How to Connect to Internet in Campus Dorms
Connecting a Computer
To connect your computer to the internet in the dorms, please do the following:
- Connect your computer to the ethernet port in your room. This is usually the blue or red port on the wall, or usually the bottom port.
- Go to netreg.latech.edu.
- Once the page loads, under the “Users” section, click “Users who have a permanent account to register a computer or router”.
- Next, Enter your Louisiana Tech Username and password. This will be what you would use to log into Moodle or your email.
- Afterwards, you should have a wait timer of ~45 seconds. Once that completes, you should be able to connect to the internet.
Connecting a router
Before connecting a router, please ensure that you have a laptop or desktop that you can connect directly to the router as well, as it will make setting your router up easily. If you do not, you can go to the helpdesk, which is located at the basement of Wyly tower, and they can assist you in setting up your router. To setup a router, please do the following.
- Connect your router to the ethernet port in your room. This is usually a blue or red port on the wall.
- Go to the URL located at the bottom of your router. It may be an IP address or some website. Some of the common ones are:
- Linksys: 192.168.1.1
- Netgear: routerlogin.net
- TP-Link: 192.168.0.1
- Log into the router. The login information can be found at the bottom of the router, generally under where you found the URL for the router.
- Setup the router. This is where you can customize your router to fit your likings. Some routers may have you do some of these settings during Setup. If it is optional and if you would like the default settings, continue the setup process without making any changes. Two of the major things you can do here is:
- Setup your routers admin password. This is the information that will allow you to access these routers settings, not connect to WiFi.
- Change your WiFi’s name and password. You can customize your routers name and the password to connect to the internet.
- After completing the setup, go to netreg.latech.edu
- Once the page loads, under the “Users” section, click “Users who have a permanent account to register a computer or router”. You can refer to the image in “Connecting computer” section of this article.
- Next, enter your Louisiana Tech username and password. This will be what you use to log into your Moodle or email.
- Afterwards, you should have a wait timer of ~45 seconds. Once that completes, you should be able to connect to the internet.
Richardson/Cottingham
Laptops/Smartphone/Tablets
Use traditional eduroam/LatechWPA2 for laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc that support WPA2-Enterprise authentication. If you have never connected to the University before, we recommend using the eduroam wireless. It is available at many other institutions around the world. You can download he Louisiana Tech university setup tool for a multitude of devices from https://cat.eduroam.org
Other Devices
For other devices (printers, smart TV’s, streaming devices, etc) that only support PSK (pre-shared key) WiFi, there will be a new wireless network called LaTechIoT. You will need to use your laptop/tablet/smartphone to log into wifimgr.latech.edu and set a password for each device with its MAC address. Do not use your regular Tech password for your device key password as the keys are stored insecurely. You can set the same password for all of your devices, but each one has to have an entry for it to connect. Devices can be removed and passwords updated from the same page.
Personal Routers
Using your own router in the residences (Cottingham/Richardson) with pre-installed wireless is not allowed. There are a limited number of radio channels available. The university installed radios are configured to minimize interference. The introduction of outside WiFi will create interference and degrade the performance for other residents. If a router is detected attached to the network, the network port will be disabled.
Additional Information
Router Recommendation
Here are two routers we recommend. You do not need a router if you live in the Richardson/Cottingham Apartments.
While any router is fine, please make sure that it is not a modem or an apple router.
Invalid Physical Address when connecting router/computer
If you get an invalid physical address when connecting your router or computer, please contact the helpdesk at 318.257.5300.
What kind of router should I get?
We recommend a basic router. Apple routers, Google WiFi, and modem routers will not work on the network.
I can’t log into my router using the credentials on it
To fix this issue, you can reset the router. On the back, or sometimes bottom of the router, you should see the word “Reset” and a button next to it. You may need like a pen or paperclip to access the button. Hold this button down for 30 seconds while the router is on to reset it. The credentials should work now when you try to log into the router.