Information Regarding Internet Access

(Note: Anyone in TOPS, your Departmental Support Person is Kevin Paprocki [email: paprocki at cae dot wisc dot edu] ).

Which describes how you want to access the Internet? (Also, read things to consider regarding Internet access).

Things to Consider

  • Many older rooms in Engineering Hall have old cabling. The wired connections in many rooms have 10 Mbit of throughput, whereas the wireless throughout Engineering Hall has 30 Mbit of throughput. Therefore in some areas it is faster to go wireless.
  • Wired connections can take longer (up to 3 business days) to process, especially at the start of a semester.

Connecting Your Own Personal Laptop Wirelessly

  1. Please read Before Connecting Your Laptop to Our Network and follow all the necessary steps (updating your computer's operating system and anti virus program).
  2. Understand and know the Rules of the Road regarding different policies DoIT, CAE, and Civil and Environmental Engineering administer.
  3. Obtain a NetID from DoIT if you have not already (found here: http://my.wisc.edu/portal/).
  4. Open a web browser and log in using your NetID. You should be able to access the Internet now. For more information, go here: http://www.doit.wisc.edu/network/wireless/.
If you have difficulting getting your computer to connect, make sure you have a 802.11b or 802.11g wireless network card, and that it is working properly. Some computers have switches on the side or back that disable the wireless card to save power. Also make sure that Windows has not disabled the wireless connection by going to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Network Connections (note: you may need to switch to Classic View to see Network Connections).

If you still are having problems, go here: I need additional assistance.

Connecting a University Owned Laptop Wirelessly

  1. If you were given a computer from Civil IT Computer Support directly, it should be up to date with the latest operating system patches and anti virus definitions. If not, please contact Civil IT here: I need additional assistance to get help updating the computer.
  2. Understand and know the Rules of the Road regarding different policies DoIT, CAE, and Civil and Environmental Engineering administer.
  3. Obtain a NetID from DoIT if you have not already (found here: http://my.wisc.edu/portal/).
  4. Open a web browser and log in using your NetID. You should be able to access the Internet now. For more information, go here: http://www.doit.wisc.edu/network/wireless/.
If you have difficulting getting your computer to connect, make sure you have a 802.11b or 802.11g wireless network card, and that it is working properly. Some computers have switches on the side or back that disable the wireless card to save power. Also make sure that Windows has not disabled the wireless connection by going to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Network Connections (note: you may need to switch to Classic View to see Network Connections).

If you still are having problems, go here: I need additional assistance.

Connecting Your Own Personal Laptop to the Wired Network

  1. Please read Before Connecting Your Laptop to Our Network and follow all the necessary steps (updating your computer's operating system and anti virus program).
  2. Understand and know the Rules of the Road regarding different policies DoIT, CAE, and Civil and Environmental Engineering administer.
  3. If you need a cable to your desk to connect your computer, go here: I need additional assistance.
  4. Obtain a NetID from DoIT if you have not already (found here: http://my.wisc.edu/portal/).
  5. Obtain your CAE Account user name from CAE (found here: https://www.cae.wisc.edu/accounts/newuser/).
  6. Change your computer name to a unique name if you have not already (Tip: The best name would use your first initial and last name, then the building room number.):
    • In Windows Vista: Click on Start, click Control Panel, double click on System and Maintenance, double click on System, click on Advanced System Settings under Tasks on the left, under Computer Name tab click Change, type in a new computer name, hit OK to all the dialog windows. Restart your computer.
    • In Windows XP: Click on Start, click Settings (if it is there), click Control Panel
      • Classic view: Double click System, go to the Computer name tab, click Change, type in a new computer name, hit OK to all the dialog windows. Restart your computer.
      • Category view: Click Performance and Maintenance, click System, go to the Computer name tab, click Change, type in a new computer name, hit OK to all the dialog windows. Restart your computer.
    • In Mac OS X: Click on the Apple icon, click System Preferences, double click on Sharing under Internet and Network, under Computer name change it. Then close the dialogs.
  7. Gather the following information: Your e-mail address, your first and last name, the Ethernet/MAC address of your computer (found here: http://www.cae.wisc.edu/site/public/?title=networking-faq#MAC%20address), your computer name (see last step), building, room number, and your CAE login.
  8. Fill in this form: http://www.cae.wisc.edu/site/uw-only/?title=request-ip using the domain as 'cee', the responsible staff member as yourself, and the departmental support person as the person who is in charge of Civil IT. It would help to make a note in the Comments section that the computer is a personally owned computer.
  9. Please allow for up to three (3) days before your computer is able to connect to the network.
If you are still have difficulting getting your computer to connect, make sure that Windows has not disabled the wired connection by going to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Network Connections (note: you may need to switch to Classic View to see Network Connections). Make sure it is configured to use DHCP and it does not have a static IP configured in it (new computers all ship with DHCP configured).
Check your e-mail. Usually any problems (missing information from your request, incorrect information, etc.) will be e-mailed to you.
If you are trying to connect directly to the wall (and it has been at least three (3) days since your request), the jack may not be activated, go here: I need additional assistance.

