Technology Support - Housing - Oakland University

University Housing

Hamlin Hall, Room 448
550 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester, MI 48309-4452
(location map)
(248) 370-3570
housing@oakland.edu
Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Technology Helpdesk

The Technology Helpdesk can be contacted at:

423 Hamlin Hall
(248) 370-2534
wireless@oakland.edu

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.

Services offered

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

University Housing Network

Network Info
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 wireless@oakland.edu.

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

We recommend you "forget" or remove the grizzlies_old wireless network from your devices to prevent you from inadvertently connecting to that network. You should be connecting to the network named grizzlies.
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.

Register your computer, smartphone, tablet, and other devices

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 wireless@oakland.edu, 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

Smartphones and tablets
Windows computers
Apple computers

Connect game consoles or other electronics

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 wireless@oakland.edu, 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.

Non-Permitted Devices

Use of any device capable of broadcasting a wireless signal in any manner is PROHIBITED in all residence halls and student apartments. These devices cause high levels of interference with the campus network which causes the degradation of WiFi performance.

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.

Illegal downloading

Illegal downloading of any kind, including the use of programs such as Limewire or Bittorrent, is prohibited on campus, and a judicial process that includes a temporary ban from the network will be carried out if you are caught by any governing body. Please visit the UTS webpage on downloading for more information.

Additional troubleshooting

Below, you will find additional video guides to assist you in troubleshooting your technology.

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

Computer Labs and Workstations

Hamlin Computer Lab

The Hamlin Hall Computer Lab is located on the main floor of Hamlin Hall in room 423, behind the Hamlin Service Desk. The computer lab is open 24 hours a day, and is available to all students who live in the residence halls. Additional public work stations are available in the main lobby of Oak View Hall, and Hillcrest Hall.

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.

Student Technology Center

Serving all students of Oakland University, from beginners looking to learn the basics to experts seeking to hone their skills, the Student Technology Center's training, education and hands-on learning experiences offer on-campus services to meet OU students' ever-increasing technology needs.

WĒPA Printing

OU offers a cloud-based print solution that allows students to print documents on campus from their computer, smartphone or tablet called WĒPA ( pronounced wee' pah). Students can upload documents on-the-go and print conveniently at locations across campus. University Housing offers WĒPA printing kiosks. These kiosks are located in the Hamlin Computer Lab, the main lobby of Hillcrest Hall, the main lobby of Oak View Hall, and outside of the Vandenberg Dining Hall. For more information on WĒPA printing services, please click here.