Getting Started Information for Students

So you want a network connection... You came to the right place. This guide will help you get all the pieces in place so that you can get on the WPI network with minimum fuss.

What You Need

WPI provides networking services to students living on and off campus. There are three things that you need to complete to get a computer on WPI's network:

You must register the network card to obtain an IP address.
You must sign up for a network outlet.
You must pay any activation fees that are required.

How to Get Connected

Off Campus and Commuter Students
Residence Halls and Greek Houses
Wireless Network Access for All Students
Special Cases for Students
- Hubbed systems
- Laptops and Portables registered in the Residential Network

Off Campus and Commuter Students

Off campus and commuter students can register their portable computers for use with the WPI network. This will allow you to plug your laptop or portable computer's Ethernet port into active network outlets around campus in some areas of the library, labs, and common areas. You will not be able to use your computer in the Residential Network (see Residence Halls and Greek Houses). Wireless Network access is also handled separately.

Registering the computer for use on the wired Portable network

To register your laptop or portable computer you will need to get the Hardware MAC address from your wired Ethernet card (see Finding your Hardware MAC Address if you need help) and then register this Hardware MAC Address on the Network Registration page.

Find your Ethernet card's Hardware MAC Address.
Go to the Network Registration page.
Log in with your CCC Unix login name and password if you are not already authenticated with Pubcookie.
Click [Register New Machine].
Select "Portable: Mobile Wired Systems" from the IP Range list and click Continue.
Choose and fill in a Hostname for the system, or leave this field blank to allow NetReg to assign one automatically.
Enter the Hardware MAC Address you found above.
Select the computer's Operating System from the list.
For your own record keeping purposes, you may enter the Model and Serial Number of the system.
Make sure the Affiliation is set to Privately Owned Machines.
Click the Continue button.
After submitting changes, you must wait 30 minutes before they take effect.

You MUST configure your system to use DHCP to obtain its IP address. Using BOOTP or entering an IP address manually is not allowed and will not work.

If you need to change any information at a later date, simply visit the Network Registration page and click on the Hostname of the system you wish to modify. Change what you need to change and submit the form.

Note: Any changes you make do not take effect until approximately 30 minutes after the form is submitted. Connecting a computer prematurely will cause network difficulties.

Residence Halls and Greek Houses

Students living in Residence Halls can sign up for a permanent (for the duration of their residence) connection to the WPI network. The cost of a 10/100 Mbps connection for one computer per resident in the Residence Halls is included in the housing fee.

Students living in those Greek Houses which have a current contract with WPI for network connectivity can also sign up for a connection to the WPI network. There are 10/100 Mbps connections within each building, and a 20 Mbps wireless link back to the WPI campus. The network equipment and wireless link are maintained by WPI Network Operations, but the contract does not cover any maintenance to the internal Ethernet wiring (from each room back to the network equipment) in each Greek House. There are no per-resident fees assessed by WPI for the first (one) computer per resident, however there may be fees assessed by the Greek organization.

Additional machine registrations beyond the first, in either the Residence Halls or Greek Houses, can be purchased for an additional fee (see Hubbed systems). Wireless Network access is also handled separately.

Registering a computer for use on the Residential Network

To sign up for a connection in the Residence Halls or Greek Houses you will need to get the Hardware MAC Address from your wired Ethernet card (see Finding your Hardware MAC Address if you need help), and the number and jack color of the network outlet that you want to plug into (see picture). This information will need to be registered on the Network Registration page.

Find your Ethernet card's Hardware MAC Address.
Choose an available network outlet in your room and note the number on the wall plate and the color of the jack. The network jacks are red, white, and blue. Grey jacks are telephone outlets.
Go to the Network Registration page.
Log in with your CCC Unix login name and password if you are not already authenticated with Pubcookie.
Click [Register New Machine].
Select "Building: Residential" from the IP Range list, where Building is the name of the building where your dorm room is located and click Continue.
Choose and fill in a Hostname for the system, or leave this field blank to allow NetReg to assign one automatically.
Enter the Hardware MAC Address you found above.
Select the Outlet that you chose above.
Note: your computer will only work on the outlet you select here. Due to the security implemented on the Residential Network, if you plug a computer into an outlet for which it is not registered, the outlet will turn off and require a manual reset by Network Operations before it will work again.
Select the computer's Operating System from the list.
For your own record keeping purposes, you may enter the Model and Serial Number of the system.
Make sure the Affiliation is set to Privately Owned Machines.
Click the Continue button.
After submitting changes, you must wait 30 minutes before they take effect.