If you still are having problems, go here: I need additional assistance.

Connecting a University Owned Laptop to the Wired Network

  1. If you were given a computer from Civil IT Computer Support directly, it should be up to date with the latest operating system patches and anti virus definitions. If not, please contact Civil IT here: I need additional assistance to get help updating the computer.
  2. Understand and know the Rules of the Road regarding different policies DoIT, CAE, and Civil and Environmental Engineering administer.
  3. If you need a cable to your desk to connect your computer, go here: I need additional assistance.
  4. Obtain a NetID from DoIT if you have not already (found here: http://my.wisc.edu/portal/).
  5. Obtain your CAE Account user name from CAE (found here: https://www.cae.wisc.edu/accounts/newuser/).
  6. Your computer should have been set up by Civil IT so that you can receive the Internet by plugging in the cable to the laptop. Log in to Windows/Novell using your CAE user name and you should have access to the Internet.
Note: All University owned computers should be Internet ready as soon as you receive it from Civil IT.
If you are still have difficulting getting your computer to connect, make sure that Windows has not disabled the wired connection by going to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Network Connections (note: you may need to switch to Classic View to see Network Connections). Make sure it is configured to use DHCP and it does not have a static IP configured in it (new computers all ship with DHCP configured).
If you are trying to connect directly to the wall (and it has been at least three (3) days since your request), the jack may not be activated, go here: I need additional assistance.

If you still are having problems, go here: I need additional assistance.

Connecting a University Owned Desktop to the Wired Network

  1. If you were given a computer from Civil IT Computer Support directly, it should be up to date with the latest operating system patches and anti virus definitions. If not, please contact Civil IT here: I need additional assistance to get help updating the computer.
  2. Understand and know the Rules of the Road regarding different policies DoIT, CAE, and Civil and Environmental Engineering administer.
  3. If you need a cable to your desk to connect your computer, go here: I need additional assistance.
  4. Obtain a NetID from DoIT if you have not already (found here: http://my.wisc.edu/portal/).
  5. Obtain your CAE Account user name from CAE (found here: https://www.cae.wisc.edu/accounts/newuser/).
  6. Your computer should have been set up by Civil IT so that you can receive the Internet by plugging in the cable to the desktop. Log in to Windows/Novell using your CAE user name and you should have access to the Internet.
Note: All University owned computers should be Internet ready as soon as you receive it from Civil IT.
If you are still have difficulting getting your computer to connect, make sure that Windows has not disabled the wired connection by going to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Network Connections (note: you may need to switch to Classic View to see Network Connections). Make sure it is configured to use DHCP and it does not have a static IP configured in it (new computers all ship with DHCP configured).
If you are trying to connect directly to the wall (and it has been at least three (3) days since your request), the jack may not be activated, go here: I need additional assistance.

If you still are having problems, go here: I need additional assistance.

Request Service or Help for a Different Type of Connection, or Need Additional Assistance

If what you need is not listed from the list at the top of the page, or have difficulty getting your connection to work, send an e-mail to mantsch at cae dot wisc dot edu. Please allow for up to 3 business days for a response, especially at the beginning of a semester.


Last Updated 10/15/2007.