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Internet Access In Residence Halls
All residence halls (dormitories) on the SUNY New Paltz campus provide both wireless and wired Internet access in every bedroom.
Wireless (Wi-Fi) Internet access is available in all bedrooms and common areas via the eduroam and NP Hawks Devices wireless networks.
In addition each bedroom should have one working wall jack which provides wired (Ethernet) Internet access. This article describes how to connect your device to a wired Internet connection within your residence hall bedroom.
There are two ways to get your device registered and online:
1. If the device to be wired has a web browser use the section below for Self Registering With A Web Browser. This is the method that should be used for nearly all Desktop and Laptop computers.
2. If the device to be wired does not have a built-in web browser then it must be manually registered by MAC address. See the section below for Registering By MAC Address.
Self Registering With A Web Browser
Step 1. Use an Ethernet cable to plug your computer into the wall jack
There should be one active port in each room. Inactive ports are blocked off with a blank or cap to avoid confusion. Please do NOT remove the cap. A capped port will simply not work.
If you have multiple devices you wish to plugin you may obtain a switch from the IT Service Desk.
Step 2. Open A Web Browser
Open a web browser such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge. Attempt to visit the website "neverssl.com". You should be redirected to a login screen from access.newpaltz.edu. You may need to disable ad-blocking software for this redirection to occur.
If the registration website does not load or your browser returns errors make sure your computer is set to automatically obtain an IP address (DHCP).
Login to the access.newpaltz.edu website you were sent to with your NPCUID and password. Follow the on screen instructions. You may be asked to unplug your ethernet cable from the wall and plug it back in for the login to take effect.
Your device should now be registered and online.
Registering By MAC Address
In order to connect a device without a web browser to a wired residential hall connection you will need to manually register the device using a special website. You will need to access this website on another device that has a web browser.
Step 1. Find your device's wired MAC Address
Every device that wired networking has a unique identifier called a "MAC address" for it's wired Ethernet interface. This information must be provided when registering the device. MAC addresses consist of 12 characters which can be numbers or the letters A through F. MAC addresses are sometimes broken up by spaces, dashes, colons and other characters. Only the number and letters matter. Every letter and number is important so make sure to copy it accurately
Each device type exposes it's MAC address differently. Search your favorite search engine for the name of the device and a phrase such as "find wired mac address". As an example "Roku find wired mac address". Also this wikiHow article may be helpful: wikiHow: How to Find the MAC Address of Your Computer
You must use the wired MAC address. If your device supports both wired and wireless Internet make sure to use the wired MAC address and not the wireless one.
Step 2. Register your device by MAC address
Register your device by using this website: https://access.newpaltz.edu/guest/mac_list.php
Sign in with your normal NPCUID and password. The access.newpaltz.edu website is not accessible from off-campus. You can access the website while using another device connected to campus network, use the NP Hawks Guest wireless network, or use the campus VPN while off-campus. You can also stop by the Service Desk in HUM 103 if you are having problems accessing the site.
After logging into access.newpaltz.edu website click the link or button for Create Device or Create New Device. For Device Name pick any name you want to help you remember what this new device is. In the MAC Address box enter the wired/ethernet MAC address of the device you are registering. Enter just the numbers and the letters leaving out any other characters. When finished click the Create Device button.
You should now see a FINISHED CREATING DEVICE screen. The Device Details box will show a Wi-Fi password. Disregard this password. The Wi-Fi password is not used for wired network connections and should be ignored.
Your device will be registered for one year. Once one year has passed you will need to re-register the device.
Step 3. Use an Ethernet cable to plug your computer into the wall jack
Your device is now registered and you are ready to plug your device into the wall jack.
There should be one active port in each room. Inactive ports are blocked off with a blank or cap to avoid confusion. Please do NOT remove the cap. A capped port will simply not work.
If you have multiple devices you wish to plugin you may obtain a switch from the IT Service Desk.
Common Problems
The following are common problems you may encounter:
1. You provided an incorrect MAC address while registering your device. Recheck that the obtained MAC address is the wired/ethernet one and not a wireless MAC address. Make sure you haven't misread or mistyped your MAC address and modify your device's registration on the access.newpaltz.edu website.
2. Use automatic addresses/DHCP: Your device should be configured to use DHCP or automatically obtain all IP address, DNS, and general network information. Do not have any static IP addresses set.
For assistance you can create a ticket on support.newpaltz.edu or contact the IT Service Desk (HUM 103 / 845-257-4357)