Nintendo Wii Fanatic: Downloads for your Wii

Downloading to your Wii. How to set up your Wii to download.

Many people fail to use their Wii capabilities to the max. because they fail to use the huge hard drive and run the internet option.

In order to set up your Wii so you can download all the goodies, like movies, music, games and more for your Wii you need to have a wireless internet connection set up in your home.

Most PC users, particularly those with a laptop will already have a wireless connection set up in their home. For those that don't you will need to buy a wireless router. You can get a good one for under $100. Don't go for a top of the line one that transmits to the whole suburb - just get one that will do your house. Most do an average size house with no problem at all - so don't get carried away. Setting up a wireless router is pretty easy - just follow the instructions that come with the box - you will normally have two cables - one from router to phone line/ broad band/cable line, and one from router to your main desktop computer. Importnant note - Write down and Copy down the WAP code when you set up the router (or you will have to hunt for it through your windows control panel => wireless => etc)

With a wireless connection in the house connecting to the internet with your Wii is simple.

Steps to connect your Wii to the internet.

From the main channel menu click on the round circle "Wii" button on the bottom left of the screen. This will open up Wii options.

Click on the Wii settings option on the right.

Click on the right arrow to bring up the second page.

This will bring up four options (parental controls, sensor bar, internet, Wii connect24). Click the third one "internet"

The Wii will start scanning for wirless connections. Choose your connection (normally the standard router name, or the name you may have called it "smith family wireless router" and the Wii will then want the WAP code (remember the one I told you to write down earlier).

Type that in using the Virtual keyboard and your ready to go.

Your Wii has a number of channels already build in - Weather, News, and Wii shop.

You will then to go to the Wii shop and buy the URL browser channel option (you need 500 Wii points - $15 about). You can get Wii points by either buying online with your credit cards, or attending your local store and buying a card with points on - a bit like a mobile phone pre-paid credit card). You have now set up your Wii as another internet browser (internet for your TV). Now time to make the most of it by downloading games, music and movies to your Wii. Just type in the URL address of download sites you have joined - this is much cheaper option in the long term than buying off the Wii shop channel.

There are a number of download sites available for your Wii and I will review them for you in later posts.

Here are 3 Wii download site leaders to get you started.

MY WII DOWNLOADS