Halls of Residence Network Connections Advice and Support
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQ's followed by some Troubleshooting tips that may help you with any queries or problems you may have about your halls connection.
If you require any more assistance please contact your nearest Residential Computing Adviser (RCA) to help you with setting up your computer.
Details of Residential Computing Advisers (RCA's) locations and times are provided (see related links).
Q1. Do I have to ask or pay to get my network / Internet connection activated?
Since the start of 2005/2006 students no longer need to request or pay an additional cost to activate their network / Internet connection when they move into their Halls of residences. All halls of residence rooms that have network points should already have them active and ready to use when they arrive and throughout their stay (subject to conditions of use).
There are no separate charges for using the network / Internet connection other than your standard accommodation fees.
Note! Ethernet network sockets are available in nearly all of our halls of residences, but one or two halls may not have this service, so please see the Halls of Residence Network Point Locations/Availability section (See index tab) for a list of which halls have or haven't got network points. Alternatively if you do not have a Halls Ethernet connection in your particular halls room, then you may like to look into getting internet over the telephone line in your room instead, one option is listed on the Alternative methods of connection section (see related links).
Q2. What do I need to start using my network / Internet connection?
Since the start of the Academic Session 2005/2006 all halls network connections are active and all that is needed on your part is an Ethernet network card and network cable for your computer (see below for more details on how to get these if not already). You then need to plug your network cable into the correct socket on the wall and into the correct port on your computer (see the next question below for advice on this). Then you also need to make sure your computer is setup correctly by following our online setup guides on the 'Halls of Residence Network Connections' main page.
Q3. Where is my network point and what does it look like?
If your halls of residence is one of the ones that has data networking, then there is usually only one network capable socket on the wall in each students room. A data network point is usually a square white plate on the wall usually at waist level or sometimes down by the skirting board or behind desks or beds. The white plate will have a single square socket in the middle usually with a protective slide down flap. It is important to note that for a network point the socket in the middle is square (not rectangle), and phone socket is usually rectangle.
However, in the new and the most modern halls of residences you may find that the phones and network point sockets look identical due to a new wiring scheme. But one should already have an attachment plugged into it to convert it into a phone shape socket. If this is the case, the best way you can check which one is the network point and which one is the phone socket is by reading at the label on the faceplate. The "data" network capable socket will be labelled with a D01 at the end e.g. NM/381/D01 and the phone ("voice") point will be labelled with a V01 at the end e.g. NM/381/V01, so be sure that you have the correct device plugged into the correct socket. If your phone already works then this is a good sign that it's in the correct socket and that the other one is the network socket.
Q4. Where can I get a Ethernet network card from?
Most modern computers come with a network card built into the computer as standard so check your computer first to make sure you haven't already got one. If not then please see the related link on Obtaining an Ethernet Network Card for some recommended places you can obtain one. Ideally you want one that supports 100mbit/s, 10mbit/s is supported but slower, although 1000mbit/s is not yet available from our halls network.
Q5. Where can I get a network cable from?
You will need a standard network cable to connect your computers network card to the wall socket. To be more precise it would be a Ethernet 'Unshielded Twisted Pair' (UTP) cable with RJ45 terminated plugs (cat5, cat5e or Cat 6 standards). If you do not already have one then these are very commonly available from most computer supply stores and even major super markets these days.
As of 2007 there should be a network cable provided in every students halls welcome pack when they arrive in halls.
Or, if for any reason you need another one, the following halls of residence locations may have some available to purchase:
- Glen Eyre Reception
- Montefiore Reception
- Bencraft Halls Office
- Aubrey Highfield Halls Office
- Gateley Reception
Q6. My halls room network connection doesn't seem to be working properly?
If your connection has recently stopped working or has never worked during your stay please read our 'Troubleshooting' section below. This could help you diagnose and solve the problem yourself. If this does not help you then you can contact the your nearest Residential Computing Adviser (RCA) helpdesk (semester 1 only, see related links) or telephone the universities iSolutions ServiceLine and report the issue.
Troubleshooting Section
Q7. Is the 'local area connection' enabled on your computer?
