support it if at all and the ones that do do it very poorly.

I’m serious. Don’t waste any of your time trying to do this because it is not worth it.

Wii is good for Monkeyball and Smash Bros. That’s about it.

The Virtual Console alone is more than enough reason to get your Wii online. Smash Bros and Mario Kart is just icing.

Yeah. Forgot about VC if your into that. That’s pretty good for people that want to pay $8 for 15+ year old games.

Just don’t expect any sort of online gaming. I think even JB would agree with that sentiment.

Hey, Cubsfan, he’s already got the Wii. Had he asked for our opinion on what console to get, I’d have given him the same schpiel that you’re giving him. Expectations may need to be tempered, though.

$8 is a steal for SNES games I never really got to own (I never had an SNES of my own, but I played pretty much all the biggies on a friend’s). Beats tracking down an SNES system, controllers, games and then hooking the whole thing up to my TV anyway.

Mario Kart Wii is fun online, it’s not exactly the same as XBL because there’s no voice chat, but it’s still fun.

Fair enough. My kids are liking the Wii alot right now so it’s getting use at my house finally.

If he has an internet connection and a spare router, why would he need to spend money on anything?

If the router is not wireless he is out of luck as the Wii does not have an ethernet port.

Yeah, but you miss out on the fun of blowing across the contacts on the cartridges, which, frankly, was half the fun of the SNES.

He has a spare router, not a spare wireless router… unless he’s got a cable long enough to go from one end of his house to the middle, he’ll need either a second cable modem or a wireless router.

Here’s a video on connecting Wii to the web:

http://us.wii.com/connect/

[sub]I want a Wii.[/sub]

For Mario Kart for the Wii, you can play online with random people from around the world without going through all this.

AFAICT, only one or two people on your Wii can join in, not 3 or 4, but it’s possible this is actually a limitation based on my broadband speed.

This is true, however, if you want to play with friends, there are hoops to jump through.

Mario Kart Wii is actually a fun game for a while, despite this thread.

I agree. I posted this after only a few hours playing with my kids. I’ve had more time to play by myself and really figure it out and it’s a good game. I still beef with the blue shells but otherwise it’s fun enough.