setting up a router.help!

[MedusaIsHavingABadHairDay]

My DD is at University in halls. Her laptop will not connect to the internet using the ethernet cable (port in her laptop conked).. however it happily still works via wifi. The hall does not have wifi!
I have a spare router at home .

If I take it with me when I visit at half term, can I use it to connect her to her halls internet via her own wifi? If so how? (It's a belkin and we used to use it a year ago but cant rem setting it up!) Thanks!

Are you sure there are no wifi networks available round her? Get her to go into wireless networking on her laptops and scan for available networks. I am pretty surprised a hall or residence doesn't have one but maybe you are meant to pay for your own Internet access. Is there an Ethernet port in her room meant for free access?

It is technically possible to use your router to connect her to the uni network but you'd have to physically connect your router to their infrastructure in their tech room or wherever and I doubt they'd agree to this.

Have you spoken to the uni IT people? They may be are to advise. If there is really no wifi but there are Ethernet ports easiest thing would probably be to get the Ethernet port on the laptop checked and fixed (maybe get her to sweet talk the uni IT people into doing this for her, they are usually geeks grateful for a but of female attention (joke!)).

Other alternative is to get a broadband dongle from 3, O2 or whoever, this would be the most flexible as she would have Internet access on the go wherever she was, but she/you would have to pay for it, around 10 quid a month these days I think.

Different universities have different rules for what they will allow to be connected to their networks. I know a lot of universities ban students from connecting routers in halls because if the student cocks it up it can cause very annoying problems for everybody else. It's something we debated doing at the university I work for due to the regular problems. In the end we've put wireless into all the halls but it cost the best part of a million quid(!)

Quickest/cheapest solution - buy something like this. This plugs into a USB port on the laptop and will replace the knackered Ethernet port. This will be a lot cheaper than getting the laptop's own Ethernet port repaired.

And/or talk to the university's IT help desk and ask their advice. If they allow routers they may have recommended models and suggestions for how to set it up so it doesn't cause problems.

Snorbs.. thankyou! That looks like it will do the job and won't contravene any rules! The ethernet access is 'free' (as in paid for within the extortionate amount they are charging for halls..£400+ a MONTH) but there is no wireless let..promised for 'some time next year' allegedly.

I'll try the adaptor:)

Wish I'd known they existed 3 years ago when we had to buy DD1 a new laptop when HER ethernet port wouldn't work! Doh.....