on A switch that is serving 24 rooms died today.
Instead of replacing the switch we will upgrade the house to gigabit.
We will be there tonight.
Update
9:30 PM – We are done and everything should be working normally again. If there are any issues still, let us know via the contact form.
on Almost two years ago I posted some numbers about how many people in our student housing actually use gigabit-capable devices. Today I checked again – and honestly, it’s not the big breakthrough yet:
| Location | Dec 2023 | Sep 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geislingen | 25 % | 35 % | +10 |
| Albstadt | 53 % | 48 % | −5 |
| Sigmaringen | 33 % | 26 % | −7 |
Geislingen improved a lot, Albstadt dropped a little but is still on top, and Sigmaringen is now down to only 26 %. Hard to say if this is a real trend – the measurement happened during semester break, so the sample is smaller. But still, the direction is interesting.
We are also collecting routers that students left behind when moving out. The result? Not great: less than 5 % of these devices can even do 5 GHz Wi-Fi – and so they can’t handle gigabit properly.
Of course, if someone owns a good router, they don’t leave it behind. But still, it’s shocking how many people were using outdated hardware: old Fast Ethernet ports, no 5 GHz, weak Wi-Fi chips. No wonder the speeds suffer.
For us that means: more awareness needed! Either many students don’t know what their connection could really do – or maybe they just don’t need much internet at all. Apart from one building in Tübingen (we’re still waiting for the key), we’ve already put up our own posters in all 102 student housing buildings. Let’s see if that helps.
on Some of you are kind enough to leave your router behind when you move out, so other students in the dorm can use it. Of course, these are not always the newest devices – sometimes we even find very old ones.
To keep things organised, we started collecting the leftover routers together with the caretakers here in Tübingen at Fichtenweg. By now, about 25 devices have been gathered. Anything that does not support modern Wi-Fi or current encryption standards is sorted out.
The working devices are passed on – together with a matching network cable – to the “WHO Dorfrat” (student dormitory council). They distribute them to people who only need simple internet access and for whom an older router is still good enough.
What matters to us is that you have really good and stable internet in the dorm. The internet connection in your room almost never fails – if you have problems, it is usually the router or its settings. Just contact us and we’ll show you how to set up your router correctly. You should basically have nearly 100% availability.
A big thank-you goes to the caretakers, who have been very active in collecting the routers!
on This year went better than last time: at least two of us went to the Student Network Meeting (SNT) – last year it was only one person. Out of 12 possible members that’s still improvable, but already progress.
The trip itself was a real challenge. From Tübingen to Košice it’s about 880 kilometers. With the long journey, it was not easy to combine with studying and other commitments.
What excites us again and again: the great openness among everyone. Around 100 people from four countries came – most of them volunteer to provide good internet in their dorms and because they enjoy technology. The Slovak student community has always been strongly represented. With their shorter travel this time, they even arrived more rested.
Besides familiar faces, you meet new people every year. It’s fascinating to see how many things we have in common – but also what differences exist in structures and conditions.
Large student networks like AGDSN or Selfnet joined with more than ten people each. It’s impressive that we in Tübingen manage to run a stable network with so few people. My respect also goes to a French colleague from Brest, who spent almost 24 hours traveling to get here!
At the SNT people talk openly about everything: technology, experiences with vendors, support issues, and which devices are really worth buying again. It’s always helpful to hear the practical experiences of others.
We also learned a lot – from small details like special security seals to handling club clothing in terms of non-profit rules. And we could confirm our decision to use MikroTik as access switches. With Wi-Fi technology, however, there seems to be no common opinion – so we continue testing different vendors ourselves.
We stayed in the dormitories of our hosts from the PC-Club in Jedlíkova 9. Most slept in affordable twin rooms, which were part of four-person units with shower and toilet.
And a big thank you: AGDSN and Selfnet were even able to act as sponsors this year thanks to clever management – that’s really great and helps the whole event a lot!
For us it’s clear: at the latest next year we want to have uniform embroidered team clothing. It simply looks good, and everyone immediately knows which team we belong to.
The next SNT will take place very close to us – either in Stuttgart or Karlsruhe. Karlsruhe will celebrate its 30th anniversary, Stuttgart wants to present its new facilities. Maybe in two or three years we will even be ready to host an event again ourselves. We already managed it once in 2009 – so it’s about time!
The SNT 2025 in Košice was a great chance for us to stay in touch, learn new things, and look beyond our own horizon. Despite the long journey, it was absolutely worth it. We are already looking forward to seeing many familiar and new faces at next year’s meeting near us!
For more information about the Student Network Meeting, visit:
studentnetworks.eu/meetings/snt2025
on Also in 2025, the Tage der digitalen Freiheit (Days of Digital Freedom) will take place again – an open community event about technology, society, and digital self-determination. It happens on the weekend of July 26–27 at the Westspitze in Tübingen (Eisenbahnstraße 1) – just a short walk from the main train station.
The event is organized by the Chaos-Treff Tübingen, creating a space for exchange, ideas, and experiments beyond commercial interests.
What can you expect?
A diverse program with talks, workshops, and hands-on sessions – covering topics from digital rights and climate issues to technology and art. Open for everyone, free of charge, and community-driven.
When?
Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27, 2025
Program starts at 11:00 AM on both days
Where?
Westspitze Tübingen, Eisenbahnstraße 1
More information:
tdf.cttue.de
And us?
Of course we from Netz-AK will be there too. This year without a booth – we admit it. Once again, no capacity. But we’ll drop by, listen, and join the discussion. Maybe next year we’ll finally bring a booth. Maybe.
Come by – it’s worth it.
See you at the Tage der digitalen Freiheit!
