INTERNET ACCESS
Gordon College offers internet access to students living in our campus residence halls (Direct-Wired) and also through several wireless (Wi-Fi) access points located around campus.
Residence Halls (Direct-Wired) 
If you would like your personal computer in your residence hall connected to the Internet, here is what you will need:
- A computer/laptop purchased within the last few years.
- An Ethernet Network Card installed in your computer. (These can be purchased at a computer store and usually come pre-packaged with computers purchased from most vendors. NOTE: This is not the same hardware as a standard telephone-line based MODEM)
- A CAT5 Ethernet Patch Cable. (These can be purchased in the bookstore or at any computer store)
- Configure your computers network settings (For detailed instructions on how to configure your computer for Internet access click on the link below).
- All students must be familiar with the Gordon College Policy Statement use of Computer and Software located in the .
Once you have read over the requirements and configuration instructions listed above, you should be ready to access the Internet.
NOTE: Only the Gordon College website can be accessed without having to logon to the network. If you attempt to access a website outside of the Gordon website (i.e, www.google.com), you will be prompted for a username and password as shown below.
On this screen, you will enter the same username and password that you use to login to the Gordon network in computer labs/classrooms on campus and your e-mail through the web**.
After you have successfully logged on, you will see a screen confirming that you have connected to the Gordon College Residence Hall and Wireless Network (). This page is important because it will allow you to stay logged on to the network as long as the window remains open. If you close this window you will only be allowed access to external websites for up to one (1) hour. After that hour has passed, you will have to logon again if you attempt to access an external site.
To avoid having to logon multiple times during an Internet session, it is recommended that you leave the window open by opening another tab in the Internet browser and using the new tab to access webpages – or – you can minimize the confirmation page and open up another browser window altogether in order to stay logged in.
Here is a screenshot below demonstrating how to open a new tab for web browsing in Internet Explorer version 7 and above...
** Make sure you have changed your password to something other than your initial password before you access off-campus web sites. If you have not changed your initial password follow the instructions under "". You will NOT be able to access the Internet, other than the Gordon College web site, unless you change your initial password.
Wireless Access (Wi-Fi) 
Gordon College provides all students free wireless Internet access around many locations on the Gordon College campus. The wireless "hot spots" or WiFi access points on campus include the public areas in most of our facilities. These public areas include mostly the lobby and hallway areas of the buildings. If you would like your laptop computer to connect to the Internet from these wireless "hot spots", here is what you will need:
- A Laptop computer purchased within the last few years.
- Wireless Adapter (Network) Card with 802.11a, 802.11b or 802.11g compatibility (Most computer vendors offer wireless network card options when purchasing a PC).
- Configure your computers network settings (For detailed instructions on how to configure your computer for Internet access click on the link below).
- All students must be familiar with the Gordon College Policy Statement use of Computer and Software located in the .
Once you have read over the requirements and configuration instructions listed above, you should be ready to access the wireless network.
NOTE: Only the Gordon College website can be accessed without having to logon to the network. If you attempt to access a website outside of the Gordon website (i.e, www.google.com), you will be prompted for a username and password as shown below.
On this screen, you will enter the same username and password that you use to login to the Gordon network in computer labs/classrooms on campus and your e-mail through the web**.
After you have successfully logged on, you will see a screen confirming that you have connected to the Gordon College Residence Hall and Wireless Network (). This page is important because it will allow you to stay logged on to the network as long as the window remains open. If you close this window you will only be allowed access to external websites for up to one (1) hour. After that hour has passed, you will have to logon again if you attempt to access an external site.
To avoid having to logon multiple times during an Internet session, it is recommended that you leave the window open by opening another tab in the Internet browser and using the new tab to access webpages – or – you can minimize the confirmation page and open up another browser window altogether in order to stay logged in.
Here is a screenshot below demonstrating how to open a new tab for web browsing in Internet Explorer version 7 and above...
