2026-04-12 Hardware swap | Maintenancework in Hohenheim

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.)

3D printing workshop 2026-04-19

On Sunday, 19th of April, the Netz-AK invites you to a 3D printing workshop. It will take place in our network lab in Fichtenweg 16 (see below for directions).

We have ordered some Raspberry Pi’s and will print suitable casings on our own.

There will be a short introduction to the basics (technology, study of materials, etc.) and afterwards we will begin to print the models, so that something will be definitely finished.

Depending on time and demand there will be the possibility to model on your own with TinkerCAD, Fusion360 or OnShape afterwards.

Update 2026-04-14: Please bring your own laptop!

We expect it to take 3-4 hours. Since the Netz-AK currently has a regular meeting each Sunday from 4 p.m., there will be the possibility to work longer on something or to (better) get to know the members of our working group and our rooms.

You can also join later.

There will be some snacks and Spezi.

This way you can get to our network lab:

what3words: endet.wenn.abkühlen

New in the dormitory? | Summer Semester 2026

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)

2026-03-31planned maintenance work

We were informed by BelWü that there will be maintenance work that could effect our internet connection.

Here you`ll find the information provided to us. For details, follow the link (in German).

Beginn: 2026-03-31 00:00
Ende: 2026-03-31 06:00

Den Verlauf dieses Vorgangs können Sie unter folgender URL erreichen:
https://www.belwue.de/trouble-tickets/ticket/691.xml

2026-03-16 till 2026-03-19 planned maintenance work

We were informed by BelWü that there will be maintenance work that could effect our internet connection for around ten minutes during the following time.

Here you`ll find the information provided to us. For details, follow the link (in German).

Beginn: 2026-03-16 00:00
Ende: 2026-03-19 06:00

Den Verlauf dieses Vorgangs können Sie unter folgender URL erreichen:
https://www.belwue.de/trouble-tickets/ticket/692.xml

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

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.

2026-03-11 planned maintenance work

We were informed by BelWü that there will be maintenance work that could effect our internet connection.

Here you`ll find the information provided to us. For details, follow the link (in German).

Beginn: 2026-03-11 22:00
Ende: 2026-03-12 06:00

Den Verlauf dieses Vorgangs können Sie unter folgender URL erreichen:
https://www.belwue.de/trouble-tickets/ticket/688.xml

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

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.

2026-02-07 Post-processing Total failure

After yesterday’s outage, we are fixing some smaller problems.

We cannot clearly name the cause of the error yesterday. What is certain is that our batteries should buffer power outages for 30–45 minutes. Instead, they switched on and off many times per second for a very long time until they were exhausted after several hours.
Now the devices need to be replaced.

Without power, our hardware shut down at around 9 p.m., and our network went offline.

Until about 1 a.m. today, work was done on site to fix the problem, and in the end power was brought from another room into the server room.

Work started again at 9 a.m. today. We are setting everything up again and are looking for the cause of the loss of the connection to Reutlingen.

We may update this article if necessary.

Update 3 p.m.: Welcome back Reutlingen and Hechingerstraße!