[Spinballwizard]

So here's the deal. A few of you know it already.

For Christmas, I asked for the WiFi Adapter for my DS so I could join the zany shenanigans that are Mario Kart. Figured I'd get the head start, especially with Pokémon Diamond/Pearl around the corner. Installed the software, hooked the thing up, and as one of my friends said today... I had "three-and-a-half turds in a shit sack."

At first, I could connect to the server, but couldn't see shit on it. Friends search (after adding genus, PsyBorg, and Alondite) brought up nothing, even though all three were online at the time. (Thank you, #soniccenter.) I try again later, and the damn thing won't even connect.

No problem, plugged the error code into Nintendo's tech support site. Okay, can't establish UDP connection. So I look up the USB Connector FAQs, particularly the ones about firewalls, and there are a few things I'd have to have my dad do, in case the firewall blocks outbound traffic (which apparently in some cases it does).

1. Open up TCP ports yada yada yada. He says this is no problem, he can open the 3 ports no problem. (Though if you're not allowing traffic on port 80, then how the hell are you reading their help topics?)

2. Open up all UDP ports to all destinations. To this he responded along the lines of "Hell no."

Nintendo doesn't help there, as they flat out say it's a big security risk.

I mention the outbound thing to him, and he shrugs it off. As a bit of a weak point to his argument, he said that when he enables a TCP port, he can set it so that it only accepts if I start the connection, but nobody elaborates on that.

I mention Nintendo's "trusted IP ranges." He refuses, because they're for private Internet and "it is suggested that they be blocked," because nobody in their right mind would use them.

So here I am, in a bit of a rut. I'm probably going to have to take the thing back now. (Good thing Target has a 90 day return policy.) At least temporarily, until the problem gets solved.

Which is where you guys come in.

Have you noticed any negative effects from connecting to Nintendo for WiFi on any of your networks? I'm mainly looking for people using the USB Connector, but I assume similar settings are required for regular connections. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Tha CGS]

Well... I know you're mainly seeking advice from those who use the USB connectors, but I would say that using a wireless router seems to be a lot less hassle than using the USB connector, from what you're describing. The good thing about a wireless router is you don't have to meddle with firewall settings on your computer, since the DS connects directly to the Internet through the router and not the computer. I use the Linksys WRT54-G wireless router, and I've had zero problems getting my DS and my PSP to connect to the Internet. Some routers have built-in firewalls on them, but if your computer has its own firewall (which in your case it does), it's pretty much unnecessary and so can be turned off.

So, if you're able to do so, maybe you should look into trying a wireless router in place of using the USB connector if it causes problems again? It would also prove useful for Wii Connect 24 if you plan on getting a Wii at some point, so it 'kills two birds with one stone'.

[douglas]

You can also just jack a Wireless Access Point into the back of your existing router to achieve the same.  You want to bind either to specific MAC addresses though, for teh securityness.

Using trusted IP ranges for private Intranet is perfectly safe though.  Each machine on the network should have it's own firewall/AV software anyway, as the hardware firewalls aren't any good for blocking solicited comms (eg from a virus on your computer).