Xbox 360 Customers Can't Connect To Apple AirPort Extreme

People wanting to connect their Xbox video game consoles to Apple's latest AirPort wireless routers are apparently out of luck, unless they plan to shut off all security.

Apple customers reported on the company's tech support forum that the new AirPort Extreme, which started shipping late last month, doesn't recognize Microsoft's Xbox. Gamers want to connect the video game player to the router to play games online.

Unfortunately, the two products apparently won't work unless all security, including password protection, is disabled on the AirPort Extreme. The high-speed router is useful to gamers because it supports the latest Wi-Fi standard 802.11n, which means it can transmit data fast enough for playing video on a connected device. Previous Wi-Fi standards were too slow to be reliable.

People on Apple tech support reported that Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii work just fine with the AirPort, so the problems appear to be unique to Apple's rival.

As to why the problem exists, neither Microsoft nor Apple was immediately available for comment. But people in the Apple discussion group said Microsoft techs were advising them that Apple's wireless routers weren't recommended for use with the Xbox. At least one tech reportedly said Apple didn't get Xbox certification for the AirPort.

Among the first blogs to report the problem was Tuaw.com, which stands for The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

The latest controversy isn't the first for the AirPort Extreme. Apple last month took some heat for charging customers $1.99 for software that would let Mac users connect to the router. The download from the Apple Online Store activates the 802.11n hardware in the iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook, and MacBook Pro computers.