You want to have internet on your XBOX (or any other networkable console or computer, for that matter) but needing two separate network plugs. What do you do? This guide will show you how to bridge two computers (or one computer and XBOX) together to share a network and the internet between them!
What we will be creating in this short guide is a soft network bridge (i.e. not one based on hardware), fusing two network cables into one. Your computer will act as a sort of switch for the XBOX and everything will be just as if you’d plugged it into a regular switch – except your saving yourself one switch! This does, however, require that you have two network inputs on your computer!
Begin by connecting your computer (the one hosting the bridge) to a network and your XBOX to this computer. As Windows thinks your XBOX is a network, it will try to identify itself and search for other shared computers – don’t worry, this will not mess anything up. You’re going to need to access your adapter settings – in Windows 7 and Vista this is done by going to the Network and Sharing Center and clicking on the appropriate link in the left sidebar; in Windows XP this is found in your Control Panel (perhaps with a slightly different name). Once inside your adapter settings, select your two connected networks and right-click on them. This brings a neat little menu up – select Bridge and let Windows do its magic! After a good thirty seconds or so a Network Bridge will appear beside your two network connections.
You have now successfully bridged two networks together (in this case, one network and one XBOX) and you’re ready to use the internet with the XBOX! The possibilities are endless, but you must remember that in order for the bridge to work, the host computer must be turned on!
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