Note: your computer will only work on the outlet you choose above. Due to the security implemented on the Residential Network, if you plug a computer into an outlet for which it is not registered, the outlet will turn off and require a manual reset by Network Operations before it will work again.

At the beginning of the academic year during New Student Orientation and the move in rush, automatic registration via Quick Network Registration is available. During this period of time, network outlet security is disabled and you may plug an unregistered computer in and your web browser will be brought to the QuickReg page. QuickReg will automatically discover your Hardware MAC Address and network outlet, allowing you to quickly register your computer.

Note: Any changes you make do not take effect until approximately 30 minutes after the form is submitted. Connecting a computer prematurely will cause network difficulties.

Wireless Network Access for All Students

Students who wish to use laptops or portable devices on the Wireless Network need to register separately for this service. There is no fee for wireless registration and Residential Network Registration Quotas do not apply to the Wireless Network. It is recommended, however, that all devices maintain a registration for wired access to the network, if possible, in addition to a wireless registration, since the wireless network is provided for convenience only and will never have the same speed, availability, or reliability as a wired connection.

Registering a computer for use on the Wireless Network

To register your laptop or portable device for Wireless Network access you will need to get the Hardware MAC address from your wireless card (see Finding your Hardware MAC Address if you need help) and then register this Hardware MAC Address on the Network Registration page. After registration, you must configure the wireless card to connect to the WPI Wireless Network. See Wireless Networking Configuration Directions for instructions.

Find your Wireless card's Hardware MAC Address.
Go to the Network Registration page.
Log in with your CCC Unix login name and password if you are not already authenticated with Pubcookie.
Click [Register New Machine].
Select "Wireless: Mobile Wireless Systems" from the IP Range list and click Continue.
Choose and fill in a Hostname for the system, or leave this field blank to allow NetReg to assign one automatically.
Enter the Hardware MAC Address you found above.
Select the computer's Operating System from the list.
For your own record keeping purposes, you may enter the Model and Serial Number of the system.
Make sure the Affiliation is set to Privately Owned Machines.
Click the Continue button.
After submitting changes, you must wait 30 minutes before they take effect.
See Wireless Networking Configuration Directions to complete the configuration of your wireless card.

You MUST configure your system to use DHCP to obtain its IP address. Using BOOTP or entering an IP address manually is not allowed and will not work.

Note: Any changes you make do not take effect until approximately 30 minutes after the form is submitted. Connecting a computer prematurely will cause network difficulties.

Special Cases for Students

Here are some instructions for special cases that students living in on-campus Residence Halls or Greek Houses are likely to encounter.

Hubbed Systems: Students living in Residence Halls and Greek Houses are allocated a quota of one computer registration in the wired Residential Network. Students who wish to have a second or more machines on the wired Residential Network may purchase a Machine Registration Quota Increase and use an unmanaged hub or switch to connect multiple computers to a single network outlet. Each computer must have its own unique Hardware MAC Address registered and associated with the same network outlet in NetReg so it can be assigned a unique WPI IP address. There is a non-refundable fee of $20.00 for each quota increase requested through NetReg. Once logged in, click [Purchase Machine Registration Quota Increase] and you will have a chance to confirm your purchase.

Note: Routers, Network Address Translation (NAT, also known as IP Masquerading and Internet Connection Sharing) devices, and other devices or software that allow computers with unregistered Hardware MAC Addresses to acquire network connectivity through the WPI network are never allowed on the WPI network under any circumstances. Managed switches and hubs (those that have their own Hardware MAC Address and have the ability to be assigned an IP Address) are not recommended since they may cause network difficulty due to the security implemented in the Residential Network.
Laptops and Portables registered in the Residential Network: Students living in the Residence Halls or Greek Houses who wish to plug a laptop or portable computer's wired Ethernet connection into outlets in the Campus Center, Library or labs around campus no longer need to register separately for this service. Once the computer is registered for use in the Residential Network, it will automatically work in all Academic and Administrative buildings on the Main campus as well as the Gateway Park campus. However, a computer registered in ResNet will not work in any dorm or Greek network outlets other than the one for which it is registered.

You MUST configure your system to use DHCP to obtain its IP address. Using BOOTP or entering an IP address manually is not allowed and will not work.

Note: your computer will only work on the one Residential Network outlet you have registered in NetReg. Due to the security implemented on the Residential Network, if you plug a computer into a ResNet outlet for which it is not registered, the outlet will turn off and require a manual reset by Network Operations before it will work again.

Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: Oct 09, 2007, 18:33 EDT