Nintendo WFC
So here I was, all this time, thinking that I needed to buy a special adapter for the Wii to get online. I knew it had wireless out of the box. If you have a wireless access point, you just turn the Wii on and it gets online! (Encryption not withstanding.) I don't have a wireless access point. Frankly, I don't exactly want it and I definitely don't need it. Why? I use my network a lot. I have nearly 1000 gigabytes of hard drive space spread across three computers. I need my high speed wired network! Wireless just can't offer the same speed at a reasonable cost.
But then there's the Wii. Should I get a wireless access point for it? I think not. I'm not spending an extra 200 bucks on it. (Before someone goes shooting off some cheapo wireless router, nope, I'm not interested. If I'm buying a wireless router, it's going to be a professional grade access point. My network isn't built for a router. It needs to be an access point.) All this time, I thought there was some sort of device you can plug into the back of the Wii so you can plug in a network wire and put it on your wired network. I mean, they kept calling it a USB adapter, and the Wii has USB ports. Makes sense right?
So here I was, watching my Wii move slowly across the state of Texas, when, suddenly, I thought "oh no! I didn't buy an adapter! I won't be able to get online!" Bad news. Bad, bad news. So I scramble to the Nintendo online shop and scroll through the Wii accessory page and... No special adapter. What? There has to be one! I keep reading about it!
Then, suddenly, everything clicked. You see, Nintendo sells a little attachment for your computer that broadcasts a super-secure wireless connection for the DS. I wanted my DS to get online, and I didn't want to buy that $200 access point for it, so I got the little $30 white square to plug into my computer. THAT is the adapter for the Wii that I've been reading about... The Wii will use the wireless device I bought from them to get my DS online.
This is a major "duh" moment for me, but I'm so impressed by Nintendo, so I decided to tell you all about it! My Wii will be able to get online out of the box after all, because I bought something I thought would only work for my DS. I love Nintendo.
This is the device in question, if you're interested: Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector