Connect to the Campus Network

The directions on this page will walk you through connecting your computer to the Rice network. If you are not comfortable setting up and configuring your computer, please contact the Help Desk at 713-348-HELP (4357) if you are a faculty, staff member or graduate student. Undergraduate students should contact their SCC for assistance.

Physical Connection

First, you must have a computer with a network card or built-in network interface and a Cat5 Ethernet cable with RJ-45 jacks. Your computer must be set up completely, including the network interface, and connected to power -- consult your computer's documentation for information on how to do this.

When you have finished this, you can connect your Ethernet cable to your computer and the jack in the room. Be sure to distinguish between the phone jack and the ethernet jacks (RJ-45 jacks). The phone jack is smaller and there is usually only one per room; ethernet jacks are larger and rooms in the colleges have two in a single panel. If you try to plug your computer into the phone jack, it can break the RJ-45 connector on the Ethernet cable.

If you have a laptop with a Type 1 PC card, you will need to connect the cable to the "dongle" (the short cable that came with your laptop that plugs directly into the card and has an RJ-45 jack on the other end). With laptops with Type 2 PC cards and desktops, you should be able to attach the cable directly to the jack in your computer.

After it is connected, you should boot up your computer. Depending on your software configuration, it may work immediately, or you may need to set your network options. For information on setting your network options, consult the FAQ-o-Matic. If you need network software, you can download it from http://software.is.rice.edu/.

Wireless Connection

If your computer has the capacity for wireless connectivity, you need to register your device as a participant in the Rice Wireless Network and configure your computer. Configuring includes setting the TCP/IP to DHCP and setting your computer's options to use the wireless card. For further assistance, contact the Help Desk at 713-348-HELP (4357). Faculty and staff should contact their divisional consultant for information on reserving a static IP address instead of using DHCP.

Vanity Name for Computer

When you have set up your computer so that it can connect to the network, you may want to give your machine a name that is easier to remember than its default name. However, this is not necessary.

Troubleshooting

If you are not comfortable doing this yourself, or if you encounter any problems during the process, you can talk to your SCC or the Help Desk to get assistance setting up your computer.