"MICHAEL" wrote in message
...
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140567/article.html

Strange Xbox Signal Suspected of Jamming Wireless LANs
Microsoft's Xbox 360 game console can create a strong and strange signal that disrupts
wireless LANs.

Would also like to point out that the interference may still
happen even if the XBOX is "off". The XBOX 360 is really only
in standby mode, not truly off. It must be unplugged for it to
be off. I have an XBOX 360, I don't think it's been causing interference.

This is not the first time this issue was brought up-
over two years ago;

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6136388.html
Wal-Mart pulls plug on 360 kiosks
Xbox maker acknowledges consoles interfering with Wal-Mart's internal management systems; says
fix is in the works.

By John Andersen, GameSpot
Posted Oct 24, 2005

Gamers looking to be among the first to get their hands on an Xbox 360 controller at Wal-Mart
demo kiosks can still do it, but they won't actually be controlling anything.

Xbox 360 kiosks placed in Wal-Mart stores across the country have been shut off, said a
Microsoft spokesperson contacted this afternoon. The reason, according to Microsoft, is due to
the console causing interference with Wal-Mart's wireless "hand scanner" inventory system.
Microsoft has acknowledged the problem as being "minor" and says a software solution is in the
works to correct it.

GameSpot became aware of the problem after one of its editors entered a Wal-Mart store and
discovered the Xbox 360 kiosk had been shut off. The Wal-Mart rep confirmed that the console
had been causing problems with the store's scanners.

Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, instructed all stores to shut down the 360
kiosks.

According to Microsoft, the kiosk program, which was initiated nationwide over the past week,
"encountered some minor wireless interference issues that are specific to some retail
environments."

Since the advent of 2.4GHz signals--like those commonly found in next-generation consumer
electronics such as cordless phones, wireless routers, and, now, the Xbox 360--some retailers
have discovered that their network-based inventory management systems can be impacted by
products using modern wireless signals, according to the spokesperson.

"While retailers are constantly updating their internal management systems, sometimes new
products being introduced into the market can cause this kind of temporary interference. We are
working closely with our partners to provide a software solution that mitigates this problem
within their retail environments. Adjustments and tweaks to kiosks of any kind are quite common
once they're deployed in a live retail environment, and we consider making such adjustments a
standard part of the launch process."

Microsoft said it identified the problem and within 24 hours had deployed new software to
Wal-Mart stores.

It is still unclear which specific part of the 360 console was causing the interference in the
first place...and whether it could interfere with other consumer wireless devices as well. When
questioned about this issue, a Microsoft spokesman was confident that it would not.