Office of Student Life

Technology Services

Which Network Should I Connect To?

All residence halls feature five networks, each with specific use cases:

eduroam Network

This is a secure, global Wi-Fi network available at OSU and participating academic and research institutions around the world. eduroam is the primary wireless network for computers, smartphones, and tablets on campus. Once you connect to eduroam, your connection will be automatically available at any participating location.

Registered4OSU Network

This is a secure Wi-Fi network for residents to connect streaming media players, game consoles, and a variety of other smart devices that cannot connect using a username and password. Devices must be registered in order to get online.

ResNet Wired Network

This is a secure wired network available in the residence halls. A wired connection provides the highest speed and stability for the most demanding applications like online gaming and media streaming. Devices must be registered in order to get online.

WiFi@OSU Network

This is an open (unencrypted) Wi-Fi network for guests and visitors. This network is also used for onboarding students, faculty, and staff to the secure eduroam network.

As this network requires you to interact with a web page (captive portal) to gain access, it is not suitable for most smart devices. This network is also blocked from accessing many campus online resources, such as Carmen, BuckeyeLink, etc.

osuwireless Network

This secure Wi-Fi network is being phased out in favor of the eduroam Wi-Fi network.

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