Internet Access in BLCU dorms

[ckc_ucl]

I'd be grateful for any assistance you can provide in this matter - I am living in Building 17 at BLCU (lucky me!) and my roommate has been connected to the internet by CERNET on campus. Currently we are taking it in turns to use the cable but I would like to know if it is possible to buy a router so that we can both use the net simultanueously. Does anyone have any idea how much this would cost and whether installation is simple (considering we are both beginners in Mandarin) and whether it is even possible for us to use the same CERNET account at the same time?

Many thanks,

Charlene

[chamberswang]

well, that depends, have you provided your MAC code to the school when applying? if you have already done that, it means that only 1 NIC can surf internet.

of course, there is one other method(as far as i know and somehow tried) for both of you to surf internet with one port, that is quite like setting his computer a chief computer and you are a sub-pc, and you can only surf internet when the chief one is running

[ckc_ucl]

Thanks chamberswang, but could you please explain what a MAC code is as I am techincally inept!

[chamberswang]

well, about MAC, i bring you with some theoretical explanation:

- In a local area network (LAN) or other network, the MAC (Media Access Control) address is your computer's unique hardware number. (On an Ethernet LAN, it's the same as your Ethernet address.) When you're connected to the Internet from your computer (or host as the Internet protocol thinks of it), a correspondence table relates your IP address to your computer's physical (MAC) address on the LAN.

The MAC address is used by the Media Access Control sublayer of the Data-Link Layer (DLC) of telecommunication protocols. There is a different MAC sublayer for each physical device type. The other sublayer level in the DLC layer is the Logical Link Control sublayer.

try check it out in the following address

http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci212506,00.html

[adrianlondon]

You just need to buy some sort of router box (I connected a wireless one here in my BNU dorm). It takes care of all the MAC address stuff - it allows any computer connected to it to share the broadband connection.

If you didn't give a MAC address to BLCU (and I bet you didn't) then that's it. If you did, you'll need to get a router which can be programmed to spoof its own mac address (they are quite common) and you program it with the one from your computer.

It sounds technically complex, but it isn't. However, if you don't know what a router is or looks like, then grab someone who does before hitting the electrical retailers.

[ckc_ucl]

Thank you chamberswang & adrianlondon!

ardianlondon, I know what a router is, may I ask where you bought yours from & how much you paid?

Many thanks.

[adrianlondon]

I brought mine with me from the UK. It's the Apple airport express / airtunes thing, so I can also connect a pair of speakers to it and stream from iTunes. Not cheap though.

In the UK I also have a "proper" router - with an ethernet hub and built-in broadband (ADSL) modem. That wasn't cheap, either

Both are more than you need though.

[Gaogao]

Hi there!

I´m going to BLCU for 4 weeks this summer and while in Beijing, I will probably get my "normal" university admission notice (not China, but at home) and I will have to do registration and lots of other stuff completely online, which hopefully won´t be a problem but I do need to have 24/7 internet access in my room.

So, my question would be what should I do in order to get the net installed in my room, as well as how much does it cost and take for Cernet to do all this for me? (I don´t have a Mac, but a bit old but working Acer laptop with XP) Anything else I should know regarding this? I will arrive 2 days before the course starts, could I arrange this in those 2 days?

I know 4 weeks is very short time, but it is extremely important to have constant access to the net in my room as above mentioned. Thanks you very much for your advice and help!!

[Independent]

Yeah, I'll be happy to have some information too. I have a full 4 week scholarship from Hanban, and I am going to BLCU from 22th ot July. So I wonder - is the Internet for free, or we have to pay for it? And if it's not - how much is it a month? And can I bring a router with me, because I have some problems with my lan card, and usually have to use wifi?