Need Help with Networking to 360.

[secretneo]

I have no experience networking, AT ALL, and next month I'm getting a 360. I have DSL. Currently, the DSL line is connected from the wall, to my power bar, inputs then outputs (just say its a direct connection) into the modem. Then an ethernet cable is conecting the modem to my PC. My Network Card is a Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC - Packet Scheduler Miniport. And for some reason, my LAN currently has limited or no connectivity. Why is that?

Anyway, I'm looking at a Linksys BEFSR41 (v3) Router. It's a good cost and its compatible with the 360.

I have an idea of what my network is gonna look like but i wanna go over it with you guys. heres a pic of what i think it'll look like.

http://img463.imageshack.us/img463/4158/networkhomeplanhz7.png

I know its not the best but I hope you understand it. Is that right? and will my LAN connection be better with a network setup? (its at limited to no connectivity right now). An how easy is this network to setup? can it be reversed?

 

[MarkLuvsCS]

I And for some reason, my LAN currently has limited or no connectivity. Why is that?

Sounds like your having a problem with the DSL. First turn off your PC, then turn off the modem for about 10-15 secs. Now turn the modem back on and when all the normal lights are on [usually there is 4 or 5 that stay on (POWER-SYSTEM-DSL-10/100], turn on the computer now. If you still can't get online, look for your providers software to "dial" the dsl modem. Depending on the modem, you may have to run a PPPoE software to authenticate your username/password with them.

I know its not the best but I hope you understand it. Is that right? and will my LAN connection be better with a network setup? (its at limited to no connectivity right now). An how easy is this network to setup? can it be reversed?

The network should be very easy to setup. There won't be too much you need to do. Make sure to use the supplied cables that came with your systems, or when purchasing cables buy cat 5e/6 and ensure they aren't crossover cables. Then you simply plug in your computer and 360 into one of the 1-4 ports on the router, and have your modem plugged into the WAN port.

You will likely need to configure your router to work with your DSL modem, but they have software that should make that relatively painless. You might need to change your computer settings as well to work with the router instead of just the DSL modem.

In Internet Explorer follow these steps:
Tools >> Internet Options >> Connections >> LAN Settings

You will need to remove any connection stuff in the "Dial-up and Virtual Private Network settings". Under LAN Settings, just put a check in the box "Automatically detect settings".

Picture of the steps for Internet Explorer

I'm sorry for the terrible quality, but i just reformatted last night and i haven't had time to reinstall the adobe suite.

Hopefully this helps. I'll check back later to try to help with any additional questions.