Overview/Introduction
This knowledge base article will walk you through some common troubleshooting tips for connecting a device to the Ursinus wired network with an Ethernet cable.
Article Index
Not all Ethernet ports are made to the same standard. Make sure to look up what speeds your device's Ethernet port is theoretically capable of. We mention theoretical because a device might say it is 2.5 gigabytes capable but your uplink to the Internet could be only a gigabit or less depending on your service provider. Not to mention distance, retransmission, and even how crowded the line is if you're sharing it with others can affect your actual, observed Internet speed.
Is the Ethernet cord fully seated into both the device and the wall port? Try to unplug, then plug the cord back in at both ends.
Are there any frays, nicks, or exposed parts in the sheath of the Ethernet cable you are using? Does the sheath of the cable look like it's experienced some stress from repeating wrapping and unwrapping? Sometimes damage might not be visible on the outside, and to rule the cable out try to find another that you can use. Are the clips that hold the cable into the port in good condition? Have they snapped off or seem to not clip in and hold the cord in place very well?
A cable can be provided to you at the Learning Curve on the first floor of Myrin Library.
How does the port on your device look? Is there any visible damage? Same with the port you are plugging into? If the port is damaged it could be broken to the point where it won't properly connect to the network. Although there is only one working port in each room, there may be two ports located on the same 'box' or 'wall plate', or on a different wall plate. You can try another port to see if the issue could be with the device itself. If there is physical damage to the port or its broken/hanging iout of the wall box , please take a picture of the damage and send the picture as an attachment when you open up a ticket using this link.
Verify that the lights on the port of your device that the Ethernet cable is connected to are lit. Often, one light is continuous and the other is blinking. If nothing is lit, disconnect the cable from the computer; then re-connect the cable. Do the same with the cable at the end connected to the wall port. If the lights weren't on but are now, restart your computer and see if you now have a network connection.
Note: Most laptops and desktops have these lights as indicators of network activity, but if you are using a dongle attachment or a game console they may not have such lights.
This section applies to people using a personal VPN. If you are an Ursinus Faculty/Staff member, with an Ursinus-issued laptop, and are having issues with the college VPN, please click here to submit a ticket regarding your VPN issue.
If your device is using a personal VPN that you have signed up for, or perhaps it came bundled with your anti-virus software, and you're experiencing connectivity issues try the following troubleshooting measures.
Make sure the VPN is updated to the latest version, as an older version can prevent you from accessing the VPN tunnel, appearing as having no Internet access. Likewise, you can also disable it to rule out the VPN causing the network connectivity problem.
Using a VPN can also slow down your connection speed since it routes the traffic through certain tunnels meaning your data could be taking a longer trip to its destination and causing you to see slower speeds. In this case you could try disabling it to see if the speed picks up. If you are trying to game on a VPN, this is not recommended as it is potentially routing the traffic through a longer route that will increase the ping time especially when in online matches.
Still Having Trouble?