Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft. It brings a huge entertainment experience right to your Xbox 360 letting users connect with friends over text, voice and video chat, it also allows users download playable games and demos of all the latest games, dashboard themes, game add-ons and system updates.
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| Microsoft Xbox One |
Yes, Xbox live is accessible from Nigeria and this is a comprehensive guide on what you need to do in order to get an Xbox Live account up and running in Nigeria. In this guide I will give methods for setting up the internet link between popular ISP hardware and an Xbox 360.
What’s the Best Network to Use?
I think this is a good time to mention that as of the first of January 2011 Xbox Live has not been working on the Starcomms network. It was what I initially used to connect but from the beginning of this year it began to give the MTU (maximum transition unit) Error, the required MTU for Xbox Live is 1486 but Stracomms seemed to have downgraded theirs to 1200. So you cannot connect to Xbox Live using Starcomms.
I’ve tested most of the available 3G telecoms providers and other, and assed which is best to use in order to get the most out of you Xbox live experience. Currently at the top of my list is Etisalat Nigeria, followed by Visafone, then MTN and lastly Glo. I haven’t been able to get my hands on an Airtel Nigeria connection to test it yet, but will do so as soon as possible.
For the best overall experience Etisalat NG provides high speed the with no noticeable lagging what so ever during game-play, during online multiplayer your pawn moves seamlessly and interacts fluidly with other players.
Part 1: Setting up the Internet Link
The most logical thing to do is to plug your Xbox 360 into your internet router using an Ethernet cable. It’s located at the back of your console, but if it was always that simple you wouldn’t be reading this.
Method 1: Ad-hoc Network (Windows Vista)
This method is very straight forward you’ll need a USB modem of, I recommend MTN (3G), GLO (3G), Visafone* or Etisalat (3G). I am assuming you have a PC with Wi-Fi capabilities, and an Xbox 360 either an Elite model or the new slim model with built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, these versions would save you a tonne of stress.
Step 1: First connect to the internet using your USB modem the way you normally would do.
Step 2: From the Start menu “Click” Network.
Step 3: In the tool bar located under the address bar of the window, click Network and Sharing Centre
Step 4: In the top left side of the window you’ll see a list of “Tasks”, the fourth option should be Set up a network or connection click it.
Step 5: A new dialog box will appear, click the fourth option which should be Set up a wireless ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network
Step 6: You can name the network whatever you like, I strongly suggest you use No authentication (Open). You may choose to save the network or not.
Step 7: After the network has been successful set up, under “Recommended options” you should be prompted to Turn on Internet connection sharing, if you do not see this option you may need to update your operating system.
Step 8: After clicking on this option you should get a confirmation saying Internet connection sharing is enabled. If you don’t get this confirmation and it fails you should just try again.
This method is best suited for Visafone.
Method 2: Using a USB router/ Mi-Fi Router
Admittedly if you have the right hardware getting your Xbox 360 online is a snap. Most 3G providers these days support (though branded) devices that enable multiple devices to connect to the internet using only one SIM and plan. So if you have a Mi-Fi hub (MTN or Etisalat) or a 3G router (Glo or Visafone) connecting your 360 to the internet is as easy as connecting your laptop. I on the other hand use an unbranded 3G Wi-Fi router made by Zoom Telecommunications (not the Nigerian CDMA provider). I don’t feel any step-by-step guide is required for connecting your Xbox to any of these devices since they are all emit a Wi-Fi signal, but if you need any help you can send me an email at enquires.trutechkings@gmail.com or tweet at us @truetechkings.
Part 2: Setting up your Xbox live account.
This is as simple as creating an email, but some people can get stuck if they’re not aware of some things before hand. The following are a list of things that you may or may not know about connecting and registering your Xbox live account.
1. Nigeria is not listed in their list of countries during the registration, so I advise you to use United States or United Kingdom which ever you feel more comfortable with, with any luck if the amount of Nigerian IP addresses that connect to the service dramatically increases Nigeria will soon be listed. So tell your friends about Xbox Live!
2. If you do not intend to use a credit/debit card with your account I suggest you declare you are over 18, this will not make the billing details section of the registration process mandatory. Please note that most Nigerian MasterCard and Visa powered debit cards will not work, unless special privileges have then enabled on that card/account, for example being linked to a dollar($)/pound(£) account.
3. You may have to change you gamertag ID because your name may already be taken.
4. You will most probably need to install a multitude of updates for your Xbox on your first login to Xbox live, so I suggest you make an allowance of about 250-750MB on your data plan.
5. If you have altered your Xbox 360 in any way, for example chipped it to play pirated games or play saved games from your hard drive these updates will revert any changes you have made or in extreme cases block your Xbox 360. So you might need to think twice if you’ve been screwing around with it. But if you play by the book you’ve got nothing to worry about!
6. When you have successfully registered you Xbox live account you’ll get a one month free Xbox Live gold subscription, which will give you access to exclusive content and also enable you to use the online multiplayer capabilities of your games.
If you have any further questions you can email me at enquires.truetechkings@gmail.com or tweet at us @treutechkings Looking forward to playing with you guys. For a more indebt analysis of the Nigerian 3G provider data Plan Click Here
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Thank you for this
ReplyDeleteI use my email which is "hotmail" and it keeps telling me that the locale of my email or what not isn't under the xbox list of ... Does this mean I have to create another email and register as if I'm from USA and then log back on to xbox live to try to register? Cos it seems it knows where the owner of the email is from
ReplyDeleteProbably, you can try making another ‘Hotmail’ email address with the country of origin being UK, USA or even South Africa, still don’t know why Nigeria hasn’t been included, even the Apple media store is now accessible from Nigeria. But you don’t have to use a Hotmail/Live email account to register, if you’re still experiencing problems I recommend using a Gmail or Yahoo email account to sign up.
ReplyDeleteHow do I pay after d 1 month has expired? As u say most nigerian mastercards do not work????
ReplyDeleteSo how exactly do I pay after d 1 month has expired?
ReplyDeleteWell you have two options,
DeleteIf you have a credit/debit card which corresponds with the region you used to register i.e. If you chose UK, you can use a credit/debit card issued by a UK bank to subscribe.
You can also purchase an Xbox Live Subscription code from any online video game retailer operating in that region or alternatively you can get someone to purchase an Xbox Live Subscription card from a physical store in that region on your behalf and send you the activation code. It works like an airtime recharge card. You redeem the code on you Xbox by pressing the Xbox button, then scroll to 'redeem code'.
Thanks....been helpful so far. One more thing though. What do I fill for the Billing Information? Whatever I put happens to be wrong...
ReplyDeleteIf you’re being prompted to enter in your billing information during your initial registration, it is most likely because you are a minor (under 18). A quick fix would just be to exaggerate your year of birth till it is over the 18 margin, at which point payment information would not be mandatory during your initial registration. If you do intend to register with an eligible credit/debit card, you’ll need to verify the billing information with the card holder (the owner of the for mentioned credit/debit card).
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