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Move-in Assistance

As described in our Move-in video, the IT Help Center is open throughout the Fall Move-in Weekend and extended hours during the week to assist with your technology needs.

Everyone gets connected! The information provided below will get you started.

The Residential Network – Information for both Wireless and Wired

The University provides secure, encrypted wireless access in most residences, libraries, campus dining facilities, the athletic facilities, and many other public areas. Wireless access is not available in every campus location, but it is very widespread. Please note:

  • For security reasons, and because they interfere with existing BU network addresses, personal wireless access points are prohibited in the residences.
  • For best results, when purchasing new devices, look for those that support 802.11a/b/g/n.  Devices that only support b/g/n (without the 802.11a/n – 5 Ghz.) are more likely to experience sluggishness in places where there is a high density of wireless device usage.

When wireless access is not available, or when you wish to use a device that does not support 802.1x, ResNet offers a high-speed, wired Ethernet connection to each room in the residence halls. To run a wired connection, you’ll need a computer that supports Ethernet and an RJ45 Ethernet cable. Ethernet cables are available from most computer stores, or, for $5, from the IT Help Center when you arrive on campus.

During fall move-in, the IT Help Center is staffed with a small army of technicians. Full-time and student staff provide specialized technical support to students as they return to the residence halls each fall, offering telephone and drop-in support, as well as on-site visits to students’ rooms. The goal is to get everyone connected to ResNet as quickly as possible.

NetReg

In order to use the Ethernet (wired) network, you must register your computer on the BU network through a one-time process called NetReg. NetReg is not required on the wireless network because the use of 802.1x guarantees that each connection is registered by default.

Connecting other Devices

Although wireless access points are prohibited, you may use other devices (such as an Xbox, Wii or VoIP phone). See detailed information at: www.bu.edu/tech/accounts/wired/ethernet/devices/

E-mail

All new students will be provisioned with a BU Google Apps account and can log in with it at www.bu.edu/google/ or www.bu.edu/webmail. Additional information about the use of BU Google Mail, such as how to use it with a desktop client or device, is available at www.bu.edu/tech/comm/email/google/.

If you have an existing e-mail account that you prefer to use, you can forward your BU e-mail to it using the Settings interface within BU Google Mail (as described at www.bu.edu/tech/comm/email/google).

Television in Student Residences

Information about the BUTV satellite service is available at www.bu.edu/tech/comm/television/.

Computer Security

You are required to install effective anti-virus software in order to connect to the Boston University campus network. Windows computers should also have anti-spyware software. If you don’t keep your Windows computer patched and running current anti-virus and anti-spyware software, it will become infected.

We maintain a page, dedicated to securing PCs, at www.bu.edu/tech/safe. There you can:

Theft Protection

You should never leave your laptop unattended in a public area or in an unlocked residence. To assist with retrieval of a stolen laptop, The Boston University Police Department (BUPD) runs a Laptop Registration Program called STOP (Security Tracking of Office Property). For more information, please refer to www.bu.edu/police/safety/laptop.

Hardware Purchases and Educational Pricing on Software

Take advantage of educational pricing on Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo and other systems. The IT Help Center is authorized to service all of these brands. You can also purchase Adobe and Microsoft software with educational discounts through http://ithc.collegestoreonline.com.

Hardware Repair

The IT Help Center performs manufacturer-authorized warranty service and out-of-warranty repairs for most major brands. For more information, see www.bu.edu/tech/desktop/support/repair/.

Printing

You will probably want to have a printer in your room for routine use. However, if you do not have a printer, or for occasions when you need large-scale printing, you can use the MyPrint system. The MyPrint system allows you to print directly from your own computer to a number of print center locations. Once the MyPrint drivers are installed on your computer, you can use File-Print (or comparable) just as you would if you were printing to a local printer. Learn more about MyPrint and follow the driver installation instructions on the Using MyPrint page. If you need assistance, contact the IT Help Center.

File Storage and Back-up

Students interested in backing up their computer can take advantage of a 10% BU discount for personal licenses to the CrashPlan service. In addition, students who create (or upload and convert) files to their BU Google Docs space (at www.bu.edu/google) have a limitless storage capacity. Beyond that, people do a variety of things, ranging from external drive use to use of other cloud services. In addition, those who have logged into a thin client machine in the BU Common @ Mugar have 250 MB of storage that they can access remotely through MyFiles.

Computer Labs

Information on public computing facilities is provided at
www.bu.edu/tech/desktop/computer-labs/. The largest general computing lab on campus is the BU Common @ Mugar.

The ResNet Fee

For answers to questions about the University’s ResNet Fee, please visit the Student Accounting Services’ ResNet Fee FAQ.

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IT Help Center: @buithelp or facebook.com/buithelp
Information Security: @buinfosec