ResNet: Getting Started

All of OSU's Residence Halls, Cooperative Houses and The Gem are connected to the Internet via ResNet. Students living on campus may take advantage of this high-speed connection in their room.

What you Need to Get Connected

All you need to get connected on ResNet is your own personal laptop or desktop computer (see our Hardware/Software Recommendations page for details on what is supported). There are two ways to connect your computer to ResNet:

Wireless Connection: All the residence halls have wireless internet. If your laptop or desktop has a wireless card, you can connect directly to the network upon arrival (the network will be named "OSU_Resnet").

Wireless Connectivity Issues

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Connection Section

To have a secure, fast and uninterrupted connection to the network use a wired connection – use the Ethernet plugs in your dorm room.

All connections to a WAP share a single wired connection. The more devices connected the slower the speed of activity. Speeds may vary by the amount of bandwidth being used by neighbors and devices in the dormitories.

To avoid speeds being interrupted by other devices using the same WAP you may want to connect to an orange wired connection jack in your own dorm room – using a Cat6 or Cat5 Ethernet cable. A wired connection is secure, fast and uninterrupted.

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)/Routers Interfering With ResNet Wireless Channels

A number of devices can be in the same area using the ResNet Wireless Channels – laptops, cell phones, gaming systems, microwaves, etcetera creating a split of the wireless connection in many different directions. With so many different channels requesting access to a single wireless connection the connection is split in to many different directions causing slowness, interruptions, or no connectivity.

You may get a personal router but it would add to the wireless interference.

Evening Wireless Bandwidth

Oregon State University is always working to increase the Network Bandwidth Limits to help with the connection speeds you experience.

At night more students are in their dormitories using wireless connections causing a high strain on the bandwidth provided to ResNet. With services like Netflix, internet, gaming systems (PS3, Xbox, etc.), and other video services OSU is reaching its Bandwidth Cap.

Wired Connection: If you prefer to not use wireless, or your computer does not have a wireless adapter (many desktops do not come with one), each room has one wired port per resident that you can use. You will need to provide your own Ethernet cable, which can be purchased at the OSU Beaver Store if you don't already have one.

Note: This must be an internet (Ethernet) cable. A phone cable will not work for the ResNet network.

Getting Connected

Activate your ONID Account (if you haven´t already).
Connect your computer to the ResNet network by either:
- Connecting your computer to the wireless network (named "OSU_Resnet").
- Plugging your computer's Ethernet cable into the orange or green jack in your room.
Open your web browser (ie. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari etc.).
Your browser should automatically redirect to the ResNet Sign-up web page. If not, check your computer's settings, then restart your computer.

Check ResNet account, register additional devices

Visit the ResNet self-service website, to check your ResNet account status or register additional devices.

Using a Wireless Router on ResNet

You can still use your own wireless router on ResNet by connecting it to the wired port in your room.

If you are using a wireless router, you are required to secure it with a password. You can find instructions on this in your router's manual or online at the manufacturer's website. See our Wireless Router Page for more information.

Troubleshooting

Possible Solutions

If you are using an Apple Mac computer they have the ability to connect at 802.11n (5 GHz) instead of 802.11g (2.4 GHz), there are not many devices with this frequency meaning there will be more channels available for a faster internet connection. Follow the links below for some more information:

iStumbler - http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20100714193223963

Mac WiFi connections - http://robert.accettura.com/blog/2012/04/04/stable-wifi-connections-with-ma

Got a problem or issue? Check out our Help Guides. If you still cannot find a solution, please feel free to Contact Us.