Difference between revisions of "Broadband Adapter"

Latest revision as of 11:08, 10 September 2024

Broadband Adapter

Manufacturer: Sega

Type: Network tool

Release	Date	RRP	Code
JP	2000-07-15^[3]	¥8,8008,800^[3]	HIT-0401
US	2001-01-02^[1]	$59.9959.99^[2]	MK-50176

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Broadband Adapter (ブロードバンドアダプタ) (commonly abbreviated to BBA) and known as the Dreamcast Link in Brazil, is an accessory released for the Sega Dreamcast. It is a replacement for the built-in Dreamcast Modem, allowing games to benefit from faster internet connections.

Hardware

Sega's decision to incoroporate 33.6K or 56K modems into their Dreamcast consoles was based on the theory (later proved true) that most internet users during the late 1990s and early 2000s would be using dial-up connections to get online. However, some had access to faster broadband connections which are incompatible with the standard modem, so the broadband adapter was released to compensate.

Two versions of the device were released:

HIT-300: "Dreamcast LAN Adapter" (ドリームキャスト・LANアダプタ) - this version used a Fujitsu MB86967 chip and supported only 10 Mbit speed, and is only thought to have been released in Japan.
HIT-400: "Broadband Adapter" (ブロードバンドアダプタ) - the more common model. This used a Realtek 8139 chip and supported 10 and 100 Mbit speeds.

No such adapter was released in PAL regions, however the peripherals are not region coded, so an American adapter will function in a PAL system.

The broadband adapter theoretically fulfils the same functions as the standard modem, but is able to perform tasks much quicker, as more bandwidth is available through a broadband connection.

Compatibility

While the Dreamcast Modem is compatible with almost all online Dreamcast games, the Broadband Adapter is only compatible with a subset of the library, owing to the need for developers to explicitly support the device and its late arrival on the market. The games it does support will theoretically run better with a Broadband Adapter than a standard Dreamcast Modem, but if the priority is compatibility, it is not the best option.

Physical scans

Dreamcast, JP (LAN Adapter)
Cover
Dream Passport 2 for LAN

Dreamcast, JP (Broadband Adapter)
Cover
Broadband Passport

Dreamcast, US
Cover
Manual

Dreamcast, BR
Cover

References

↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "January 2001" (US; 2000-12-05), page 58
↑ GameWEEK, "December 11, 2000" (US; 2000-12-11), page 20
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 http://www.sega.co.jp/sega/corp/news/nr000608_1.html (Wayback Machine: 2000-08-16 08:51)

Sega Dreamcast
Topics	Technical specifications (Hardware comparison) \| History (Development \| Release \| Decline and legacy \| Internet) \| List of games \| Magazine articles \| Promotional material \| Merchandise
Hardware	Japan (Special) \| Western Europe \| Eastern Europe \| North America \| Asia \| South America \| Australasia \| Africa
Add-ons	Dreamcast Karaoke \| Dreameye
Controllers	Controller \| Arcade Stick \| Fishing Controller \| Gun (Dream Blaster) \| Race Controller \| Maracas Controller (Third-party) \| Twin Stick \| Keyboard \| Mouse \| Third-party
Controller Add-ons	Jump Pack (Third-party) \| Microphone \| VMU (4x Memory Card \| Third-party)
Development Hardware	Dev.Box \| Controller Box \| Controller Function Checker \| Sound Box \| GD-Writer \| C1/C2 Checker \| Dev.Cas \| GD-ROM Duplicator
Online Services/Add-ons	Dreamarena \| SegaNet \| WebTV for Dreamcast \| Modem \| Modular Cable \| Modular Extension Cable \| Broadband Adapter \| Dreamphone
Connector Cables	Onsei Setsuzoku Cable \| RF Adapter \| Scart Cable \| S Tanshi Cable \| Stereo AV Cable \| VGA Box Dreamcast MIDI Interface Cable \| Neo Geo Pocket/Dreamcast Setsuzoku Cable \| Taisen Cable
Misc. Hardware	Action Replay CDX \| Code Breaker \| Kiosk \| MP3 DC \| MP3 DC Audio Player \| Official Case \| Treamcast
Third-party accessories	Controllers \| Controller converters \| Miscellaneous
Unreleased Accessories	DVD Player \| Zip Drive \| Swatch Access for Dreamcast \| VMU MP3 Player
Arcade Variants	NAOMI \| Atomiswave \| Sega Aurora

[:File:EGM_US_138.pdf_p58-1] Electronic Gaming Monthly, "January 2001" (US; 2000-12-05), page 58

[:File:GameWEEK_US_2000-12-11.pdf_p20-2] GameWEEK, "December 11, 2000" (US; 2000-12-11), page 20

[https:.2F.2Fweb.archive.org.2Fweb.2F20000816085134.2Fhttp:.2F.2Fwww.sega.co.jp.2Fsega.2Fcorp.2Fnews.2Fnr000608_1.html-3] 3.0 ^3.1 http://www.sega.co.jp/sega/corp/news/nr000608_1.html (Wayback Machine: 2000-08-16 08:51)

[3]

