Campus Network Troubleshooting

For some devices, getting connected to UVM Wi-Fi can be more complex than others. A good first step when troubleshooting your Wi-Fi connection is to review our guide on Connecting to UVM Wireless.

If your device has saved a connection to the UVM network but is still unable to connect to the internet, it may have an old password or other outdated information saved. A common solution is to remove the network using these instructions and then follow these instructions to connect to UVM Wi-Fi again.

Some devices will be unable to connect to a Wi-Fi network if the device’s system clock doesn’t match the network’s system time.

Instructions for fixing the system clock are different for Windows and macOS users:

• macOS – If the date or time is wrong on your Mac (apple.com)
• Windows – How to set your time and time zone (microsoft.com)

If a computer’s operating system is old enough that the developer no longer releases security updates, that computer can become a security vulnerability. Because of this, devices with older macOS or Windows operating systems may be unable to connect to UVM’s network.

It’s important to keep your operating system updated. You can check if your system is outdated using these guides:

• macOS
• Windows

macOS computers store information relating to network authentication in items called profiles. Occasionally, an outdated profile will prevent a proper network connection from being made.

Click here for instructions on finding and removing these profiles. 

If you don’t see the UVM Wireless network in some places on campus, but you have no trouble connecting in others, it’s possible your network adapter is unable to connect to the 5GHz band.

UVM is steadily moving to only broadcasting the 5GHz band, as this improves network speed. When necessary, our Network Services team can enable the older 2.4GHz band.

Please contact the UVM Tech Team, and include the specific location where you have difficulty connecting.

Windows users can open PowerShell and run the following command to check their compatibility with the 5GHz band. If 802.11ac is listed, your adapter should support a 5GHz connection.

netsh wlan show drivers | Select-String "radio types supported"

macOS users can open Terminal and run the following command to check their compatibility with the 5GHz band. If ac is listed, your adapter should support a 5GHz connection.

system_profiler SPAirPortDataType | grep "Supported PHY Mode"

macOS computers store various system settings and preferences in .plist files. Sometimes, removing select files and forcing the computer to generate new ones with default values can fix networking errors. This is a fairly technical process and it will typically cause your computer to “forget” all known networks, so this would usually be a last resort before reinstalling the whole operating system. If you’d like assistance with this process, please contact the UVM Tech Team for help.

Click here for instructions on recreating plist files.

If other troubleshooting steps aren’t working, you could try performing a Network Reset. This removes all network adapters and settings. After doing this, restarting the computer should cause it to automatically re-install network drivers with their default settings. A Network Reset should be a last resort before reinstalling the operating system, because it has the possibility of leaving your computer in a worse state than before – it will typically cause your computer to “forget” all known networks (including ones that are currently working), and your computer could also fail to reinstall the removed drivers.

To perform a Network Reset, use Windows search to search for “network reset” in your computer’s Settings. This should bring you to a page with a Reset Now button. Click that button and then Yes to confirm removing network drivers. Restarting the PC should force those drivers to reinstall with default settings, which may solve the problem.

In most buildings on campus, you will need to register a device before connecting to the campus wired network.

Click here for information on registering your device in UVM NetReg. 

When connecting a computer to the wired network via Ethernet, there are several physical places where the connection could fail:

• The computer and its ports
• The Ethernet cable and any adapters used
• The wall-mounted Ethernet ports

If possible, try to test the connection with a second device, a second cable, and a different wall port. If there is a hardware problem preventing the connection, trying these will help locate where the problem lies.

If a wall port is visibly broken, please submit a service request to have it inspected. If the port is in a dorm room, you can submit a ticket including the building name and room number, as well as which wall port it is (if there are multiple). For academic or administrative offices, whoever manages the area will need to submit a VeraSMART work order. This may be your supervisor or your department’s business manager.

If the wall port seems to be the problem but it does not appear to be visibly broken, please contact Network Services.

If you determine that there is a problem with the Ethernet cable or adapter that you’re using, you can buy a new one at the UVM Bookstore.