IT Services and Housing Address Network Access Issues

The IT Services Network Engineering Team worked closely with ResNet technicians to replace network equipment and resolve ongoing wired network access issues in Reid Hall.

Some residence hall rooms have wired-only access. If a student uses a personal router to create wireless access in their own room and it is configured incorrectly, it can cause network problems for other students on their floor or their entire building. This type of issue contributed to network outages in Reid Hall.

A user might not be able to access a wireless network for any number of reasons, but a user who can't access wireless often assumes that the campus network is down. The user’s device may be unable to access wireless or there may be insufficient access points broadcasting wireless in a particular building or area. Some buildings on campus have fewer access points than other buildings depending on how recently a building's network has been updated.

The overall wireless network in a building, or across campus, could also be down while the wired network is unaffected. The wireless network relies on 12 dependent systems, including the campus network, to function properly. To determine if there is a campus wireless network problem, students who are connected to the wired network can refer to the Status Monitor at itstatus.uark.edu. Planned network outages are posted at itstatus.uark.edu/calendar.

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