PlayStation 3 version 2.42 easier for networking

By Jubal Burkhart

Home networking between various platforms lets a central storage hub provide content through all your devices, even stream your own media to portable devices like the PSP. It sure sounds good. But if you’re like me, keeping your own network running glitch-free is a frustrating and time-consuming task.

My ultimate task was to share files between my PCs and PlayStations. My home network consists of four PCs — with four different versions of Windows – a Wii, a PSP, and now a PS3. I got it to work once, maybe twice, in the first couple of months I had the PS3. After hours of Googling, I found I was not alone in my despair. Comments such as, “Sony shouldn’t say something works if it just plain doesn’t,” and “it seems to work at random” were all over the myriad forums I waded through.

Then, one day, something changed.

Sony released version 2.42 of the PS3 software, and now it works all the time. Of course, there are certain settings on the PCs, the PS3, and the PSP that need to be adjusted to get the best results. I’m not sure what all of them do, or which are integral to the network, but I’ll share my settings, since they seem to do the trick. This guide assumes that all your devices are already on the same network, all attached to the same router.

First, get the latest update for your PS3 and PCs. By now everybody should have Windows Media Player 11 no matter what OS you are running. I’m not sure if you have to have WMP11, or if WMP10 will work, but it’s time to upgrade to 11 anyway. In WMP, add to your library all the files you want to share. This includes music as well as pictures and videos. The PS3 will recognize most file formats on a PC, but a few are not compatible. MP3s will work, but to play WMA or ATRAC files you will need to enable WMA and ATRAC playback in the System Settings section of the PS3’s Xross Media Bar (XMB). Next, go to WMP’s Library tab and select “Media Sharing.” Fill the “Share my media to:” checkbox and select the PS3. It will probably show up as “Unknown Device,” and may even indicate the PS3’s MAC address. Press the “Allow” button. Press the “Settings” button in the same dialogue box and make sure all media types and all ratings are shared – with just the default settings it might not share anything. In my experience, Windows Firewall will allow these connections, but you may have to configure others.

Now on to the PS3. Under “Network Settings,” first enable Media Server Connection. Then go to Internet Connection Settings. Set MTU to Automatic, and NAT type to Type 2. Now you should see a Windows Media Player icon and the name of your computer near the top of the Photo, Music, and Video columns of the XMB. If you have a lot of stuff in the WMP library, it can take a while for it to show up.

Now on to the PSP. No special settings needed here. As long as you are set up for Remote Play, you can now stream media from your PC to your PSP over the Internet no matter where you are in the world! Just make sure the PSP is registered with the PS3 first. PS3’s Remote Start must be set to On, as well as Automatic Login. And of course, the PC will need to be on and logged into the network for the PS3 to see it. Also make sure your PSP firmware is the latest. If it is outdated, it may not be able to connect to the PS3 over Remote Play.

I hope this works for you; it should cover most of the common problems you will see while setting this up.

Corinex GameNet turns electrical outlets into wireless ports

By Aaron Burkhart

One of the more practically interesting technologies I saw at CES 2008 was the Corinex GameNet system, which creates a secure wireless network connection using the electrical wiring already in the home. The power-line network is supposed to be faster, more secure and easier to set up than a traditional wireless network and will work on any device with an Ethernet port. Hooking up to the power-line net is as easy as plugging the device to the adapter which connects through any power outlet.

If a home doesn’t already have a wireless network in place, it’s the easiest way to connect devices without running a long Ethernet cord to the nearest available socket, which can be few and far between compared to power outlets. Even with a wireless network in place, a power-line network is more internally secure, since the information is transmitted through the home’s power-lines, which aren’t freely hackable like LAN, WAN, or WiFi. In fact, there might even be some advantages to switching to a power-line network over a wireless one. Data rates are can go up to 200 Mbps, although home power use can affect performance, but the Corinex system has filters to eliminate most noise and interference. Having a power-line network connected to a wireless network would give the best of both worlds.

I’d love to demo one in my own home, but for now I can report that the system worked as advertised at the show, connecting two Xbox 360s even through the show floor’s patchy electrical connections, even as other demonstrators trying to show off wireless devices that day had trouble connecting to the show’s wireless signal. For more information, How Stuff Works has a pretty simple explanation, although outdated to the technology Corinex is using, in which case you can just go to www.corinex.com.