In Windows XP and 2000, the Ethernet connection can be disabled and enabled. To check this, click on Start and select Control Panel (or go to Settings and then Control Panel if it is Windows XP or Windows 2000 using the Classic start menu). Look for Network connections (switch to Classic View in Control Panel if you have the option for it). Double click on Network Connections.
If you see "Network bridge" listed, you can delete it unless you know you need it. You should now have a separate connection for your Ethernet connection. Normally it should be listed as just "Local Area Connection" or "LAN Connection".
Once you can see the "Local Area Connection" icon then right click on it and if if there is an option for "Enable" this means your connection is disabled on your computer, click on enable to activate the network connection.
Q8. Why can't I talk/connect/transfer_files to my friends computer somewhere else on the halls network? Is it that Protection Service?
Each network point in halls is provided with a "personal firewall" isolating it from other network points on the halls network. The main reasons for this are to reduce virus spreading in increase your protection. However it can be removed if you wish, details on how to do this are in the Protection Service section (see related links).
Q9. When attempting to access the Internet I get this error message:
"Forbidden you were denied access because: Access denied by access control list." What is wrong?
This problem could be due to the Internet settings that were created when setting up a personal Internet Service Provider (ISP) account for your dialup connection at home. If you open the 'Internet Options' window from your Internet Explorer browser and select the 'Connections' tab. Then click on the 'LAN Settings..' button and a small window will pop up with your 'automatic configuration' and 'proxy server' settings. Some ISP accounts require these settings to be ticked but for your Halls Connection all the tick boxes must be unticked. If you are still using the dialup ISP service that these settings refer to we advise you to make a note of these settings so that you can restore them if you need to use it again. Untick any that are ticked and click 'OK', then 'OK' again to save the changes. This should enable your connection to work freely.
Q10. My browser tries to dial my Internet Service Provider (ISP) instead of my
Halls Network Connection when I open Internet Explorer or Outlook. How do I stop this?
Open the 'Internet Options' window from the drop down menu in your Internet Explorer browser and select the 'Connections' tab. Then ensure that your dialup settings are set to "Never dial a connection". Then click 'OK' and try to connect again. If your settings are set up like those described in our 'Setup guides' your computer should now connect to your Halls network and not dial your Internet Service Provider (ISP) anymore.
Q11. How can I use two different computers on my network point?
The system stores a record of the IP address and MAC address of your computer as you connect to the network. You are then issued a lease time for that IP address which is for half an hour and your computer refreshes this lease every half hour if the computer is still connected. If the computer is not still connected after the half hour then the lease expires. This system means that if you were to plug another computer (or network card) into the network socket whilst the lease is still active then that computer will not be able to connect until the lease is renewed by the new computer, the time to wait can take anywhere up to half an hour.
However if you didn't want to wait you can click on START and RUN in the Windows Start menu (or open an MS-dos command prompt window from the start menu) and then type in the command "ipconfig /release" (without the speech marks) before you disconnect your computer and plug the other one in.
You can also refer to one of the How do I release and renew my IP address? (See related links).
Q12. What do I do if my network socket on the wall is physically broken or damaged?
If your wall socket is damaged or the clip inside gets pushed into the wall, don’t worry. Occasionally the plastic gets brittle when old or if you push too hard when putting the cable in the socket the module inside will break off and disappear behind the socket. If this happens we can come and fix it for you if you notify the ServiceLine (see related links) by email or telephone.
Q13. My network card and cable is plugged in but my 'Local Area Connection' icon says i'm 'Disconnected', what is wrong?
In your list of 'Network Connections' (Windows XP only) there should be an icon called 'Local Area Connection' or 'LAN Connection'. When your network card has a cable plugged into it and the wall socket the status of that icon should say 'Connected'. If it doesn't then there are a number of problems it could be.
Firstly, the networking might have failed for your entire flat or building, so check with your fellow flat mates and see if they have the same problem. If so the iSolutions ( iSolutions. network team will be on their way to fix the problem shortly if they have noticed, or have been made aware of the problem. You may ring ServiceLine or contact your nearest Residential Computing Adviser (RCA) helpdesk (semester 1 only) and report the problem if it has not been already (see related links).
