Turn a $40 router into a $100 Wifi powerhouse

A problem that I had for a while was that I have wired devices, like my Media Center PC and my Xbox that are not wireless (B/G) enabled as such. I needed a way to give these devices network/Internet access without spending $100 or more to do so. After looking around, I stumbled upon DD-WRT, which is an open-source firmware for many of the common wireless routers around today. This software allows me to use my $40 (used) Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router and turn it into a 4-port wireless bridge, which would usually cost $100 or more to buy off the shelf. A wireless bridge is a device that acts as a network access point for wired devices, allowing them wireless network access, essentially "bridging" the gap between non-wifi devices and the network. DD-WRT has supported hardware listings so that you can see if your device is supported, and full installation instructions are also available. It's fast easy and free. Check it out.

XBMC Part 3: Install a bigger hard drive

This particular mod is not directly related to XBMC, but will defintely upgrade your overall modded Xbox experience. The stock Xbox hard drive is only 8GB, which doesn't leave much room for adding Xbox games, emulators, roms, music, movies, videos, pictures, applications, and anything else you'd want to store on the Xbox itself. Adding a bigger hard drive is easy, and almost essential. Any IDE hard drive that can be "locked" in hardware will do the trick. To find out which ones will work, look here. Almost any Seagate will work, which is what I'd recommend. I am using this Seagate 250 GB Hard Drive.

To accomplish this mod, you need:

- A modded Xbox
- Torx screwdrivers/drill (gauges 5,10,20)
- A hard drive
- Xboxhdm software
- A PC supporting IDE drives
- A router

The basic procedure is:

1. Backup your eeprom to a file (eeprom.bin)
2. Transfer your Xbox C Drive (and E if nec.) to a PC via ftp
3. Use Xboxhdm to make a bootable linux iso CD
4. Open your PC and disconnect your existing hard drives
5. Connect only your new Xbox hard drive
6. Boot from the CD
7. Format the hard drive, then reboot to CD again
8. Lock the hard drive
9. Open your Xbox using Torx screwdrivers
10. Remove old hard drive, install new one
11. Close up the case and boot the Xbox
12. Hook you PC's hard drive(s) back up and boot

Rather than list the steps myself in detail, here is a great tutorial from Scenyx. There are many other tutorials out there, too. Good luck.

Unlock the power of your iPod with Rockbox

Rockbox is an open source firmware for mp3 players that allows you to do many things with your player that the manufacturer doesn't support or allow. For example, I have an 80GB iPod Video. I also have lots and lots of digial music files, mainly in FLAC. My problem was that Apple does not support playback of FLAC files in iTunes or on iPods. Enter Rockbox. This alternate firmware (AKA iPod operating system) allows for the playback of FLAC files along with a plethora of other formats. Rockbox also frees my iPod from the death-grip of iTunes, which I find to be bloated, slow, and limiting software. Many other players are supported, including Archos, Cowon, Toshiba and Sandisk. I've been using it for about 2 years now, and it's just phenomenal. It plays video and pictures, and even records audio. It also comes with lots of games, has every hardware/software EQ, setting, and option you could think of, and is skinnable, meaning the player and its menus can look however you want them to. If you have an iPod or other supported player and you have music Apple doesn't support, or you just hate Apple but love the iPod, then Rockbox is for you.

XBMC Part 2: Setup and Installation

The best and easiest way to get XBMC running in your living room is to start by obtaining the following:

- An original Xbox (optional: Xbox Remote)
- An Action Replay for Xbox
- A copy of the game MechAssault (original version, not Platinum Hits edition) for Xbox
- XBMC software for Xbox (obtain the latest T3CH release from torrent sites)
- Softmod Installer Deluxe (w/ MechAssault game save, obtain from torrent sites)
- A PC or Mac w/ a router to transfer files to over FTP

Rather than list all of the steps myself, I'll link to 2 excellent tutorials at Xbox-hq.com and LifeHacker.

I've also added a 250GB hard drive to my Xbox and a Xir remote module so that I can use the Xbox remote to power on/off the unit, which is not possible without. Here's all of the things I do with my modded Xbox:

(Via XBMC)

- Stream my entire music collection w/ artwork from my PC to my living room, then to my receiver. All music file types supported.
- Stream my movies/tv shows to my living room, similarly
- Show picture slide shows from my PC
- Watch internet television shows such as those from G4TV and Revision3
- Get weather forecasts from The Weather Channel
- Watch current movie trailers from Apple
- 720p HD resolution and digital Dolby/DTS supported (via adapter)

(Independent of XBMC)

- Store and play full Xbox games directly from the hard drive
- Store and play any/every game via emulators for the following systems: Atari 2600, Colecovision, Intellivision, NES, Gamboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, Super NES, Genesis, Sega Master, Game Gear, TurboGrafix-16, Arcade coin-ops, Playstation, Neo-Geo.
- Copy DVD movies to the hard drive for playback without the disc

Next up: Adding a bigger hard drive to the Xbox

I'll take XBMC in my living room, FTW.

I've been using XBMC for the past few years as my "living room media center," in other words, the machine that allows me to view/hear all of my digital music, movies, photos and net-based content, among other things. I have XBMC installed on my modded Xbox. The software is free of charge and freely available from torrent sites, although it's only quasi-legal, as it contains code pilfered from Microsoft. However, despite its legal status, I've found it to be the perfect solution for people that are looking for a cheap, easy and user-friendly way to enjoy their digital media in a living room setting.

Modding an Xbox (the original one, not the 360) is not required, as the software is available for Windows, Mac and Linux as well, although the Xbox package is the cheapest and easiest way to get the job done. I'll cover modding installation and setup in my next post.