** Make sure you have changed your password to something other than your initial password before you access off-campus web sites. If you have not changed your initial password follow the instructions under "". You will NOT be able to access the Internet, other than the Gordon College web site, unless you change your initial password.
Internet Connection Troubleshooting Tips
Basic Troubleshooting
If you are still experiencing problems connecting to the Internet in your residence hall (Direct-Wired) or wireless (Wi-Fi) on campus — after following ALL of the directions outlined above — follow our troubleshooting tips below in the order they are listed until you obtain a working connection.
- First, try restarting your Computer. Many problems can be fixed by simply rebooting your PC / Laptop.
- If trying to connect to the Internet in your residence hall, make sure that you are using the correct ethernet cable (CAT5) and not a telephone cord.
- Make sure that the ethernet cable is plugged in securely at both ends. Check the connection to your computer's network card and then the connection to the data jack in the wall of your room. Did both ends snap in tightly?
- Check for a flashing green, yellow, or orange light near the network port on your computer. A colored flashing light usually means the connection is working. If this is not the case, either the network card is not configured correctly, the data jack in your room is not working, or your ethernet cable is bad.
- Try plugging your ethernet cable into another data jack in your room such as your roommate's. It is highly unlikely that all the data jacks in the room are not functioning, unless there is a campus-wide issue.
- Inspect your ethernet cable making sure that there are no visible signs of damage. If your connection is still not working, borrow your roommate's cable and try to connect using this cable. If you are still having problems please proceed to the Additional Windows Network Troubleshooting section below.
- Check your IP Address by following the instructions below...
- For Windows XP/2000, click on the Start Menu and then click on Run. Type in cmd in the Run box and click on the OK button. In Windows Vista, click on the Windows logo at the bottom-left and find the Command Prompt under All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. Then right-click on the Command Prompt icon and choose 'Run As Administrator'. A black command prompt window with a flashing cursor will now appear.
- At the cursor in the command prompt window, type in the following and then press enter on your keyboard:
ipconfig
- Look at your IP Address and note the following...
- If your IP address looks like 169.254.X.X where X is a number from 0 to 255 then your PC is not establishing a network connection.
- If your IP address looks like 198.168.X.X then a “rogue” DHCP server is running on the network and you should notify Computer Services immediately.
Additional Windows Network Troubleshooting
Follow these steps only after you have tried all of the steps listed in the Basic Troubleshooting section above.
Release / Renew IP Address
- For Windows XP/2000, click on the Start Menu and then click on Run. Type in cmd in the Run box and click on the OK button. A black command prompt window with a flashing cursor will now appear.
- In Windows Vista, click on the Windows logo at the bottom-left and find the Command Prompt under All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. Then right-click on the Command Prompt icon and choose 'Run As Administrator'.
- At the cursor, type in the following and then press enter on your keyboard:
ipconfig /release
After pressing enter, you should now see on the screen that the IP Address and subnet mask is listed as 0.0.0.0. - Now type the following and hit enter:
ipconfig /renew
After pressing enter, you should now see on the screen an IP Address of 168.26.X.X where X is a number from 0 to 255. If you see this, you should be connected. - As a test, try opening up Gordon College's homepage in your browser to see if you get a connection. If not, repeat the IP release and renew steps above a few more times to verify the process was completed successfully. Continue to the Flush DNS instructions below if you are still having problems.
Flush DNS
- For Windows XP/2000, click on the Start Menu and then click on Run. Type in cmd in the Run box and click on the OK button. A black command prompt window with a flashing cursor will now appear.
- In Windows Vista, click on the Windows logo at the bottom-left and find the Command Prompt under All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. Then right-click on the Command Prompt icon and choose 'Run As Administrator'.
- At the cursor, type in the following and then press enter on your keyboard:
ipconfig /flushdns
You should be able to see a confirmation message in the window stating:
Windows IP Configuration. Successful flushed the DNS Resolver Cache. - Try opening up Gordon College's homepage in your browser to see if you get a connection after flushing the DNS on your PC / Laptop.