The Wii’s online services have been shut down for years; at this point, the community has stepped in and revived WiiConnect24 and Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. WiiLink (formally RiiConnect24 and Wiimmfi) bring the online functionality so you can still play and get in touch with your friends.
For both RiiConnect and Wiimmfi to work, you will need a softmodded Wii with either Wii Mod Lite and an SD card.
Wiimmfi
Wiimmfi the replacement of the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection has been online since 05/10/2014 and is steadily improving with supporting new games and making the connecting process easier.
Wiimmfi supports the most popular games of the Wii and DS era, like:
- Mario Kart Wii
- Mario Kart DS
- Super Smash Bros Brawl
- Animal Crossing: City Folk
- Metroid Prime Hunters
Wiimmfi is still occasionally active and there are a lot of dedicated fans playing every day. The unofficial Discord can be found here: Wiimmfi Discord.
Installation
There are multiple methods you can perform to make Wiimmfi work on your system.
(Method 1) Using Priiloader
 | If you don’t have Priiloader, you can install it or use the second method. The Priiloader method is labeled for 4.3U which is the US region and untested in other regions. |
- Turn on your Wii console by holding both the Power and Reset buttons simultaneously to boot into Priiloader.
- Select System Menu Hacks.
- Select the Wiimmfi Patch v4 for 4.3U option ensuring that it is enabled, then save your changes.
- Launch a game and play.
(Method 2) Using the Auto Wiimmfi Patcher
You will need a full-size SD card that is 32GB or less formatted to FAT32, ensuring that "The Homebrew Channel" was installed when you have softmodded your Wii.
- Download the Auto Wiimmfi Patcher from the Wiimmfi site, and extract the (.zip) archive to a new folder.
- Drag-and-drop the
appsfolder onto the root of your SD card. - Insert the SD card into your Wii and power on the system.
- Launch the app using "The Homebrew Channel".
- Insert a game disc into the drive and wait for the game to load.
(Method 3) Wiimmfi though USB Loader GX
If you have USB Loader GX installed:
- Launch USB Loader GX through "The Homebrew Channel".
- Go to the settings and search for Private Server and select the Wiimmfi option.
- Launch the game and play.
(Method 4) Using DNS Settings
You can also access Wiimmfi (in addition to other Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection revivals) by just changing the DNS settings of the console, which has the additional benefit of working with both the disc channel and unmodded systems as well.
- Access your Wii's internet settings by going to
Wii Settings > Internet > Connection Settings. - Select the connection method you need to use (Wi-Fi network or Ethernet adapter) and navigate to
Change Settings > Auto-Obtain DNS NO > Advanced Settings. - Change your DNS settings to one of the following, depending on what server you want to use:
- Wiimmfi: 95.217.77.181
- WiiLink (also connects to Wiimmfi): 167.235.229.36
- WiiLink WFC: 5.161.56.11
- AltWFC/WFCZwei (online player list): 172.104.88.237
- NewWFC: 89.117.58.143
- Allow the connection test to finish, and skip the prompt for a system update. You will now be able to just boot any supported WFC game and connect to the multiplayer server.
WiiLink/RiiConnect24
WiiLink is a service that brings back originally Japanese-only channels such as the Demae Channel, Digicam Print Channel and Wii no Ma. In addition, Riiconnect24 and Wiimmfi are now also bundled under WiiLink, so apps that originally used the WiiConnect service are also supported under WiiLink. This includes apps like the Everybody Votes Channel, the Check Mii Out Channel (Mii Contest Channel), Weather Channel, and even the News Channel.
The official Discord can be found here: WiiLink Discord.
Installation
Official instructions can be found on the WiiLink website.
RiiConnect24 (Deprecated)
Since RC24 has been superseded by WiiLink, the instructions on this section of the page are out of date. They are only kept here for historical purposes.
RiiConnect24 brings back functionality for many apps, like the Everybody Votes channel, the Check Mii Out channel, and even the News and Weather channels. The process of reviving apps that used WiiConnect is very easy, and you’ll be able to see Peter Griffin on the Check Mii Out channel.
Installation
- Visit the RiiConnect24 site and download the RiiConnect24 Patcher.
- Run the installer as an administrator, click "Yes" if a User Account Control pop-up appears.
- On the first prompt, choose the 1st option.
- Choose what device you are patching.
- Choose the first option.
- You need to choose recommended; this will include 7 files you need to install, but more on this later.
- Select the region of your console and select continue.
- Important! If you select the wrong region, the files are not going to work.
- Connect your SD Card to your computer.
- Select the first option and wait for the files to download.
- Return to the menu and close the program. Make sure that the files are downloaded.
- Put the files in the
WADsfolder on your SD Card. - Put your SD Card in your Wii and start the console.
- Launch Wii Mod Lite and install the files you put in your
WADsfolder. Wait for the installation to finish. - When the installation finishes, use Wii Mail Patcher found on "The Homebrew Channel" to patch the Wii Mail function.
- Change the default DNS in the internet settings. You can do this by navigating to the home screen, then Wii Settings > Internet Options > Connection Settings > Change Settings
- Choose the active connection, then press right on the D-PAD until asked if you wish to Auto-Obtain IP address and choose No > Advanced Settings.
- Enter
164.132.44.106for your primary DNS and1.1.1.1as the secondary one. - Choose Confirm > Save.
WiiConnect24 settings can optionally be set as well.