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Using your Ethernet connection

Evan
Updated

A wired (Ethernet) connection is the most stable option, and we recommend it for gaming consoles and desktop computers.

Connect and register your device

  1. Plug an Ethernet cable from your device into the Ethernet jack on the wall of your room or unit.
  2. If your device has a web browser, open it. If you're taken to your property's login page, log in with your Wi-Fi username and password, and the device registers itself.
  3. If no login page appears, or the device has no browser (game consoles, smart TVs, streaming boxes), register it yourself:
    1. Find the device's wired MAC address. It's different from the Wi-Fi MAC address; see What is a MAC address and where do I find it?
    2. Log in to your property's registration portal (the address is in your setup email).
    3. Open Devices, enter the MAC address and click Add.
  4. Unplug the cable and plug it back in, or restart the device.

If it still won't connect

  1. Check the device and cable. Make sure your device shows a wired connection when the cable is plugged in. Try a different cable, and a different wall jack if your unit has more than one.
  2. Check the device is registered to your account. If the device was ever connected using someone else's login, it's on their account. Send us its wired MAC address and we'll move it.
  3. Check the network panel in your unit. Most units have a white network panel on the wall, usually in the laundry area, a common area or a closet (sometimes a bedroom closet). Inside is a small network switch where the Ethernet cables connect.
    • If the switch has no lights, check that its power adapter is firmly plugged in at both ends.
    • Restart it: unplug the switch's power, wait about 10 seconds, and plug it back in. Give it a couple of minutes to come back up. This fixes many wired problems.
    • If the panel is locked, let us or your property's maintenance team know.

Photos of the panel and step-by-step checks are in A Series of Tubes: A Practical Guide to Troubleshooting Your Apartment's Internet Equipment.

Contacting us

If none of that works, submit a request and include:

  • Your name, property and unit number
  • The device's wired MAC address
  • Which room or jack you're using, and what you've tried
  • A photo of the inside of the network panel showing the lights on the switch (or that there are none)

Including the photo up front usually saves a few back-and-forth replies.

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