I registered my device, but I still don't get Internet.
Tips on how to troubleshoot Device Registration issues
Bryan Gibson
Last Update 3 jaar geleden
There may be several issues preventing your device from connecting to the Internet following device registration. Some of the more common causes include:
- Providing an incorrect or invalid MAC address
- Outdated or expired registration
- Ethernet jack is inactive due to unplugging or tampering with the access point
- Ethernet jack is damaged
- No ethernet cable connecting the access point to a wall jack
- No ethernet cable connecting the device and access point or wall jack
- Ethernet port on the device is disabled or broken
- There is a known or unknown network outage in your area
Below are steps to remedy each issue mentioned above:
Providing an incorrect or invalid MAC address
Probably the most common cause of device registration failures is accidentally providing an incorrect or invalid MAC address. It is easy to confuse Serial Numbers or Model Numbers with the MAC address, but one way to distinguish a MAC address is by its format. The MAC address will be a series of 6 alphanumeric characters separated by colons or dashes.
For example, A1:2B:C3:4D:E5:6F would be a valid MAC address because it includes alphanumeric characters between 0-9 and A-F.
AFHB23456 would not be a valid MAC address.
It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between the letter B and number 8, or 0 as opposed to O (although an "O" would automatically be invalid). It is important to use words to distinguish between the letters D and B when calling as they sound similar. For example, say "D as in Dog" or "B as in Beta". It is common to use the NATO alphabet to distinguish between letters.
Contact the Service Desk and provide your BUnetID or the MAC address of the device to check to see if the registration for that device is still valid. This is common for devices that were entered into the system over a year ago. We usually try to make sure the expiration date is not likely to expire during your time at the University, but some exceptions do occur.
The device can be removed and then re-registered by the Service Desk consultants. This method has been known to fix other issues as well, if you device experiences frequent drops or speed issues on the network, although it's not guaranteed to fix it.
It's common to try to fix a connection issue by unplugging and plugging a device back in, however, in this case it is not recommended! If the access point is unplugged or tampered with in any other way, please contact the Service Desk at (309) 677-2964 or email us at [email protected] with the wall jack number where the access point was plugged in so that the port can be reactivated.
Sometimes you may have a wall jack that has been damaged due to the age of the port, or through "misadventure," in which case the jack will need to be repaired. This will need to be reported to the Service Desk so that a work order can be started to complete the repair. A network technician will contact you to schedule a time to fix the jack.
No ethernet cable connecting the access point to a wall jack
Students who previously lived in your residence may have taken the cable home accidentally or the cable may have been removed by staff. Contact the Service Desk at (309) 677-2964 or email us at [email protected] to request a new cable, or stop by the Service Desk and one will be provided to you.
The cable will need to be connected to a wall port closest to the access point and marked as "Data." The other end of the cable will need to be plugged in to the access point's grey Pass-Thru port on wall mounted units, or the yellow WAN port on the cradle-style access points. Once a connection is established, DO NOT disconnect this wire otherwise you will lost access again!
No ethernet cable connecting the device and access point or wall jack
As simple as this one sounds, it does happen! Make sure that the cable is firmly seated in the ethernet port of both the device AND the wall jack.
Ethernet port on the device is disabled or broken
If physical damage is not obvious, then there may be an internal issue with the ethernet port on your device. For most computers, this is accessible, but may void your warranty so we do not recommend attempting to make any repairs on your own. The Service Desk can assess the situation and make a recommendation to you based on our findings.
Sometimes an operating system or driver update may cause issues, especially on Windows computers. You may also need to check for recent updates to fix the port.
There is a known or unknown network outage in your area
Chances are if your neighbors or other friends on campus cannot reach the internet on their device(s), a network outage may be occurring. If you are not sure, contact the Service Desk and report the issue, but most of the time, it will be limited to a single device or small group of devices.
Conclusion
If you are in doubt about why you cannot get connected, and none of the above suggestions seem to be helping, contact the Service Desk. If you are able to, it is usually most helpful to bring the device in to the Service Desk so that we can get hands-on with the device and test the connection from the library.