Wi-Fi & Networking

How do I connect to the wireless network?

See Wireless Network Access​.

How do I connect to the wired network in my residence hall?

You need a device with an Ethernet adapter and an Ethernet cable. We recommend a cable about 25 feet in length to accommodate any rearranging of furniture. Ethernet cables can be purchased at the PC Bookstore. You will simply need to plug your cable into your computer and into the jack in the wall. The active jacks have a blue icon next to them.

Are there any restrictions on the network?

We actively block peer-to-peer traffic, such as Bit Torrent, as a policy. See the HEOA Copyright and P2P File Sharing Requirements page​ from our Information Security Officer.

Are there any requirements for computers connected to the College network?

All computers connect to the network must be up-to-date with all security patches. They must also be running anti-virus software with up-to-date virus definitions.​

My network connection is not working. How can I fix it?

Faculty & Staff

Try rebooting you computer. If using a wired network connection, please make sure the Ethernet cable is plugged firmly into the wall (or your Cisco desk phone) and the computer. We do not expect you to move furniture or crawl under desks if that is necessary. If using a wireless connection, please be sure you are connecting to PC-Secure and remove any other PC networks from your preferred networks list if your computer is connecting to something else. If everything seems right, please contact the Helpdesk at 401-865-4357.

Students

Please try the following:

• For wired connections, make sure network cable is securely plugged into both the computer and the wall jack. If that doesn’t work, take a picture of the jack panel and email helpdesk@providence.edu with the picture attached. Please include whether or not the jack appears to be physically​ damaged.
• Check with other people in on your floor to see if they have connectivity.
• Reboot your computer.

If running Windows, try running the following commands:

• Type CMD in the search box to bring up the Command prompt.
• Right-click on the cmd entry and choose “Run as administrator”.
• In the command prompt window, type “netsh winsock reset” (without the quotation marks) and hit the Enter key.
• Next type “netsh int ip reset” (without the quotation marks) and hit the Enter key.
• You will need to reboot your computer after running these 2 commands.
• Call the Helpdesk at 401-865-4357 if it is still not working.