Wireless internet in your room

Why doesn’t the Netz-AK provide a “ready-made Wi-Fi” for your room?

1. With your own Wi-Fi setup, you can easily connect your gaming consoles, printers, and other devices to the internet.
2. A router usually costs around €35 once, while a “ready-made Wi-Fi” would be more expensive after four months.
3. It would be too much work for us volunteers to help everyone connect different devices to a Wi-Fi network we manage.
4. Gamers and heavy internet users prefer the better ping and faster speed of a wired connection.

In short, it’s more flexible, faster, and cost-effective.

How do I set up my own Wi-Fi?

Connect a Wi-Fi router to the network socket in your room. Most of the time, it works without any further adjustments.

Common problems:

1. Network socket: There are often two ports for the cable, but only one is active. Try both!
2. Devices: Not everything sold as a router is a real router. Some devices are DSL modems or access points (see list).
3. Router settings: Your connection is not a DSL line and does not need login details (see settings).

Compatible router models for our network

We can’t recommend specific routers, but here’s a list of devices that have been successfully used in our dorms since 2019. Devices marked with “🚫” are not routers and won’t work with our network. Devices marked with “✔️” are routers and will work with us.

Your Router should support 5 GHz (📶), otherwise we expect dropouts 🚩.

If your router is not on the list, contact us via “Contact” (Subject: Wi-Fi and routers) to add it.

Search online for “Router 5 GHz” – good devices start at around €35. We have a detailed guide on choosing a router in our blog.

Since 2024, we will no longer support FritzBox routers in our network.

Devices with 🙅‍♀️ are not recommended, while 🏎️ can fully utilise the speed in buildings with gigabit connections.

show list

Setting up the router

Power supply:

• Plug the router into a power outlet to give it power.

Connect to the network socket:

• At the back of the router, there are several ports. Look for the WAN port. It’s usually coloured (e.g., blue or yellow) and might say “WAN” or “Internet”.
• Take the Ethernet cable and plug one end into the WAN port on the router and the other end into the network socket on the wall.

Connect devices (optional):

• If you want to connect devices like a laptop or PC directly via cable, use the LAN ports on the router. They are usually numbered (e.g., LAN1, LAN2).

Configure router settings:

Access the router’s interface:

• Connect your computer or another device to the router. This can be done via LAN cable or Wi-Fi (the Wi-Fi name and default password are often on a sticker on the router).
• Important: You don’t need to be connected to the internet for this. The connection is just local between your device and the router.
• Open a web browser and enter the router’s IP address in the address bar. Common IP addresses are 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. You can often find this information on the router’s sticker or in the user manual.

Login:

• You’ll be asked for a username and password. Often, the username is “admin” and the password is also “admin”, or it can be found on a sticker on the router.

Set up the internet connection:

• Go to the “Internet Settings” or “WAN Settings” menu.
• Make sure to select the Dynamic IP connection type (also called “DHCP”). PPPoE does not work in your dorm.
• If the router forces you to enter login details, some models allow you to choose “Other Providers” or “Additional Providers” in the menu. If you follow this path, you should find an option to select No login details.
• Your router will then automatically receive an IP address from our network and can distribute this to your devices via its own DHCP server.

Configure Wi-Fi:

• You can change the Wi-Fi name (SSID) and password as you like. This can be found in the “Wi-Fi Settings” or “Wireless” menu.
• Select WPA2 or WPA3 as the security method to keep your network secure.

Save and restart:

• Save the settings and restart the router if it doesn’t do so automatically.

Everything should be working now, and you can start connecting your devices to the Wi-Fi or use the LAN ports to go online. Enjoy your time online!

If you need help with the setup, you can contact us through our contact form. Choose the subject “Wi-Fi and routers” so the form asks you all the relevant questions.

Liability / Risk / Security

You are responsible for all activities that occur through the network socket in your room. An open or poorly secured Wi-Fi can lead to significant problems.

You are fully liable under civil law, meaning copyright infringements will fall back on you. In case of criminal offences committed through your connection, you will have to deal with the public prosecutor.

Netz-AK is only responsible for the security up to the network socket in your room.

This post is also available in German de_DE