User guide

AirMagnet Spectrum XT User Guide
Chapter 10: Device Detection 139
Wireless Game Controllers
Wireless game controllers are handheld devices for gaming consoles without wires. Using
wireless technology, wireless game controllers allow players to sit virtually anywhere (up to
30 feet away from the game console) in the room, making game play less restrictive.
For better coverage, most wireless game controllers operate on the 2.4-GHz frequency–an
unlicensed radio band also used by 802.11b/g WLANs, cordless phones, Bluetooth devices,
and microwave ovens, etc. Like the other non-WiFi devices operating in the 2.4-GHz
frequency band, wireless game controllers installed in close proximity of an 802.11b/g WLAN
can interfere with the normal operation of the WLAN.
Wireless game controllers are available for all major gaming consoles and computers.
1
The following are some of the major brands:
• Sony PlayStation® 2 Wireless Game Controller
2
• Microsoft Xbox 360® Wireless Remote Controller
AirMagnet Spectrum XT will identify and list the following game controllers by their brand
name: PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360.
RF Spectrum Pattern
Wireless game controllers come in all shapes and sizes. They are widely used in homes and
even some businesses settings where the 802.11 WLAN is deployed. Their presence can cause
serious performance issues in the WLAN. The figure below shows the RF spectrum pattern of
a wireless game controller using the 2.4-GHz frequency band. See Figure 10-16 below.
Figure 10-16: RF spectrum pattern of a 2.4-GHz game controller transmitter
1. Nintendo Wii™ and Sony PlayStation 3 are Bluetooth devices and will be detected as
Bluetooth interferers.
2. Playstation is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation.