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[XanTium]

Xbox 360 clashes with wireless devices at Wal-Mart ... More -- Posted by XanTium on October 24 11:37
JoyStiq posted a new article today with more reports from Wal-Mart employees and visitors that the Xbox 360 (custom wireless 2.4Ghz interface?) might be interfering with wireless devices in use at Wal-Mart. Some of our Xbox-Scene visitors also reported similar problems in a previous news item.
From JoyStiq.com:

There's no reason to get worried about the Xbox 360 launch date (there, we recognized the elephant in the room), but the breadth and frequency of these reports point to a compatibility issue between the Xbox 360 and Wal-Mart, at least. Anyway, click "continue reading" for all 8 reader reports:
* 2.4 RF will screw with the Symbol handhelds which are pretty much the backbone of Wal-Mart day to day business. That's probably why they shut the consoles off. Even wireless speaker system demos that run on 2.4 will screw things up. -- bb
* I work at walmart.... the truth is that the 2.4ghz interferes with our "Smart"system. nation-wide all walmarts had to stop using the pa system, because costumers complain, so 360's 2.4 is a scapegoat. at my store we use wireless home theater systems as our excuse -- BugX
* I work at a Wal Mart here. We had a problem like this too. But with us it crashed our SMART system, which made all handheld terminals not function. Those handheld devices use a wireless network to function and somehow it interfered with that. -- Charlie

Read More Reports on JoyStiq.com.

[gamerguy999]

Same thing is happening at my walmart...

[gerbil]

hhmm... ~ i guess i'll reconsider buying the corded one instead ...

if walmart is having problems, i wonder if we all get this @ home ..
 <_<

[Avenger 2.0]

I hope you can turn it off. Because a lot of things are running here at 2.4Ghz

[gamerguy999]

Yeah, I have bunch of 2.4Ghz stuff in my house too.

[Ballz2TheWallz]

i dont care, stuff in my house is either 900mhz or 5.8ghz range

[C o s m o]

Now on X-S Front page:


MS Confirms Issue With 360 Wirless at Kiosks
>> From kotaku.com:

QUOTE

I just received an email from MS confirming that they have indeed been having issues with their Xbox 360 kiosks because of wireless interference. Apparently the 360's wireless system can interfere with a store's network-based inventory managment system.
They say that a solution was developed within 24 hours of the problem cropping up and that they are in the process of rolling out the fix.

Here's the company's official line and a Q&A:
* Q: I heard Xbox 360 is interfering with retailer's inventory system; what's going on?
* A: Our Xbox 360 retail kiosk program rolled out this week and we encountered some minor wireless interference issues that are specific to some retail environments. Since the advent of 2.4 ghz signals, such as those found in next generation consumer electronics like cordless phones, wireless routers and now, Xbox 360, some retailers have discovered that their network-based inventory management systems can be impacted by products using modern wireless signals. 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.

* Q: How can I be assured that Xbox 360 isn't going to interfere with other wireless devices in my home?
* A: This issue is specific to the equipment used in a few retail environments. Xbox 360, like portable phones, wireless network routers, and Bluetooth devices emit radio frequency operate in the 2.4GHz band. MS has one of the most robust testing programs in the industry and has ensured that Xbox 360 meets all FCC/ETSI requirements and rules for operation in the 2.4GHz band. It is possible that devices that do not comply with FCC/ETSI rules of operation in this band may not properly handle interference from other 2.4GHz sources. Such devices would be extremely rare in a home environment.

Read More: kotaku.com

*EDIT*Xantium just posted a topic on this.

This post has been edited by C o s m o: Oct 24 2005, 10:05 PM

[Bogus8]

FCC does really have very much requirements or restrictions in the 2.4ghz range this is why there are so many products using the band... so that statement doesn't hold much water really.