This article explains how to set up your Nintendo Wii so you can use it to surf the internet. Adding an optional USB keyboard will simplify the process.

What to Know

  • Using Wii console with internet connection, install Wii Internet Channel web browser. Select The Internet Channel and Start.Select from Search, Favorites, and Web Address to browse.

Prepare for Installation

First, gather the supplies you will need for the installation. 

  • A Wii console with an Internet connection. If you haven’t got connected yet, read this step-by-step tutorial, ​How to Get Your Wii Online.
  • While optional, a USB keyboard is also extremely useful when web surfing on the Wii. You can use a standard PC wired or wireless keyboard or try a Wii-specific keyboard like Logitech’s. If you don’t have a keyboard you’ll have to use the remote to click letters on a virtual keyboard.

Install the Wii Internet Channel Web Browser

From the main screen, select the Wii Shopping channel, then select START.

Select Start Shopping, then select Wii Channels. Scroll down ands select Internet Channel. Download the channel.

Once it’s downloaded select OK and then go back to the Wii Menu, where you will see you have a new channel called the Internet Channel.

Start the Internet Channel

Select The Internet Channel and then select start. This will bring up the Wii browser, which is a Wii version of the Opera Browser.

On the start page, there are three big buttons, one to Search for something on the Internet, one to input a web address, and a Favorites button that lists websites you have bookmarked.

To the right is a picture of the Wii remote, selecting that will tell you what each button does.

There is also an operations guide that gives a detailed explanation of the browser, and a settings option to change the way the browser operates.

Surf the Web

Once you go to a website, you will see a toolbar at the bottom of the screen (unless you have changed the default toolbar setting). Mousing over a toolbar button will pop up text telling you that button’s purpose. The first three buttons are standard on any browser. Back takes you to pages you were on earlier, Forward goes the other direction, and Refresh reloads the page.

There is also a button that takes you back to the start page. Finally, there is a smaller button, a lowercase i in a circle, that when clicked will tell you the title and web address of the page you’re on and let you edit that address or send it to anyone on your Wii friends list.

Navigate pages with the remote. Pressing the A button is the same as clicking the mouse button on a computer. Holding the B button and moving the remote scrolls the page. The plus and minus buttons are used for zooming in and out and the 2 button lets you toggle between a normal display and one in which the page is displayed as one long single column, which is useful for dealing with elaborately formatted websites. If you set the toolbar to Button Toggle in the settings then you can toggle the toolbar on and off with the 1 button.

Optional: Tweak Your Browser Settings

Zoom

There are two zoom settings, manual and automatic. Zooming is done with the plus and minus buttons on the remote. If you have “smooth” selected then when you zoom in the text will come towards you slowly and evenly until you let go. With an automatic zoom, pressing the plus button zooms in to show you the text you clicked on filling the whole screen, while minus zooms you out to a standard view.

Toolbar

The toolbar setting controls the behavior of the navigation toolbar that appears on the bottom of the screen. Always display means you always see the toolbar, Auto-Hide means the toolbar disappears when you move your cursor off it and appears when you move the cursor to the bottom of the screen. Button Toggle lets you turn the toolbar off and on by pressing the 1 button.

Search engine

Choose whether your default search engine is Google or Yahoo.

Delete cookies

When you visit websites they often create cookies, small files containing information such as when you last visited the site or whether you want to remain permanently logged in. If you want to remove all these files, click this.

Adjust Display

This allows you to tweak the width of the browser, useful if it doesn’t reach the edges of the screen. 

Proxy Settings

Proxy Settings are an advanced concept. The vast majority of Wii users will never need this. If you do need to change your proxy settings, you probably know more about the subject than we do.

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