Digital Divas: October 18, 2005


The information contained in this article is only valid at the time of publication and will not be updated. Please search the Resnet site if you have questions.

Dear Digital Diva,

I live in a converted double, and I don't know how to use the hub ResLife gave me. What should I do?!


Whenever you're having trouble connecting to the internet in your room, it's a good idea to check out the “Internet Connection Solutions” on the Resnet website. It gives you a list of quick and easy solutions that fix most connection problems. However, if you try all the suggestions on the Resnet site and you still can't connect, your hub might not be set up correctly.

There are a number of dorms at Barnard that have been converted in the past few years, from singles to doubles and quads. If you live in a room where there are fewer ethernet jacks than occupants, Reslife may have issued you a hub at the beginning of the semester.

To connect using an ethernet hub, you'll need an extra ethernet cord – one to connect the hub to the ethernet jack, and one to connect your computer to the hub.

First, plug the power adapter into the back of the hub, and plug the adapter into an outlet. A green light on the front of the hub should turn on, indicating that it's plugged in. Now, plug your extra ethernet cord into port 4 of the hub and plug the other end of the cord into the ethernet jack (the ethernet is orange, with the active jack diagonal from your working phone jack).

Now, put the hub into “uplink” position by pushing the black button next to port 4. If everything is working at this point, there should be two green lights above the port, one flashing and one steady. (If you aren't getting any lights, make sure your ethernet cord is working and plugged into the correct jack.)

Use a second ethernet cord to connect your computer to the hub. You can use any of the remaining ports, and have as many computers as there are ports connected. There should be a green light above any port that is connected to a computer.

Of course, if you try the Internet Connection Solutions and you set up your hub with these instructions, and you still can't get online, you can always call the Help Desk at 4-7172 or come into the lab for assistance during Office Hours.