How to Hook Up Xbox Live

If you do not know how to hook up Xbox Live, you're missing out on the best feature that this advanced video gaming console has to offer. By hooking up Xbox Live, you can play Xbox games with other people from around the world, you can download and watch demos of new games and you can also watch Netflix on your TV set through the Xbox. It is very simple to learn how to hook up Xbox Live, and this allows you to enjoy the best features of the Xbox.

What Do You Need
First up, you need to make sure that you have all the things that are required for hooking up Xbox Live.

• An Xbox or an Xbox 360.
• An active broadband Internet connection.
• An ethernet cable.
• An Xbox Live starter kit.
• An active credit card.

Once you have gathered all these tools, you are ready to hook up Xbox 360 Live and enjoy the best gaming experience that is on offer.

How to Hook Up Xbox Live
You need to ensure that the download speed and the upload speed of your broadband Internet connection is up to the mark. Download speeds of at least 256 kbps are recommended, and upload speeds of at least 64 kbps is necessary for playing online, or for hosting your own gaming sessions respectively.

An Xbox Live starter kit can be purchased from any store that sells video game consoles, and this will enable you to go online with your Xbox. The kit contains a disc that carries the necessary software for going Live, a headset that you can use for communicating, a few demo games and a 12 month subscription for the Xbox Live service. Your credit card details will be required to hook up Xbox Live, but no amount will be charged to it in the first 12 months.

All you need to do now is connect your Xbox console to your Internet modem or router using the Ethernet cable, and then follow the prompts that you see on the screen to create an Xbox Live account. There are two types of accounts that you can create, and each of them allows you to do certain things.

The 'Silver' account lets you chat with friends online, download arcade games, download movies, download TV shows and download demos of new and upcoming games. This account does not give you the option of playing a multiplayer game though. For this purpose, you will need to create the 'Gold' account. With this account you can do all the things that are possible with the Silver account, and you can play multiplayer games with anyone from around the world as well.

One thing that you need to be aware of is that if your Xbox console has been modded, you CANNOT hook up Xbox Live. This is a safety and security measure that has been introduced by Microsoft (the creators of Xbox), and this will limit your options greatly.

Here are some other things that you must keep in mind when you hook up Xbox Live.

• The faster your Internet connection, the better your gaming experience will be.
• If you have a limited download capacity on your Internet connection, you should avoid playing some heavy games.
• Choose games that have a higher signal strength. You can see the signal strength next to the name of the game that you are about to join.
• It is better to connect the Ethernet cable directly to your modem. If you use a router and are connecting other devices like a PC to the router as well, the games you play will certainly slow down, or lag.
• Connect to Xbox Live on weekends or holidays for greater options to choose from.
• You can use your existing email ID when you are signing up for Xbox Live.
• Do not change your 'gamertag', or your name often, as this deducts an amount from your credit card.

Once you learn how to hook up Xbox Live, you can really enjoy the features of this console to the maximum. This is a great gaming experience for anyone, and you will certainly never get bored of it.