My brother lives in DC. I live in Boston. We would like to play
Rainbow Six Rogue Spear on our PC's against each other but would
rather not have to go through some online gaming site like MSN's
GameZone. Is there a way that we can use the internet to direct
connect to each other? I thought it was possible, but when we try to
connect by entering my IP address as a host name directly in the game,
it won't let us connect. We do each have firewalls, but even with them
disconnected and turned off, it doesn't work. Is there a way to
directly connect within the game? Or, if there is a piece of software
out there that will let us connect, where do I find it? Also, I'm
wondering if by using a router, my ip address is incorrect? Anyway,
trying to figure it out...

I don't know anything about the game, but here are some general
networking tips/suggestions.

Where are you getting the IP address that you use?

Go to http://www.whatismyip.com
Is that the IP address each of you used?

And can you ping each other's IP addresses?

Also, you may need to enter a port number in the IP address string in
case the game doesn't have a default port it uses.

P.s. I'm not a Google answerer.  Just tryin to offer some friendly advice.

I am using whatismyip, but I'm concerned that because I use a wireless
router that this is not my true ip? I dont know. Thanks for the heads
up though.

I don't think that the wireless router will change your IP.

I also have a laptop with using wifi, and I am not able to host games in Starcraft.

Have you tried connecting to your brother's ip?

xerxus-ga is correct that your IP address will not change because of a
wireless router.  When you go to whatismyip.com it will give you the
correct IP address that your brother should use to try to connect.

Try the following... 
(found at: http://www.agr-s.com/html_pages/faqs-rs.htm )

Q: How do I play by IP connection? 
A: Playing by IP is easy. If you are hosting the game you will need to
know your IP number. If you are joining a game, you will need the host
to tell you what his IP number is. The other number you need is the
Port number, which is 2346. With these two numbers simply launch RS,
select Multi-player from the menu, then select either Join or Create.
Enter your two numbers, and away you go!

Q: Can I play with a firewall active? 
A: Yes you can play, and even Host with a firewall active. In Rogue
Spear select Options then click on the Multiplayer tab. Tick the
Firewall box, and you should be able to play on-line with the firewall
still active. If you need a Firewall you can find an excellent free
firewall at www.zonelabs.com With Zonealarm even though you have the
lock on you can tell the program which applications to allow data back
and forth on the internet such as RS. It then locks out all other
unauthorised entry such as port scanning or back orifice attempts. The
actual ports that should be left open are 2346-2348.


If that doesn't work, then let me know brands and models the routers
you and your brother are each using and I'll give you directions how
to open the ports on both. (Or if you're good at google searching,
search for your router's model, brand, and "port forwarding" or "open
ports".)