Technology Support
As a resident student, you have access to individual technology support, including a special technology helpdesk and computer services, directly in the residence halls.
The Technology Helpdesk can be contacted at:
423 Hamlin Hall
(248) 370-2534
[email protected]
The University Housing Technology Helpdesk is a service offered by University Housing to all students living on campus. The Helpdesk exists to assist students with any technological problems that they might encounter while using OU’s network or their own personal computing devices.
- Assistance with connecting personal computers, gaming devices, smart phones, e-readers and other network-enabled devices to both the wired and wireless networks in the residence halls and student apartments
- Attempted removal of viruses and malware from student computers
- Assistance with syncing OU email to smartphones
- Technical support for the Hamlin Hall Computer Lab and other public computer stations
- Desktop support for University Housing staff
- Management of the WEPA printing stations in University Housing
Wireless connectivity to OU’s network is provided in all of the residence halls and student apartments. In addition, most students have wired network ports available for use in their rooms or apartments. These ports are the fastest and most reliable connections on campus. To encourage use of these ports, Ethernet cables can be obtained by students at the University Housing Technology Helpdesk free of charge.
If you are having problems connecting to the WiFi, please contact the University Housing Technology Helpdesk at (248) 370-2534 or [email protected].
All of our wireless access points are 802.11ac capable and support both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz frequencies. However, due to the technological limitations of 2.4Ghz wireless networks it is highly recommended that students connect with an 802.11ac adapter for their wireless devices in order to take advantage of the performance benefits of the 5Ghz wireless technology. OU cannot guarantee reliable and consistent service on the 2.4Ghz WiFi network.
Oakland University provides the internal network with a next-generation firewall, but personal anti-virus software is not provided to students. University Housing highly recommends that you install and maintain security software on your computer. If you need recommendations for this type of program, technicians at the University Housing Technology Helpdesk will be able to provide you with suggestions for both free and paid-for options. Students should also keep their operating systems up-to-date with the latest patches and hardware drivers.
Any device that connects to OU’s network must be registered with our Clearpass registration system using a valid OU ADMNET username and password.There are no limits to the number of devices you can register, but students are responsible for any network activity that occurs on these devices, regardless of who is using them.
Helpful Hints
- As a student, you very likely have never set your ADMNET password. In this case, you should go to netid.oakland.edu to sync your NetID, Google Account and ADMNET passwords to the same password. For further information on ADMNET passwords, please visit ADMNET Password Help.
- You will have to register your device twice if your device can connect to the network via the wireless or wired network. For example, some computers and gaming consoles have WiFi cards and Ethernet ports. This is because wireless and wired connections have different MAC addresses.
- If prompted, you have to Trust, Don't Validate, or Accept the *.oakland.edu certificate because the certificate is not installed on your device. This does not mean that the wireless network is insecure.
- Windows computers: If a Windows Security Alert box appears, click Connect.
- Apple computers: If a message appears stating You are making changes to your Certificate Trust Settings, enter your Mac username and password.
- Android devices: For some versions of Android OS, select Don’t Validate from the CA certificate menu.
You can register your devices from an on-campus network connection at clearpass.oakland.edu using the instructions listed here. We also have a video tutorials linked below on how to register your devices available for your convenience.
- Connect to the grizzlies network.
- The Clearpass registration system should automatically load in a new window or tab in your browser. If it does not, please visit clearpass.oakland.edu.
- Log in with your ADMNET username and password. Your username is the first part of your OU email address. For example, the University Housing Technology Helpdesk's email is [email protected], so our username would be wireless.
- On the next screen, a form will load that you will use to register your device. On this form, the WiFi MAC address of your device should autofill. If it does not autofill, please enter it manually. Name your device, enter your OU email in the appropriate fields, and then click Create Device.
- If the registration was successful, it should say Finished Creating Device at the top of the page. From here, you can choose to add another device or manage your registered devices from the on-screen menu. You can now use this device anywhere within the residence halls and student apartments on the grizzlies network.
Video Tutorials
You can register game consoles and other browser-less electronics by following the instructions listed here. We also have a video tutorials linked below on how to register your devices available for your convenience.
Please note that in the first step, you will need to successfully connect the device to the network before you attempt to register it. While you will fail connection tests and will not have access to the internet, it is a necessary step to allow the registration system to "see" the device on the network and complete registration.
- Connect the device to the grizzlies network.
- Using a previously registered device such as a computer or smartphone, connect to the network, open a browser, and go to clearpass.oakland.edu.
- Log in with your ADMNET username and password. Your username is the first part of your OU email address. For example, the University Housing Technology Helpdesk's email is [email protected], so our username would be wireless.
- From the menu, select Create Device.
- On the next screen, a form will load that you will use to register your device. In the appropriate fields, name your device, enter the MAC address of your game console or other browser-less device, enter your OU email, and then click Create Device.
- If the registration was successful, it should say Finished Creating Device at the top of the page. From here, you can choose to add another device or manage your registered devices from the on-screen menu.
Video Tutorials
Xbox One
Xbox Series X/S
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 5
Nintendo Switch
Smart TVs
Roku
Amazon Fire TV/Fire TV Stick
Amazon Alexa
Click here for help on how to find the MAC address on common devices.
Types of prohibited equipment include, but are not limited to:
- personal wireless routers
- wireless printers
- cell phone wireless hotspots
Students who are found using this type of equipment will be forced to take it down and could face University Housing judicial procedures.
Desktop hubs and switches are not permitted on the OU network per Oakland University Policy #850. Use of these devices will result in the automatic shut down of your wired Ethernet port.
How to reset your Oakland University NETID password
How to find the MAC addresses of Windows 10 computers
How to find the MAC addresses of Apple computers
How to prevent your mobile device from generating randomized MAC addresses
How to deregister your devices from the Grizzlies wifi network
Please note that the computers in the lab are set to erase all new data and changes upon rebooting, and do so on a regular basis. Saving any work or information to the computers is not advised. University Housing is not responsible for any student data that is lost.
University Housing
550 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester, MI 48309-4452
(location map)
(248) 370-3570
[email protected]