Campus Network Troubleshooting

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

If your device has saved it’s connection to the UVM network, but is still unable to connect, a common solution is to remove the network before trying to connect again.

Remove the network using these instructions. Then, follow these instructions to connect to UVM WiFi again.

Some devices will be unable to connect to a WiFi network if the system clock doesn’t match the servers’ clock.

Instructions 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)

Older macOS or Windows operating systems may be unable to connect to UVM’s network.

Computers running an older operating systems may be less secure, as developers no longer release security patches and other updates for these systems.

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 You can check if your system is outdated using these guides: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 Occasionally, an outdated profile will prevent a proper network connection from being made.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 that 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 that their compatibility with the 5GHz band. If ac is listed, your adapter should support a 5GHz connection.

system_profiler SPAirPortDataType | grep "Supported PHY Mode"

Most devices in most buildings on campus will need to be registered 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 can be broken.

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

If possible, test each of a second device, a second cable, and a different port.  If there is a hardware problem preventing the connection, this will often help to locate it.

If the wall ports are visibly broken, please submit a service request to have them inspected:

Dorms (Fix-It)

Other Buildings (FAMIS)

If you are not in a residence hall and the port does not appear to be visibly broken, please contact Network Services.

If it is determined that there is a problem with the ethernet cable or adapter that you are using, you can buy a new one at the UVM Bookstore.