P.S.:
If you’re interested but not sure about just showing up, you can sign up as an elf. Elves help with small tasks like setting things up, giving info, or supporting parts of the program. It’s a nice way to get involved and meet people easily.
on In a very friendly and constructive conversation with the new head of the Housing Department, we learned yesterday that the Studierendenwerk currently only refers to the FAQ on its website when it comes to information about the Netz-AK and internet access in the dorms.
That is not much and does not match the agreements we made with the Studierendenwerk a few years ago.
In the future, there will again be an information sheet from us included with the rental contract, explaining where to find information and how to contact us.
Instead of just one of the many papers you get when you move in, you can also find us via posters in the dormitory hallways.
For the winter semester 2024, the Studierendenwerk had offered to design new posters for us and put them up in the dorms. The new design looks much better and more professional than our old green posters, which needed to be replaced.
However, in most of the dorms we visited, the new posters were not there. We also didn’t get confirmation from the Studierendenwerk that they were successfully put up. They assumed that the missing dorms would follow step by step.
So far, replacing the old green posters through the Studierendenwerk has mostly not been successful.
We are therefore ending the action “posters in all dorms for the winter semester by the Studierendenwerk” as unsuccessful in July 2025.
We have now created our own new posters based on the Studierendenwerk’s design and started putting them up ourselves.
Because of the missing information, many residents were not able to make full use of the internet connection available to them in the dorm.
Most people who contact us because of Wi-Fi problems use routers we have been advising against for years in our totorials. Only a small number of residents in dorms that already have gigabit internet use a router that can even make use of more than 10% of that speed.
We see a lot of potential to improve the flow of information in the future, thanks to some changes already made at the Studierendenwerk. That way, you can really enjoy what is probably the best internet connection you will privately use in the next ten years.
on Since July 2025, it’s official: Netz-AK Tübingen is a registered and recognized non-profit association. This means we’ve not only finalized our statutes, but also laid the organizational foundation to continue our work in a stable and reliable way.
Behind the association is a team focused on technology, networking, and digital infrastructure in Tübingen’s student residences – with expertise, commitment, and a clear focus on transparency and participation.
If you’re curious how we’re organized, how to get involved, or what we’re planning, you can find all the details here: Netz-AK Tübingen e.V.
Please note: All official information regarding the association will likely remain in German, as the legal framework for associations is defined in German law – and there is currently little demand for an English version in this context.
on We had an outage in Albstadt for several days on June 4 this year – in connection with a power failure there. So something happened, a lightning strike or something.
A member from Albstadt brought the switches to our weekly meeting today and we unscrewed them to see what had happened – when we plugged them in, they no longer started up.
Our analysis: A capacitor in the power supply unit has been smashed due to too much current.
Switch 1:
Switch 2, more detailed, also with the part separated from the rest:
on Tomorrow between 8 AM and 4 PM, there may be brief interruptions to your internet connection.
But don’t worry — if everything goes smoothly, the outages will only last a few seconds. In the worst case, you might need to restart your router once.
Why are we doing this? We’re upgrading your internet connection and increasing the capacity of our uplink for the dormitories.
on At around 03:00, the internet connection of the dorms in Albstadt went down. As the time is pretty even, this could be some kind of planned maintenance work regarding infrastructure outside our control – but nothing was announced to us.
If the problem persists tomorrow, somebody of us has to visit the network room in Albstadt physically.
Update 8:30 AM:There is a major power issue at Poststraße 22/1. Without electricity, our equipment doesn’t work.
Poststraße 22/2 is connected to 22/1, so it is also offline.
Update 7 PM: we are still waiting for power.
Update 2025-06-04 10:30 AM: we are still waiting for power.
Update Friday, 2025-06-06, 8:30 AM:
Unfortunately, there are no new developments. Three circuit breakers are off. When one of them was switched back on, smoke appeared. For safety reasons, the Netz-AK will not touch these breakers or power outlets.
Our network infrastructure has no power and is completely offline. Normally, power supply is not our responsibility – but since nothing has happened so far, we are now checking with the Studierendenwerk to find out if and when an electrician will come for repairs.
If the issue is not fixed today, we will look into other ways to power our devices. At the moment, we cannot say whether that will work.
We, too, are surprised by how long the power outage is lasting and how it affects hot water and the network. We’ll keep you updated.
Update 12:50 PM: Something seems to have been fixed, but some spare parts had to be ordered. Since we only have information from third parties, we are not sharing any details.
We are now looking for a power source to get our switches running again.
Update Saturday, June 7, 11:30 AM:
We got in the car in Tübingen at 8:30 AM and drove to Albstadt because our team member on-site “couldn’t” access the room yesterday.
When we arrived at Poststraße, the tech room was dark. According to our info, there’s no power there. There are no alternative power sources nearby, but we happened to meet an electrician who wanted to fix the lights.
Now we have first-hand information we can share.
On Wednesday, there was an overvoltage, probably from a lightning strike.
The electrician already replaced the fuses on Wednesday and found that our hardware (network switches) was burned out. He informed the caretaker.
So we are not waiting for electricity or a big repair — we just need to install new devices.
We have everything in stock in Tübingen, but we didn’t bring the devices because we thought the only problem was missing power.
We could have replaced everything already on Wednesday, no probem at all.
Someone from our team will go back to Albstadt during Pentecost and install the replacements.
If you’re frustrated, please contact the Studierendenwerk directly…
Update Sunday, June 8, 6:50 PM:
Poststraße 22-2 is already back online, and room by room, the network is coming back.
Big thanks to the person who lent their car to our AK member on site, so the switches could be picked up in Tübingen and brought to Albstadt.
You should all be back online very soon.