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{AccessoryBob
 | accessoryimage=dc_bba.jpg
-| imgwidth=
+| accessoryprogramscreen=
 | title=
 | maker=[[Sega]]
+| type=Network tool
 | madefor=[[Sega Dreamcast]]
-| alsoworks=
+| releases={{releasesDC
-| usa=January 10, 2001
+| dc_date_us=2001-01-02{{magref|egm|138|58}}
-| japan=
+| dc_rrp_us=59.99{{magref|gw|2000-12-11|20}}
-| rrp_jp=
+| dc_code_us=MK-50176
+| dc_date_jp=2000-07-15{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20000816085134/http://www.sega.co.jp/sega/corp/news/nr000608_1.html}}
+| dc_rrp_jp=8,800{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20000816085134/http://www.sega.co.jp/sega/corp/news/nr000608_1.html}}
+| dc_code_jp=HIT-0401
 }}
+}}
+{{sub-stub}}'''{{PAGENAME}}''' (ブロードバンドアダプタ) (commonly abbreviated to '''BBA''') and known as the '''Dreamcast Link''' in Brazil, is an accessory released for the [[Sega Dreamcast]]. It is a replacement for the built-in [[Dreamcast Modem]], allowing games to benefit from faster internet connections.
+==Hardware==
+Sega's decision to incoroporate 33.6K or 56K modems into their Dreamcast consoles was based on the theory (later proved true) that most internet users during the late 1990s and early 2000s would be using dial-up connections to get online. However, some had access to faster broadband connections which are incompatible with the standard modem, so the broadband adapter was released to compensate.
+Two versions of the device were released:
+*HIT-300: "Dreamcast LAN Adapter" (ドリームキャスト・LANアダプタ) - this version used a Fujitsu MB86967 chip and supported only 10 Mbit speed, and is only thought to have been released in Japan.
+*HIT-400: "Broadband Adapter" (ブロードバンドアダプタ) - the more common model. This used a Realtek 8139 chip and supported 10 and 100 Mbit speeds.
-The '''Sega Dreamcast Broadband Adapter''' (commonly abbreviated to ''BBA'') was an accessory released for the [[Sega Dreamcast]]. The console originally came equipped with a 56 or 33.6K modem; the Broadband Adapter was released on January 10, 2001, as an upgrade to allow a faster Internet connection.  When introduced only a few hundred thousand were released, retailing at $50.  The device was used to enable web browsing, gaming, and so forth with the Sega Dreamcast without the need of a slow dial-up connection. Shortly after its release, the adapter became one of the items primary ways used to copy Dreamcast [[GD-ROM]]s, as its transfer capabilities were much faster than ways previously possible. Recently, hackers have been able to use the adapter for homebrew uses as well.
+No such adapter was released in PAL regions, however the peripherals are not region coded, so an American adapter will function in a PAL system.
-There were 2 versions released:
+The broadband adapter theoretically fulfils the same functions as the standard modem, but is able to perform tasks much quicker, as more bandwidth is available through a broadband connection.
-*HIT-400: "Broadband Adapter", the more common model, this used a Realtek 8139 chip and supported 10 and 100 Mbit speeds.
+==Compatibility==
-*HIT-300: "Lan Adapter", this version used a Fujitsu MB86967 chip and supported only 10 Mbit speed.
+While the Dreamcast Modem is compatible with almost all online Dreamcast games, the Broadband Adapter is only compatible with a subset of the library, owing to the need for developers to explicitly support the device and its late arrival on the market. The games it does support will theoretically run better with a Broadband Adapter than a standard Dreamcast Modem, but if the priority is compatibility, it is not the best option.
+{{AccessoryCompatibilityList|Broadband Adapter}}
-Due to their limited supply many enthusiasts have tried to create a home made version of the adapter, none of which have worked. However, there has been a way to create a server between a Dreamcast and PC in order to trick the Dreamcast into thinking it's connected to the internet; when in reality it would be using a Broadband connection. There was also the HIT-0401 (Japanese), that also works with non-Japanese machines; whereas the HIT-0300 does not (it uses a special Japanese application). The adapters were not region coded, so an American adapter could be used on a [[PAL]] system and vice-versa.
+==Physical scans==
+{{Scanbox
+| console=Dreamcast
+| region=JP (LAN Adapter)
+| front=DreamcastLANAdapter DC JP Box Front.jpg
+| back=
+| spinemissing=
+| item1=Notavailable.svg
+| item1name=''[[Dream Passport 2 for LAN]]''
+}}{{Scanbox
+| console=Dreamcast
+| region=JP (Broadband Adapter)
+| front=DCBroadbandAdapter JP Box Front.jpg
+| back=BroadbandAdapter DC JP Box Back.jpg
+| spinemissing=yes
+| item1=Broadband Passport DC JP Disc.jpg
+| item1name=''[[Broadband Passport]]''
+}}{{Scanbox
+| console=Dreamcast
+| region=US
+| front=BBFront.jpg
+| back=BBBack.jpg
+| spine=BBSide.jpg
+| top=BBTop.jpg
+| bottom=BBBottom.jpg
+| square=yes
+| manual=BroadbandAdapterInstructionManualU.pdf
+}}{{Scanbox
+| console=Dreamcast
+| region=BR
+| front=DreamcastLink-DC-BR-Front.jpg
+| back=DreamcastLink-DC-BR-Back.jpg
+| spine=DreamcastLink-DC-BR-Right.jpg
+| top=DreamcastLink-DC-BR-Top.jpg
+| bottom=DreamcastLink-DC-BR-Bottom.jpg
+}}
-==Physical Scans==
+==References==
-<gallery>
+<references/>
-File:DCBroadbandAdapter US Box Front.jpg|US box (front)
-File:DCBroadbandAdapter JP Box Front.jpg|JP box (front)
-</gallery>
 {{Dreamcast}}
-[[Category:Dreamcast Accessories]]