In our efforts to provide services of value to residents ResTech and Housing & Dining have launched the final survey in a series of THREE QUESTION TECH SURVEYS!

Click here to answer THREE TECH QUESTIONS about the campus Cable TV system!

Wi-Fi is available in the floor lounges and lobbies of every residence hall. NIU Wi-Fi is now available in residents' rooms in Stevenson, Grant C, Douglas, Neptune, the New Residence Hall, and in the Northern View Community apartments. Wi-Fi coverage has also been expanded to public locations in Neptune, Douglas and Stevenson. This includes all meetings rooms, dining rooms, laundry rooms, computer labs, and the Neptune Central 1st floor fireplace lounge and Trident.

Click here to see the requirements for using Wi-Fi in the residence halls.

Stay tuned for more Wi-Fi news!

If you're having trouble connecting your computer to the network, click here for simple troubleshooting steps. If you still need help please call the ResTech Helpdesk at 753-6267.

Refer to the Helpdesk and Computer Lab pages for regular hours.

Finals Week

• All labs will be open throughout finals week.
• Helpdesk will be open regular hours through Sunday May 5th and will be open Finals Week as follows:
  
  • Monday May 6 - Friday May 10:  8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
  • Saturday May 11:  9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
• Helpdesk will resume summer hours Monday May 13
• Labs will close Wednesday May 15th

We strongly encourage you to have your personal computer prepared before Opening Day Move-In in order to avoid the peak demand for technical support that occurs at the start of the semester. All rooms have Internet access and NIU Wi-Fi, and in order to provide a robust on-line experience we have a few guidelines for students moving into the residence halls and Northern View Community.

General Information:

• Cisco NAC is required in order to use the NIU network (see below for details about Cisco NAC).
• You need an Ethernet cable and Ethernet card to use the in-room connection.
• You need an 802.11b (or better) wireless network card to connect to the NIU Wi-Fi network.
• Personal routers and/or wireless access points are prohibited. Unmanaged hubs or switches can be used if residents want to connect more than one device in their room. Stevenson residents sharing a bedroom may check out a hub at the ResTech Helpdesk in Stevenson 110C if they need to connect more than one device to the network.

Cisco NAC resides on the client's machine, authenticates the user, and scans for the required patches and software on both the wired and wireless networks. The software will be provided by NIU upon arrival.

Computer Requirements for Windows Machines:

• Must have a legal version of Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8.

• Must be running anti-virus software allowed by NIU.
  • Includes McAfee Enterprise Anti-Virus (provided free by NIU), Norton, McAfee, TrendMicro, Kaspersky, AVG (older versions of these programs might not be allowed)
  • https://www.students.niu.edu/provisioning/main.php

IMPORTANT NOTE: UNINSTALL ALL ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE BEFORE INSTALLING NIU’S VERSION OF MCAFEE! Running more than one anti-virus program on your computer can cause many problems. Please call the ResTech Helpdesk for help in removing programs that may cause problems.

Other Information:

• Detailed instructions to help you get online with your personal computer will be provided when you move in.
• Cisco NAC requires Mac OS and Linux users to login with their Z-ID and may enforce security standards.

Click here for more information about copyright infringement.

Free and Legal Music, Movies, and Television

These are some great resources for legally downloading music, TV, movies and more:

• EDUCAUSE - A great resource for legally downloading music, TV, movies and more.
• BIRDTRAX - Illinois State University's links to both free and pay sites for legal multimedia.
• IPTV - Students living in the residence halls and Northern View Community can watch TV free over the Internet! Over 30 channels of movies, sports, news, and more.

Information Security - NIU's security and technology policies.

Everything Technology for Students - Everything Technology at Northern Illinois University is brought to you by the cooperative efforts of Information Technology Services and Residential Technology. Each group contributes to the information provided so that students are able to make the most of the technology offered at NIU.

Blackboard - NIU's Course Management System

Password Reset - Forget your password? Look up, change, or reset your password here, 24/7.

NIU Weather - A small division of the Heating Plant and Environmental Health and Safety, NIU Weather provides updated meteorological information and weather warnings for the NIU campus.

Information About Residence Hall Phones