Topic: Connecting Wii U Internet Through Smart TV

Hi all!

I just purchased a Wii U and I understand that I need to purchase an adapter to connect it to the ethernet jack in the wall. However, the place where I live only allows me to have two items on the network, which currently are my PC and my Samsung Smart TV.

Is it possible to connect my Wii U to my Smart TV and use the internet connection that is already running through that?

Thank you!

I don't think it's possible to use the TV as a router. But you should be able to put a router to your ethernet jack in the wall, and then connect the PC/TV/Wii U to the router. (The Wii U also connects to WiFi, even if a cable connection is better.)

I'm confused about your setup so let me try and work it out. You have a router presumably somewhere else in the building right? In a basement, carport or cupboard is sometimes the usual setup. Then you have Ethernet through the walls and two network jacks on wall plates. One of them in one room, a different one in another. Does that sound about right? So behind your TV there's something like this and then the same behind your computer desk:

If so then you just need a switch. They're pretty cheap and you can't really go wrong. Gigabit ones are nicer and given how cheap a switch is I'd just grab a five port Gigabit switch and call it a day. Even in Australia where we tend to pay a bit more they're only about $20-30 for a five port one. Something like this: http://www.netgear.com.au/home/products/networking/switches/G...

...and just to make things even easier, this is how you set it up. That line from the top coming out of the router? That's what I assume is coming out of your wall plug:

I have the same thing more or less. Have the Wii U, TV and a Blu-Ray player hooked upto it with one port spare. They're pretty easy, shouldn't need to set anything up. It'll just work.

Buy an ethernet hub/switch, plug that into the ethernet jack, bingo you can put more stuff on the network.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. My understanding is that an ethernet hub doesn't carry it's own IP address, and the network will still see the addresses of everything I have connected. I'll still have the 2-devices issue on the network. I think I'll just use the Wi-Fi! Thanks again

This isn't a problem, it really isn't. Frankly I think your understanding of this is pretty average and you're making it more complicated than it needs to be. With my network setup I have three switches all cascading out from a single port on my router. One large one in the middle of the network, two on the edges turning one ethernet jack into four extra points. I didn't have to do anything fancy to set that up, I just plugged in a network cable and it worked. Done.

There's nothing complicated about the way that IP addresses are allocated. It's literally the same process through a switch as it is without the switch or over WiFi. Your device asks your router for an address, your router leases it one, your device asks again before the lease is up and your router renews it. It'll do this through a switch, over WiFi, through powerline or however. The "address giving" function of your router doesn't care how you're connected, it just hands out addresses. It's a dumb device just like a switch. A switch looks at the packet and goes "oh, this is for port 3" and pushes it along. It's not complicated.

The original question seems to imply it is a flat or something where they provide two jacks (And ip's) is this the case ?

Sockets I can understand because I have the same setup. Behind the TV where my Wii U sits I only have one network socket, same behind my desk, same behind the TV in the lounge room. So that makes sense. But being restricted to IP addresses? That doesn't make any sense at all. You'll have a DHCP server somewhere on your network, usually it's your router, and they'll hand out addresses regardless of how your device is connected. It'll hand out addresses from a list of a good hundred or so. Even if you live in a flat where they have an interesting setup I can't imagine a reason why you'd be limited to two devices in that way. Especially when you're able to freely connect more devices over WiFi.

I think the OP has just found an article and half understood it. Then got confused about how this all works. I really, really doubt they actually have a setup where only two IPs can be allocated to wired devices.