• Over 90% of installations have been completed! Those tenants who have not completed their Permission To Enter forms by December 15, 2006 will be charged a $40 installation fee. For more information about the installation process, see our Installation Process page.

As of December 19, 2006, most apartments in North Village and Lincoln Apartments have high-speed Internet access. Tenants who have not completed their Permission to Enter forms and/or who For more information, see the Installation Process page.

This connection will occur over phone lines and will bring speeds comparable to commercial cable and DSL services (e.g., Comcast & Verizon) and much faster than the current dial-up connection. The type of connection is technically called Long Range Ethernet and is similar to DSL.

Starting January 1, 2007, there will be an $8.00 increase to your monthly telecommunications fee for this service. This price was agreed upon by the Family Housing Tenants’ Association and is much less than the cost of a commercial service. Note that you will automatically get high-speed Internet service.

OIT has installed a piece of hardware (called Consumer Premises Equipment or CPE) similar to a cable modem. The network hardware being installed must remain in the apartment when you move out – you are responsible for the network hardware until you complete the check-out process. Be aware that the network hardware remains the property of the University of Massachusetts and will not work on any network outside of the University of Massachusetts network.

You will need:

• OIT Account : You’ll need your NetID (OIT Account user name) and UMAccess password to register your computer on the network.
• A computer with an Ethernet (N.I.C.) card : Most newer computers come with Ethernet cards already installed. If you don’t have one, you can purchase one from OIT Hardware Support (A25 LGRC).
• An Ethernet cable : You will need an Ethernet cable long enough to reach from your telephone jack to your computer’s network card. Ethernet cables in several lengths are available from OIT Hardware Support (A25 LGRC).
• A Network Hub (optional) : If your household has more than one computer, you’ll need a network hub to access the Internet at the same time. Network hubs are available at the University bookstore and most office supply retailers.

  Note: We do not recommend that you purchase a router as they are difficult to install and more costly.