Resnet up and running in several more dorms

It's not just in High Rise North anymore. ResNet service has now been installed in High Rise East, High Rise South, Modern Languages College House and Ware College House. The job was finished in time for the the start of the school year, but not without difficulty. The biggest setback occurred in July, when the University fired the company in charge of wiring the buildings for ResNet, University officials said. "We fired the company that had originally started the process of wiring the buildings because they weren't doing a very good job," said Michael Palladino, manager of project and planning of Data Communications and Computer Services at the University. All the work done by the first company between May and early July had to be completely redone, he added. The buildings are now completely finished. Through ResNet, students have access to private telephone lines, free cable television and Ethernet connections. Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said students' comments have been positive so far. "We've heard good things about the cable television reception,'' Simeone said. "The hard wiring really has made a difference." Underground cable wires were used instead of lasers or microwaves to connect wiring between buildings. Lasers and microwaves caused many of last year's reception problems, Palladino said. "We were able to get a really good price on the hard cabling and this will solve a lot of the problems with the video reception that we had last winter," Palladino said. "When the snow and ice hit [last winter], the reception was garbled. The hard cable won't have the same difficulties." Students can have private telephone lines activated for $65, according to Penntrex brochures. Cable television service is available free of charge to students who have cable-ready TVs. Residential Living charges an additional $70 fee to all students living in ResNet buildings. Another part of the ResNet service is the availability of Ethernet for students' computers. An Ethernet connection, which allows students to use the Internet, works many times faster than a modem and does not require the use of the phone line, Palladino said. In order to use Ethernet, a computer must have an Ethernet card and other components available for purchase at The Book Store. "The difference in speed between an Ethernet connection and a modem is like the difference between black-and-white and color TV," Palladino said. Data Communications and Computer Services has also published a manual called "The ResNet Resource Guide." The guide gives step-by-step instructions for hooking up an Ethernet connection for both IBM and Macintosh computers. The software required to run Ethernet is available on disks in all buildings equipped with ResNet, Simeone said. In addition to the guide, Data Communications and Computer Services will run "installathons" to help students set up their computers over the next three weekends. The free manual is available at the front desk of all ResNet buildings, as are extension cables for Ethernet and cable TV.