Residential Life FAQ for a Quality Network Experience
PRIMARY CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS
Q: Do all rooms have high-speed data connections?
A: Yes. Each room or apartment suite has wired (ethernet) jacks and WIFI service. In
addition, Masur, Madison, Ouachita and Bayou Village Suites have small computer labs.
(Printing is available in Masur.)
Q: How do I connect to the WIFI Service?
A: From your WIFI capable device, look for the wireless network name for your respective
building, ex: ULMDorms-BayouSuites-5G. This is a secured network and the password
is available from the ResLife office each semester. Internet capable gaming consoles
will currently work on the WIFI network, but we highly recommend that you connect
your gaming console to the ethernet jacks. The WIFI network is a shard network environment
by nature of the technology and therefore can experience fluctuations in responsiveness
as more user devices are connected.
Q: Why do I now see 2 WIFI SSIDs in my building?
A: As of Sept. 26, 2017, each residence hall has 2 SSIDs to separate the 2.4GHz & 5.8GHz
radio bands. If you have an older 2.4GHz device, you will only see the "-2G" option. The 5.8Ghz series devices support an option of abgnac modes which may allow you to see both SSIDs. However, for the best experience please
attempt to use the "-5G" SSID option initially.
Q: I can't get my device to connect - what else should I try?
A: If you are experiencing a WIFI connection issue still, try to disable your device’s
WIFI service/controller for a few minutes (or completely power off the device) and
then re-enable the service or re-power it. This will force your device to get a fresh
session.
To report issues: Please make an effort to contact the University Information Technology (IT) Helpdesk
(see hours below). This will allow us to create a ticket with specific information
about your experience - your device, location, problem details, etc that we may need to help
pinpoint issues.
An example for positive ticket submittal: Sluggish Moodle experience. We need to know these specific issues so we can ensure that other systems might
not be the culprit to a bad experience – Moodle as an example is hosted in the "Cloud"
by a partner company. Just because Moodle may be having an issue does not mean that
there is a WIFI problem in ResLife. This bad Moodle experience could have been an
unplanned outage or disruption that we need to be aware of so we can check further.
Some common user resolvable issues can be reviewed below.
Q: I am experiencing “low” power mode on my devices.
A: All portable/mobile devices are factory configured to try to save the battery at all
cost. This unfortunately has the bad habit of turning down the power (some as much
as 75%) that a device’s wireless card uses. Although this helps saves battery power,
this also makes it harder for the wireless system to "hear" your device among all
the network chatter of other devices in the building. This in turn causes some of
the intermittent drop outs and slowness you might be experiencing. The adjustment
for this setting should be found within the network properties and/or power setting
for your device.
To test your device(s): If you are having issues, try plugging your device into its power charger and see
if it is more responsive after a minute or so. The devices usually go back to 100%
WIFI power while on external power.
Q: Does system updates really matter?
A: Yes - Always be sure to keep your device up-to-date with patches and new application
versions as they are made available via automated updates such with provided by Microsoft,
Apple, Samsung, etc. These patches often times include improvements for better performance
and most importantly the correction for security glitches.
Q: Is there a compatiblity problem with my Intel 5100 series wireless card?
A: There are issues with the Intel 5100 series wireless cards. The Intel driver is broken
for driver versions less than 14.2.0.10. If you are using an older version, then please
upgrade to the latest version and see if that helps. If you experience times when
your device is connected but you can’t get anywhere and have this card, this may be
the reason why.
Q: What Network based devices are not allowed?
A. Only ethernet switches are allowed in the residence halls. Wireless modems, extenders
or routers are not allowed and will be confiscated by the ResLife staff if connected
into the ULM network. These consumer grade devices will cause interference with the
ULM managed WIFI system and therefore cause a bad experience for other Residents.
Q: What happens if I have all my devices “on.”
A: Wireless is a shared resource so the more people that are trying to use it, the smaller
amount each person gets. Another way of putting it, if you are in a classroom of 100
people and everyone is trying to talk at the same time, it is hard to listen to just
your conversation. This is exactly how wireless works. Everyone’s devices are all
talking at the same time. The more devices you have on, the harder it is to obtain
clear signals (hear everyone) and communication slows down.
If you are not using certain wireless devices, please turn them off or at least turn off the wireless function if you are not using it. This will help
others that need to use wireless.
Q: Why should I use the Ethernet/Data Jack in my room?
A: Each room has an Ethernet cable for each student. It is recommended that it is used
whenever you are taking tests/quizzes/etc… It is a dedicated line that you do not
have to worry about ‘sharing’ with anyone else like wireless is. This should prevent
you from getting disconnected at a critical time such as during a test.
ULM Support Commitment
ULM Information Technology is constantly working to keep our network system running at full capacity in our
residence halls. Please feel free to contact Information Technology Helpdesk if you
are having any issues connecting and/or something you are trying to do is not working
like you expect/need it to. Our goal is for you to have a quality network experience
but that can only be fully realized when you engage our services to report incidents
that we can then troubleshoot.
Information Technology Helpdesk contact methods:
318-342-3333 – hotline
Hours: 8:00a – 5:00p MTWT / 8:00a – 11:30a Friday
All other times: computersos.ulm.edu
Information Technology