This allows you to play your ps2 anywhere in the house without running long network cables along the floor. I did this as an experiment as I was tired of dragging a cable into the lounge, and I prefer to keep the PS2 in my bedroom, which is on the opposite side of the house to the network and desktop PC. Moving the modem  was not an option, and I already had a wireless network set up with my Laptop.

By JuddMan

You will need:

1. A PS2 with a Network Adapter and the network access disk (for testing the connection)
2. A laptop with both wireless and Ethernet connections (Built in, or PCMCIA work), running Windows XP or Server 2003
3. an internet connection on a wireless network that your laptop can use. either using a wireless access point on a broadband router or a public subscription should work, as long as they do not block playstation game traffic.
4. a standard CAT5 crossover cable (or you can use a network hub). How to tell? Examine the ends of the cable. if the colors of the wires are in exactly the same order for both ends, you do not have a crossover cable

Steps:

1. make sure your laptop can access the internet at the location you want to use your PS2.

2. Connect your PS2 and PC using the network cable, turn on the PS2 and insert the Network Access disk.

3. go to your Network Properties page. (press the Start menu, right click My Network Places, and select Properties)

It should look something like this... (1394 is just the FireWire port. you can ignore it)

 

What you need to do is bridge the Wireless connection and the Local Area connection. Select both connections and right click one of them. select "Bridge connections" from the drop down box.
You should now have something like this:

To check if your new combined network is working correctly, try accessing the internet on your laptop. If it works, all should be fine, and you can set up your PS2 to connect using your Network Access disc. if you have already set it up previously (by moving your PS2 or dragging long cables), you should have no problem just connecting and playing your games online.

If it did not work, make sure your PC's network settings are still correct for you to access the internet on the bridge. (You will have to use the Network Bridge to set TCP/IP settings etc. as the two network cards have effectively been combined as one, and use the same IP address and settings.

If you still cannot access the internet on your laptop while the connection is bridged, read this...

Troubleshooting wireless connectivity on a network bridge:

(This is a short version of a Microsoft article... view it here)

This problem is common after bridging a wireless connection with a wired one... the problem is that the wireless seems to refuse to connect to the network, meaning you cannot use the internet, or even get an IP Address from your router (or modem). If you see something like this:

What you need to do is enable compatibility mode for your Wireless card.

1. open Command Prompt (type "cmd" in the Run dialog)
2. type netsh bridge show adapter
you should see a list of network adapters in your network bridge, the wireless and the one connected to your PS2.
3. Make a note of the number next to the wireless connection under ID.
4. type the following:
netsh bridge set adapter # e
Replacing # with the number of the wireless card.

To check that it worked, run "netsh bridge show adapter" again and see the result.
To make it more clear, here's a picture of my command prompt after doing this:

Notice that ForceCompatibilityMode for the wireless is now enabled. I can now use the internet on my bridged wireless connection.

You should now have the correct IP Address for your bridge, and be able to use the wireless network...

Now, just make sure the PS2 can connect by using the Network Access disc to check the connection. It is much easier to set this up if your PS2 has already been set up on a wired connection.

Any time you want to play your PS2 online in your bedroom now, all you have to do is bring the laptop to it, and plug it in. Enjoy!

Still having trouble?

If you are confused about some points here, and need me to clear them up, you can email me or use MSN... my ID for MSN and hotmail is juddman03.
Also, My ICQ is 38613511.

However, make sure first that both your PS2 and Laptop can connect to the internet in the normal way before trying this and contacting me... I will not troubleshoot your internet connection.

-JuddMan