Connect an Xbox 360 to a wireless laptop to allow your console to share the wireless Internet connection.
Microsoft sells Xbox 360 wireless adapters to allow the console to connect to wireless networks and Xbox Live. However, the cost can be steep and unnecessary for one of these adapters. Luckily, there is a cheaper method to connecting wirelessly, so long as you already own a laptop with a wireless Internet card, because Microsoft designed the Xbox 360 to network with other Windows-based PCs. Essentially, you can share your laptop's wireless connection with your Xbox 360 using your wireless laptop as the adapter.
Instructions
1. Connect your Xbox 360 to your wireless laptop via Ethernet cable and turn on your Xbox 360. This allows your laptop to recognize the local area network (LAN) connection between it and your console. This type of connection allows both devices to transfer data back and forth. In this case, your laptop will be transferring an Internet connection to your console.
2. View your network connections on your wireless laptop. XP users: Open the "Start" menu, hover over "Settings" then select "Network Connections." Vista users: right-click the LAN connection icon in the taskbar, select "Network and Sharing Center" from the resulting menu, then click "Manage network connections" from the resulting dialogue window. 7 users: right-click the LAN connection icon in the taskbar, select "Network and Sharing Center" from the resulting menu, then open "Change adapter settings" from the resulting dialog window. You will now be able to view your LAN connection between your console and wireless laptop and your laptop's wireless Internet connection.
3. Highlight both your LAN connection and laptop's wireless Internet connection by clicking and dragging or by holding the CTRL key and single-clicking on each icon.
4. Right-click one of the connection icons. This opens a pop-up options menu. Select "Bridge Networks" from the list. Bridging the networks allows them to share the same Internet connection. In this case, your wireless laptop's connection will be shared by your Xbox 360. Your laptop will briefly configure the network bridge and notify you upon completion.
