How to set it up, how it works and troubleshooting

So you have moved in into your apartment and want to relax – but you don’t have internet.
In this post I will cover a few things ranging from how to connect to the internet, how you can change your router’s settings and how the network works (and why its so slow).

Precausions – what you will need

In order to connect to the internet, you just need three things:
– a router
– an ethernet cable
– any device capable of browsing the web

Since the student dorm already offers an internet connection, you just need a simple router that does not have an integrated modem. Even tho any router should work (including routers with integrated DSL, Cable or Fibre modems), a simple “WiFi Router” will do the job and is preferred as it’s cheaper.
Most commonly you can find the following routers:
– TP-LINK TL-WR841N 300Mbits WLAN Router
– TP-Link N450 WiFi Router

Most students sell their routers in the group.

About the ethernet cable, any cable should work but if you need to buy one, Cat5 will be more than enough for the internet speed provided in the student dorm.
[!] Caution: Do not mistake a telephone cable for an ethernet cable

You can use any device (that is capable of connecting to the wifi or has an ethernet plug and is capable of browsing the internet) to set up the router.
But it is easier to use a laptop connected to the router using a network cable, as you don’t need to log in to the WiFi. (If you do not plan to change the WiFi password or name, you can connect to the wifi right away.)

Setting it up

Once you have organized a router, an ethernet cable, and a device, the process is not as complicated as it seems.
Depending on the router, it is as simple as plugging the router in with power and the ethernet connection.

1) Reset:

Before using the router, you should always reset it in order to remove changed or set passwords and usage data. This is recommended, as you remove any unwanted restrictions.
To reset your router, you will usually find a pinhole or button on the router.
Usually the button will be called “WPS/RST”.
Press the pinhole or the button for about 15 seconds (the LEDs should blink)
Your router will now reset and restart.

2) Connecting:

Connect the router with power
Now, locate the correct plug on the router for the ethernet cable.
The port for the ethernet cable is usually a blue port saying “Internet” on it.
If such a port is not there, look for a port that says “WAN” on it (usually port 4).
If you cannot find a WAN port aswell, try port 4 and then port 1.

Now you need to connect your device to the router in order to continue.
Look on the back of the router if you can find the WiFi name (also called SSID) and the password, and connect to the WiFi.
If you cannot find the WiFi, try to look for a public WiFi or any WiFi with your router’s manufacturer’s name. (Make sure not to connect to someone else’s unprotected WiFi)
If you are unable to find any WiFi, you’ll need to connect your router to a computer using the ethernet cable (you can continue the setup without the ethernet cable being plugged into the wall and move on at step 4 to configure the WiFi)

3) Setup

Once you are connected to the router, you can see if you can access the internet.
If you are unable to connect to the internet, you may have to configure the router so that it understands that it needs to get the internet from an existing connection.

Before going further, first, try to plug the router into the other ethernet plug on the wall (usually there are two plugs in your apartment, of which one does often not work).

If this did not solve the issue, try to follow these steps:

Check the back of your router for a address (like http://website.name or 192.168.0.1)

If you are unable to find one, open the WiFi (or network) settings on your device and find the router’s IP-Address (also often called “Gateway”)
If you are still unable to find the router’s address, try the following addresses:
– 192.168.0.1
– 192.168.1.1
– 192.168.0.2
– 192.168.1.2
– 192.168.178.1

Now open your web browser and enter the router’s IP-Address or URL (you may need to type http:// followed by the address to prevent to open a web search)

Now, you should be greeted by your router’s login page.
Either you will be asked to set a login password or you will be asked to enter an existing password.
Depending on your router’s manufacturer, the default login credentials may be printed on the back of your router.
If that is not the case, usually the username is “admin” and the password is “admin” or “1234”
You may need to google for your router’s login details. (Make sure you have reset the router)

Once you have successfully logged in, you can configure the router correctly.
Depending on the router, the setup is a bit different, but most often you will find the needed settings under “Quick Setup” or “Internet”

Once you find it, set the following options if asked:
Type: WiFi Router (not access point or switch)
Connection: Ethernet, WAN, Modem (one of these)
Type: dynamic IP address (may be called DHCP assigned)
Country: Germany (important for WiFi range)

The dynamic IP means that the router gets its IP from the student dorm (this is important)
You might need to click a button for auto-assigning a dynamic IP.
If can see any obtained IP Address, you know that the connection was successful if it starts with 10.x.x.x (or simaliar) but it should not be 0.0.0.0 (this means no IP was obtained)

Et voilà; the internet connection should now work.

4) Changing the WiFi name and password

So now you are connected but you want to change your WiFi name and password.
This should be quite easy.

Locate the WiFi settings (often called Wireless under the Advanced tab)
Change the WiFi name (SSID)
Set the security / encryption type to WPA3 or WPA2
Set a desired password
Save the changes
The new WiFi should now appear in the WiFi list.

5) Additional settings

So what else can I improve while I’m here?
I’ll show you a few things.

Staying in the Wireless section, you may be able to find “Radio” or “WiFi” Power / Strength.
Often this is set to 75% or ECO, you can achieve a higher WiFi range by changing this option.
(Make sure the country is set to Germany if you have low WiFi range)

Also in the Wireless section, if you have a 5GHz WiFi, you can turn this off.
As in the student dorm the internet speed is not fast enough, using 5GHz WiFi will not make your connection any faster (this is only helpful if you transfer files between devices within the network).
Having the 5GHz WiFi enabled may cause network interruptions when you get out of range and your device changes to the 2.4GHz WiFi (which has a higher range).

Thats mostly it, you should not temper with other settings on the router page.

6) Troubleshooting

I have connected the router but I am still not getting internet
– Try the other plug in the wall (usually there are two), if this does not work, try a different ethernet cable or a different room.
– If it still does not work, maybe try with a different router (ask a friend for help).
– If it seems like you are not getting a connection, try to ask the Hausmeister or reach out to the Studentenwerk for more help.

7) Additional info

Why is the internet speed so slow?
Think of this:

In a normal family house, you have the house, and in that house your own internet connection and a router.
You have a direct contract with your (I)internet (S)service (P)rovider (like Telekom), and your router is connected to your ISP and allows you to connect to the internet using a WiFi or wired connection.

In this case, the student dorm also has a internet connection; but only one.
And connected to that is what you can think of a big router.
And from this router, network cables run to every apartment in the student dorm, which in the end is the plug in your wall.

The reason of why the network speed is so slow is because every student in this student dorm is sharing a internet connection together.
The internet speed per student is capped to 10 MBit/s (~1.2MB/s).
And if a lot of students browse the web at the same time and use a lot of internet, it can happen that the speed is affected by that.

If you want to have a faster internet connection, one thing you can do is to get an SIM card with an unlimited data plan, get a mobile Hotspot router and use the cellular connection for your internet.
Tho this is quite expensive being at around 80€ / month.

Why can’t I access certain websites?
The internet that you are using is not only shared with every other student, but also runs via the University.
This means that the internet you are using is not a private personal connection, but a student / campus connection.
They say that they provide the internet to the student for study purposes (not personal purposes), which is why certain websites are blocked.
Blocked websites include malicious websites, pirating websites and a few other sites that were blocked for various reasons.
If you need to access any of those sites, you can use your mobile data or a VPN.

This marks the end of this post.
If you still need help, I am sure people in the group will be able to help you out.
Happy surfing!