Wii Internet

Wi-Fi (short for Wireless Fidelity, a humorous takeoff from years ago of the stereo world's 'Hi-Fi' or high fidelity) allows the Wii to wirelessly connect to the Internet.

There are several ways to enable the Wii internet connection. One is to use any wireless router already in place in your home computer network. If that is not part of your network design, you can take advantage of the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector accessory. This small device plugs into your computer's USB port and acts like a mini-wireless router on a system that is hard-wired to the Internet.

But in any case, the Wi-Fi hardware/software built in to the Wii system is what makes it all possible. The Wii has an 802.11b/g wireless adapter built-in along with the firmware necessary to utilize it. Luckily for Wii owners, that is all free and part of the system right out of the box!

There is much more to the Wii's Wi-Fi feature than just hardware/software that Nintendo puts into the system during manufacturing, though. There are all the things you can do with it that the company calls 'Wi-Fi Connection'.

Wi-Fi Connection can be used for any of a dozen different purposes. Game downloads via the Virtual Console, updates, message exchange, downloading photos, and more are all possible thanks to Internet access that can only occur because Wi-Fi is onboard.

One interesting aspect is called Pay & Play. Games that use this provide add-on content that make the game more exciting and keep it fresh. There is typically a modest fee, which are paid via Nintendo Points (for which you pay cash, of course), but the small extra money is often well worth the cost.

WiiWare is a good case in point. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, Lonpos, Guitar Hero: World Tour, and many others are that much better for being part of the Pay & Play system.

Hook Up With A Friend!

One way that Wi-Fi does its job is through the assignment of a Friend Code to your console. This is a unique 12-digit 'password' that you share with your Friends. To allow someone to become a Wii Friend, just add their Friend code to your system (and vice versa). That mutual agreement (recognized by the Nintendo website software once both parties get online) ensures security for all.

Best of all, of course, is the possibility of playing online, and with other players. Wi-Fi support lets you take part in multi-player games over the Internet. It also supports up to eight players using the Nintendo DS as a sort of add-on controller for the Wii. That allows players to use the DS's touch screen for game variety.

All sorts of things are needed to enable these features, but that stack of goodies all start with the Wii internet Wi-Fi support built right in to the console.

It can display still images, play video, and allow users to browse the Internet on their TV, too. The last feature is offered by the Wii Internet.

Wii Internet is, at bottom, two essential components: an Opera 9 browser (similar to Firefox or Internet Explorer, for those not familiar with it) and a wireless Internet connection. Using that software/hardware combination, users can access any website just as they would with a PC or Mac, or web-TV console.

But, there are big differences that make the Wii Internet experience even richer.

The Wii system supports several different methods for navigating the web. Users can take advantage of the QWERTY-style image on the TV and 'type' or select using the Wiimote as a point-and-click device. Or, with a few 'mouse' clicks on the Wii Remote they can use instead a smaller cell-phone style keypad that offers smart type-ahead. Alternatively, anyone who wants to can plug in a real PC-style USB-capable keyboard, using one of the two USB ports offered by the Wii console.

The Wii Remote and Internet Channel software provide lots of other convenient features, such as Search, Zoom, or Scroll. Text Wrap ensures that web page content never gets hidden. Users can easily play YouTube videos, watch movies and TV shows online, shop at Amazon, access online email, and on and on. In short, anything you do with your computer/browser you can do with Wii Internet!

Consistent with the Wii design thrust, Wii Internet goes beyond the single user experience. Sharing URLs is easy, just send your Favorites from within the Page Information display. They can be shared using the Wii Friends feature or sent to his or her email account.

There is a nominal, one-time charge of 500 Wii points (equivalent to $5) to download the Wii Internet via Wii Shop, but there are no monthly usage or connectivity charges. There is no inherent restriction on what website users can visit, but parents can control which sites are accessible by the easy-to-configure Parental Controls.

The software is stored on the internal flash, and so it uses a small portion of the 512MB of the Wii by default. But it can be moved to an SD card, freeing up internal storage space. The Opera software at the heart of Wii Internet supports the abilities of its larger cousin. Once connected, web pages display on your TV with large fonts and images, making navigation ultra-easy for the elderly.

The Wi-Fi support that provides the connection can come from the same wireless network your home computer uses. Or, it can come from any of the thousands of 'hot spots' found at an Internet cafe, the airport, and more. Since the Wii is so small and lightweight those are actually practical options.

The Wii system makes it easy to access the Internet and eliminates any need to connect your PC or Mac to the TV to take advantage of the larger screen.

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