Wireless XBox 360 connectivity to router

Our XBox 360 will not see our network when we attach a wireless adapter to it. We go through all the hoops the XBox tells us to, but no luck. This is an e-bay item and came with no instructions but it seems pretty straightforward. We're trying to get it to connect to a LinkSys WRT54GS. I put the XBox in the same room as the router to check it out, I went on the XBox website and read through all their help stuff. The red light on the back of the wireless adapter never turns green, the computer (Compaq with Windows Vista) doesn't see anything either when I look at all the systems on the network. XBox works great when plugged into the router with the cable, but that involves either leaving windows open to run the cable, or running it down the stairs, inviting somebody to trip on it.
Any help appreciated.
Keith

 

Well, I don't have any trouble connecting my laptop or my netbook or my wife's desktop to the router. It's just the XBox 360...

 

Please post as much detail on the wireless adapter as you have available. Also, what security do you have on your router, as far as encryption, et cetera?

My 360 was happily wireless and hosting matches before the RROD struck (fifth in three years--do not get me started on this tangent), and it was a bit tricky, but certainly possible. Are you wanting to set it up as a Media Center as well, or purely as a gaming console?

 

I'm not sure what there is to say about the XBox 360 Wireless Adapter. I can tell you what's in the manual... It puts out a dual band 5-GHz and 2.4-GHz signal. It's compatible with 802.11a/b/g wireless home networks (my network is 802.11g). It mounts on the back of the XBox and plugs into a USB port, also on the back. It has a little swing-out antenna.
We are running the LAN without security because we're out in the country with no close neighbors. We're not going to get hijacked.
The adapter is supposed to be seamless. When you boot the XBox you're supposed to see a little icon "radiating" until you get a connection. You never see that. I found that if I hook the XBox (without the wireless connector) directly to my laptop then the XBox will connect to XBox Live through the laptop's wireless connection. All well and good, except I'm not putting my laptop in the family room for the kids to use. It's got private stuff on it and I don't want them playing with it. My oldest son has a netbook (XP OS), and it has a LAN connector and can be hooked up to the XBox, but it won't connect the XBox to XBox Live, even with 4 out of 5 bars showing in the signal strength box.
Keith

 

If the adapter is white and the antenna gray, it's probably the same as mine that I bought in the Gamestop store in the local mall, meaning it's the official one.

If you have a DMZ in the router, put the 360 there and see if it connects. DMZ essentially gives the 360 an open fully unsecure connection, removing more than just encryption, so it would rule out any hardware issues if that works. If it doesn't, you might have bought a bad adapter off of eBay.... which would suck.

If you do the connection test on the 360, where does it stop?