Secondly, the problem may just be local, and it may be your wall socket or cable that is damaged or faulty. Occasionally cables can get damaged or some of the metal contact pins in the wall socket can get bent or jammed and need releasing. If the required pins are not contacting with your network cable then your network card will not be able to make a proper connection. Alternatively, the problem may instead be with the wiring behind the wall back to our distribution room. If you suspect either of these to be the problem please contact the ServiceLine and report a possible fault with your network socket.
Finally, it could be that your network card in your PC is faulty or Windows needs its hardware drivers reinstalling for it. You can try another network card if you have one, but be sure that this is really the cause before you purchase a new network card. Please note, that the university is not responsible for repairing or replacing your own networking cards, cables, or software.
Q14. I have Norton Internet Security installed on my pc and it seems to be interfering with my internet?
We have found this year (2005/2006) that the application called Norton Internet Security 2006 (Symantec) has been causing serious problems with students pc's in halls of residence. When the Internet Security or Firewall section of the application is enabled the computer can immediately or intermittently loose connection to the network and Internet. It has also been known to restrict access to some SSL or HTTPS secure web pages on the Internet and even MSN Messenger. The cause is suspected to be due to faulty programming or corruption of Norton Internet Security but its relation to being used on the halls of residence network is also under investigation.
Currently the best way to avoid this problem is to disable either the "Security" part of the program or the "Firewall" part, but if the program is corrupted you may have to uninstall the program completely. However, in some cases this is not easy, because error messages can appear and often unknown passwords are required. As a final resort, please refer to the Web links for an off-site guide on Symantec's web site about "Removing your Norton Internet Security program using SymNRT" but we suggest you consult Symantec Online Support first. We must make it clear that it is the university iSolutions ( iSolutions. team's responsibility to ensure the working order of the network point alone, and not our responsibility to repair problems with users own personal computers.
If you disable Norton's firewall we suggest that you use Windows XP Service Pack 2's built in firewall instead, or another third-party firewall application, or at least the halls network Protection Service (see related links).
Q15. I cannot access the Internet and my 'Network Connection' says I have "limited or no connectivity".
I also have an IP address starting with 169.254.xxx.xxx. What is wrong?
In this case the 'Local Area Connection' icon usually says you are 'Connected', but the 169.254.xxx.xxx default IP address basically means that for some reason your PC cannot automatically obtain the correct IP address from the network. Without the correct IP address your PC cannot communicate on the Internet or halls network.
Here are some of the known causes and solutions to this problem:
Cause 1 |
If your connection has just recently stopped working this problem could be due to some settings you have changed on your computer. Especially any Windows network connection settings or Internet Explorer options. |
Solution |
Try to restore the settings to how they were. You can refer to the setup guides on the main Halls Network Connections page for what the settings should be. Or run the 'Windows System Restore' program if you know how to use it, and restore your windows settings back to a point before when you lost your connectivity. |
Cause 2 |
A more recent suspected cause for this is the accidental or intentional acquisition of 'Spyware' (advertising software) on your pc and also the removal of such Spyware from your pc. Some unsolicited Spyware will write itself into your underlying Windows Registry Data and upon its installation or removal it can occasionally lead to the corruption of the basic Windows networking procedures. This part of Windows is known as the Winsock TCP/IP Stack. Spyware removal programs such as 'Ad-aware' have been linked to problems of this nature and users have been known to loose network connectivity shortly after removing Spyware from their PC. |
Solution |
If you believe this is a possible cause you can try to 'Undo' the removal process in 'Ad-aware' (or which ever Spyware removal tool you are using) and see if this repairs the problem. You will need to restart your computer afterwards. If not, you may have to repair Microsoft Windows with either the System Restore function or the Microsoft Windows CD. |
If you cannot track down the problem please contact your nearest Residential Computing Adviser (RCA) helpdesk (semester 1 only) or the ServiceLine (see related links).
We must make it clear that it is the university iSolutions ( iSolutions. team's responsibility to ensure the working order of the halls rooms network point alone, and not our responsibility to repair problems with users own personal computers.
The information or advice given on this page is provided only as help and we advise getting assistance from our Residential Computing Advisers (RCA's) or ServiceLine if you are unsure of anything.
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