Author: Tim

2026-04-12 Hardware swap | Maintenancework in Hohenheim

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In Hohenheim, we’re moving forward again: on April 12, 2026, we will replace the old hardware in three buildings, which should result in an “improvement” to the internet connection.

The affected buildings are Fruwirthstraße 11 and 13, as well as Welfenstraße 80.

  • The work will start at approximately 2:30 PM and last until about 6:00 PM.

We will work through the buildings one by one. Depending on the number of connections, the internet outage may last between 30 to 60 minutes. (For some, it may be shorter—depending on where your port is on our switches. So don’t be surprised if your neighbor gets their internet back before you do.)

New in the dormitory? | Summer Semester 2026

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First of all, it’s great that you’re here – welcome to the dormitory and our volunteer-managed network!

If you are new to the dormitory, you probably want to meet people. So, it’s a good idea to talk to your neighbours if you have a question.
They can answer questions about housing, shopping, or sports facilities and we can only help you with the access to the internet.

The internet in the dormitory is fast, and you don’t have to pay extra for it. (If someone has slow internet, it’s usually because they have a bad router.)

To go online via Wi-Fi, you need your own router. Almost everyone has one or shares Wi-Fi with the neighboring room.
If you already have a router, make sure to read our tutorial on Wi-Fi in the dorm room.
If you don’t have a router and want to buy one, someone has written a blog post explaining how he would do it if he was in your situation.

If you ever have a problem or need help, don’t hesitate to contact us via the contact form.
Please always use this form so that we have all the information we need to help you quickly and efficiently.

Unfortunately, as a working group, we can only help you in German or English. Please use the language you are more comfortable with.
We understand that you might want to practice your German, but it is easier for us to help you in English if your English is better.

When you write to us, please don’t use AI.
Based on what and how you write, we can understand what you mean and how much you already know.
A “perfect” AI-generated message suggests to us that you know a lot – and you will then receive a response at that level.
If you want help from a human, write the message yourself!

Have fun and enjoy your time in the dormitory!

Your Netz-AK (short for Netzwerk Arbeitskreis = Network Work-group)

2026-03-11 Planned-Maintenance | Hardware replacement Fichtenweg 5

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On Wednesday, March 11, 2026, we will replace the old switches with new ones at Fichtenweg 3. This may cause brief internet outages in the building or on individual floors.

We will start at around 3 PM in the basement and work our way up through the floors.

Feel free to approach us if you see us.

Update:

We have finished the replacement in your building.
If you have a gigabit-enabled device, you should be able to use 1 gigabit synchronously.

2026-02-27 Complete Dormitory Network Outage (again)

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At 18:30 PM, our entire network went down (again).

We are currently investigating the cause. As soon as we have more information, we will update this blog post.

Update:

As of approximately 19:40, everything should be back online. There may still be some issues, so please let us know via the contact form if you experience any problems.

We are still looking for the root cause of the same issue recurring. We are in the process of diagnosing it, but it’s proving difficult to pin down.

2026-02-26 Complete Dormitory Network Outage

Tim on

At 9:30 PM, our entire network went down.

We are currently investigating the cause. As soon as we have more information, we will update this blog post.

Update:

As of approximately 00:15, everything should be back online. There may still be some issues, so please let us know via the contact form if you experience any problems.

2026-02-11 Hardware replacement in Franzviertel & Eugenstraße

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On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, we will be replacing the old network switches with new ones in your dormitory. This will result in temporary interruptions to your internet connection.

Schedule: We will start in the afternoon at Eugenstraße 57/1, 57/2, and 57/3, then proceed to Landkutschersweg 10, Provenceweg 7, and Provenceweg 9.

We will keep you updated on the progress and any changes via this blog post. If you have any questions or issues after this, feel free to contact us via the contact form.

UPDATE

We’ve completed everything, and it should now function normally.

2025-11-2 Maintenance: Hardware Upgrade Fichtenweg 1+16

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On Sunday, November 2, 2025, starting at 8:15 PM, we will replace your network hardware with new equipment. This upgrade will provide you with Gigabit synchronous connectivity directly to your room.

The hardware replacement is expected to take approximately 2 hours, from 8:15 PM to 10:15 PM.

Update: We finished our work. If something is not working or you, contact us!

2025-11-2 Maintenance: Hardware Upgrade Pestalozzistraße 65

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On Sunday, November 2, 2025, starting at 4:00 PM, we will replace your network hardware with new equipment. This upgrade will provide you with Gigabit synchronous connectivity directly to your room.

The hardware replacement is expected to take approximately 1.5 hours, from 4:20 PM to 5:50 PM.

Update: We finished our work. If something is not working or you, contact us!

2025-11-2 Maintenance: Hardware Upgrade at Wankheimer Täle 9

Tim on

On Sunday, November 2, 2025, starting at 4:00 PM, we will replace your network hardware with new equipment. This upgrade will provide you with Gigabit synchronous connectivity directly to your room.

The hardware replacement is expected to take approximately 1.5 hours, from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM.

Update: We finished our work. If something is not working or you, contact us!

13-10-2025 Pestalozzistraße 63

Tim on

Unfortunately, a switch serving 24 rooms (rooms 101–125, pest63) has failed.

We are using this incident as an opportunity to upgrade your building to our new hardware, which will result in a brief outage for everyone living there.

However, this will not happen until tomorrow (October 14, 2025) at the earliest. As soon as we have a precise time for the hardware replacement, we will update this post.

Update 14/10/2025 7:50 am: This afternoon a quick fix will be done. In the next few days, we will upgrade to the latest MikroTik switches, so you will then have gigabit.

Update 14/10/2025 1:40 pm: Rooms are online again. Upgrade to gigabit will be probably on Sunday.

Update 21/10/2025 8:15 AM: Reboot of the building

Update 21/10/2025 22:54 PM.: Unfortunately, the quick fix broke down at around 8:00 a.m. today. In the evening, I set off to make sure that rooms 101-125 were back online. However, when I unplugged and plugged the master switch back in, it broke, which means that the whole house is now offline. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to fix it tonight, but I’ll take care of it tomorrow right after work. I’ll replace the hardware as mentioned above, and then the building should run smoothly for a good few years. So if everything goes according to plan, you’ll be back online tomorrow evening.

Update 22/10/2025, 9:41 PM.: I have replaced all switches, and the internet should be back up and running throughout Pestalozzistr. 63. While I am still making some best practice changes, there may still be brief outages. Thanks to the switch to new hardware, this dorm now has gigabit internet, which is 10 times faster—however, most of you are using old routers that can only handle 100 Mbit/s, so most of you won’t benefit from this.