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DS's can only handle WEP. I'm not going to set my wireless network to WEP, it's worthless security. DS can handle WPA, and works on my wireless fine. I thought they were going to allow the DS to connect to the internet through a Wii? At the moment there is zero DS-Wii connectivity, and the only stuff I've heard about is game-specific (ie, Pokemon etc). Didn't they say the Wii could be used as a hotspot for DS's and distribute demos or whatever? Is this ever going to happen or do I have to buy one of those stupid USB dongles to use my DS online?

Stark wrote:DS's can only handle WEP. I'm not going to set my wireless network to WEP, it's worthless security.

You could set the wireless router to WEP, then turn your computer off while you play with your DS. Then turn the router back to WPA once you turn your computer back on.

Stark wrote:DS's can only handle WEP. I'm not going to set my wireless network to WEP, it's worthless security. DS can handle WPA, and works on my wireless fine. I thought they were going to allow the DS to connect to the internet through a Wii? At the moment there is zero DS-Wii connectivity, and the only stuff I've heard about is game-specific (ie, Pokemon etc). Didn't they say the Wii could be used as a hotspot for DS's and distribute demos or whatever? Is this ever going to happen or do I have to buy one of those stupid USB dongles to use my DS online?

They talked about that in 2005 but I never heard anything again about it.

I still think we'll get demos distributed but I don't think we'll get online play using Wii as a hotspot.

Pokemon is out in Japan and has DS connectivity though. It let's you control the game from the DS and trade Pokemon from the DS Pokemon games, and play online.

Pokemon Battle Stadium lets you connect to a DS to trade, but does it let that DS connect to the internet to play Pearl/Diamond online? If the DS can connect to the Wii (by wireless I guess, I don't think DS's have bluetooth?) surely it would be win for all if the Wii could route it to my network?

Are the Nintendo wireless dongles DS/Wii specific or just general USB wireless devices?

The Nintendo dongles are specifically for the Wii and DS.

DPDarkPrimus wrote:The Nintendo dongles are specifically for the Wii and DS.

They're actually generic WiFi access points, IIRC.

Are you looking to keep your network secure or your desktop secure? If the former, I don't see how using the Wii as an AP is any better than just using WEP on your wireless router. All the vectors to get onto your network would still be open, just on their own private subnet, unless the Wii/DS bridge performs some sort of nintendo-only authentication.

EnsGabe, it's my understanding that the wifi dongle (and thus I assume any potential Wii connection) uses hardware authentication in some way: by default, the wifi dongle only works for DS/Wii, but you can flash it with normal firmware and it's just a regular AP.

You're right that any WEP exposure is bad, but I'm trying to minimise a) irriation (no reconfiguring my router just for a DS) and b) cost (ie, buying a USB dongle just for a DS). Either would be relatively secure (by toggling the Wii function or removing the USB dongle).[/i]

Physically the DS dongle is just standard WiFi, but the way it works is DS-specific. Only the DS and Wii will be able to communicate with it.

EnsGabe, it's my understanding that the wifi dongle (and thus I assume any potential Wii connection) uses hardware authentication in some way: by default, the wifi dongle only works for DS/Wii, but you can flash it with normal firmware and it's just a regular AP.

The wifi dongle is an off-the-shelf Buffalo wireless USB connector that runs way too hot with a Nintendo logo printed on, a shoddy custom driver that bridges the adaptor with your existing wireless connection and software to make the DS recognise it. That, and a 300% price hike. It doesn't even have Nintendo-specific firmware; I use mine - unflashed - as a regular wifi stick (pc->router) with nothing more than a rt2500 driver with two changed lines.

That's pretty weak.

I still want my goddamn Wii bridging, though. Big fat button on the Home menu, says 'DS lol'.

I was unlucky enough to have one of only two routers listed as incompatible with the Wii/DS on Nintendos website - I bought one of those WiFi dongles and it sucked balls. Shit signal (at the time I tried to run the Wii from it and it just constantly disconnected), runs way too hot and breaks any networking sharing on the computer its plugged into (this is a known unresolvable issue with it). It never held a connection - everytime I tried to use the bugger I had to fuck around unplugging it and clearing its settings. My eventual solution? Bought a new router, never play the DS online.

Stark wrote:That's pretty weak.

I still want my goddamn Wii bridging, though. Big fat button on the Home menu, says 'DS lol'.

I don't think anyone at Nintendo has even thought of making a bridge that goes from WiFi to DS-Fi. The comment in '05 about WiFi bridging made me assume that if you had a Wii hooked up via ETHERNET it would function as a WiFi hotspot for the DS. I never thought of it taking a WPA network and letting a DS hook up.

Just reflash router w/ DD-WRT

My desktop has builtin cruddy wifi (no encryption supported) that's usable as an access point, so I can just set it to master mode and firewall it off. Still doesn't keep people from leaching internet connection if active though, but at least they can't break into the unsecured fileservers on the inside. Plus if I felt like it I could firewall it to only access Nintendo's servers.

Praxis wrote:I don't think anyone at Nintendo has even thought of making a bridge that goes from WiFi to DS-Fi. The comment in '05 about WiFi bridging made me assume that if you had a Wii hooked up via ETHERNET it would function as a WiFi hotspot for the DS. I never thought of it taking a WPA network and letting a DS hook up.

Either would work. I'd be prepared to run a cable under the floor. The Wii currently has ZERO connectivity with the DS, which is stupid, and everything I've heard of is game-specific, not from the console's OS. Weak.

Is WPA too resource-intensive for the DS's processor, or did it just come out before WPA was widespread?

I guess the solution is just to buy a regular USB wifi dongle and only plug it in when I want to use the DS online (which won't be often) at really low signal strengths.

In somewhat related news, Pokemon Battle Revolution, the first game with DS/Wii connectability, is due out this June in the States.