Hobbies And Interests
High-Speed Internet
Your Xbox 360 system and Xbox Live do not come with an Internet connection. You must have an ISP to connect to Xbox Live with at least a high-speed service such as cable or DSL. Microsoft recommends minimum download speeds of 3 megabits per second for online gaming, 1 mpbs for standard video streaming and 3.5 mpbs for HD video streaming. If you have a persistently slow or interrupted Internet connection, you may lose your Xbox Live connection, causing games to crash or videos to freeze.
Wired Connection
To create a wired connection between Xbox Live and the Internet you need a router or modem with an active DSL or cable Internet connection connected to your Xbox 360 console by a network cable firmly plugged into the appropriate jacks in the router and the console. However, with a wired connection, your Xbox 360 can only be as far away from your router or modem as the network cable connecting the cables allows.
Wireless
The Xbox 360 has a wireless receiver installed, so if you have a router or modem with wireless broadcast capabilities you can connect your console to Xbox Live without the need of a network cable. You can then put your console anywhere as long as it's within range of your wireless access point. You can connect to Xbox Live using a 3G or 4G mobile network, but Microsoft does not recommend doing so as you may experience lagging or choppy game play.
Bandwidth Usage
Some Internet service providers have limits on how much uploading and downloading you can do before receiving excess bandwidth charges. Regardless what you use Xbox Live for -- whether it's downloading games, playing online or watching Netflix -- you're using bandwidth. However, different uses may consume different amounts of your available bandwidth. For example, online gaming consumes just a few megabytes per hour while streaming videos can take several hundred. Keep an eye on your monthly bandwidth usage when playing Xbox Live to avoid additional fees from your ISP.