ArtisticallyChill

For this tutorial, I will be using a Linksys router that supports DMZ. Please note that your router may be of a different brand so it would behoove you to have some familiarity with your router’s GUI. Also, not all routers support DMZ, consult your router’s website or owner’s manual to confirm this if no DMZ section is present in your router’s GUI.

Prior to going on, you’ll need your Router IP address (aka your Gateway to the Internets) usually it starts out with 192.168.x.1 (where x is dependent on your router).

Phase 1: Configuring your Xbox 360′s NETWORK SETTINGS

In the dashboard go to My Xbox/System Settings:

Scroll down and select Network Settings

Select on Configure Network

Select IP Settings

Manually enter the following addresses:

• IP Address: 192.168.x.(y)z (where x is dependent on your router and y is dependent on your router’s DHCP settings: i.e. if y is set to 100 then z will be any number after 100 and this will be your IP address’ last number). For this example, I picked 150.
• Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: 192.168.x.1 (where x is dependent on your router)

Why are we doing this? Well, because we want your console to have a static IP and not a random IP dynamically assigned by your router. When we get to Phase 2, your Xbox 360′s Static IP Address will be needed for Port Forwarding and/or DMZ settings.

When finished, move down to DNS Settings and enter the following:

• Primary DNS Server: 192.168.x.1 (where x is dependent on your router). If you haven’t noticed, this is exactly same as our router’s IP aka your Gateway.

We will not bother setting the Secondary DNS Server address. At this point, Phase 1 is complete. Now we will move onto Phase 2 and configure the router for Port Forwarding and/or DMZ.

Open up your browser and enter your router’s IP address. Once logged in, you’ll want to access your Port Forwarding section of your router

Once there, set up the following Port Forwarding settings:

• Name: LIVE1 – port: 88 – protocol: Both TCP and UDP – IP: Your Xbox’s IP address
• Name: LIVE2 – port: 3074 – protocol: Both TCP and UDP – IP: Your Xbox’s IP address

When finished, save these settings. Your router may need to reboot in order for the changes to take effect. Once it has rebooted, the page you were on may auto refresh. If not, get back into the the router’s GUI.

If your Router features a DMZ section, Enable it and enter Your Xbox’s IP address. Using DMZ allows the router to let your Xbox to be excluded from the router’s firewall. If you’ve already done Port Forwarding, this is completely optional. But I would enable DMZ anyway just to be sure your Xbox LIVE Connection detects your NAT as OPEN. Again, if your router doesn’t support DMZ don’t worry. The Port Forwarding we did earlier should cover what the DMZ was suppose to do. After saving, the Router will reboot. Once it does, double check all settings that were changed. If all looks good, then we are done with Phase 2 and can proceed to testing your Xbox LIVE Connection.

Testing your Xbox LIVE Connection:

• In the dashboard go to My Xbox/System Settings
• Select Network Settings
• Select Test Xbox LIVE Connection

If your test is successful, there will be no pop-ups and your Status will read: Xbox LIVE is up and running.

If you get an error, double check all the steps listed above.

~ LoneWolf

Unboxed the WiiFit a day after it launched. Serena and I have already setup our profiles and did a few quick exercises. These aren’t a joke. Some of the yoga and strength exercises definitely had me working up a sweat. I can definitely get in better shape if I stay committed with this AND go to the gym. The WiiFit I have no problem actually staying committed to, it’s going to the gym I can’t seem to find time or motivation for. ;p

~ LoneWolf

This past Saturday, Serena sent me out to get some blank ink for her Epson Stylus CX4800 printer/scanner. I went out to Staples and decided on the 4 pack with the black and three color cartridges was a much better deal. I walked around for a bit and was stopped in my tracks when I found a whole bunch of laser printers on sale because they were floor models and discontinued.

We had contemplated the idea of a color laser printer to save money on inkjet cartridges and the upgrade in print quality would be a bonus for Serena. She could definitely scale some of her projects down to 8 x 10 size, color, print, and sell them online or at the convention. Considering how much we do NOT print, the toner should last us quite some time. But the downside was always the price. Color laser printers were expensive, ranging between $300 – 600 for an office style printer and then in the thousands for professional style printers.

The printers I looked over were in decent shape. I called up Jason to help me decide which printer to go for, talking about the Pros and Cons of the purchase. Before long I decided that the HP Color Laser Jet 1600, priced at $160, was the one to ask an employee about.

After spotting the manager walking around, I asked a few simple questions. The printer was definitely a display model, was discontinued, and the toner was still fairly full. This meant that hardly anyone pressed the “Print Demo Page” option. My main concern was just ‘how full’ was the toner. There was no way to see because it wasn’t plugged in. I asked him about a return policy and he said 14 days. That was good enough for me since Staples wasn’t too far from my apartment. So I told him I’d take it and he left to find the papers, manual and driver CD.

He came back 10 minutes later. Very apologetic he said that the materials were lost. I said, “No problem, just take another 10% off the lowered price.” The manager said that was fair and we proceeded to checkout. They tried to sell me a $25 7ft. USB cable since the printer didn’t come with one. I said no. Why? I’ll give 25 reasons. LOL I could easily find a USB 2.0 cable, 10ft long, at a cheaper price. As I checked out, the total spent on the printer was $145. The printer retails for, at most, $400 online. Amazon has it on sale for $287. So yeah, this purchase was a definite ‘SCORE!’ in my book.

So I got home quickly powered it up and the toner status indicators were FULL! I printed out a demo page and there were no visible imperfections and the colors were nice! Satisfied with the toner levels and demo page, I went to TigerDirect and picked up one of their printer starter kits which included a 10ft. USB 2.0 cable, 250 sheets of ultra bright multipurpose paper, and some velcro cable ties for $15. ‘SCORE!’ again!

After rearranging a few things, I put GONK (that’s what I name it) next to Serena’s desk where the Epson was and moved the Epson to my desk since she’ll still need to make use of the scanner. Sweet Deals FTW!

~ LoneWolf