Anyone's kid have a Smart TV in a college dorm?

[runwad]

We got our DD a smart tv so she could watch netflix. We thought we had it all set up b/4 we left but somehow she's getting cable but not the internet. She talked to the University Tech support and they told her she needed an ethernet cord to get the internet. Well one problem there is no jack in the room for an ethernet cord to connect too. But does that sound right? They have wireless in their dorm and I thought the whole purpose of a smart tv was it could pick up the wireless signal. Of course I'm not there nor do I have access to her tv manual but I wanted to see if other people had a problem hooking up a smart tv?

Thanks!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We got our DD a smart tv so she could watch netflix. We thought we had it all set up b/4 we left but somehow she's getting cable but not the internet. She talked to the University Tech support and they told her she needed an ethernet cord to get the internet. Well one problem there is no jack in the room for an ethernet cord to connect too. But does that sound right? They have wireless in their dorm and I thought the whole purpose of a smart tv was it could pick up the wireless signal. Of course I'm not there nor do I have access to her tv manual but I wanted to see if other people had a problem hooking up a smart tv?

Thanks!!

If there is no jack, tell them to install one if possible.

 

[pryncess527]

Verify that the Smart TV you bought has built in Wi-Fi. Most do, but not all, and if she's having problems that's my first guess.

alternately, usually with campus Wi-Fi, you have to log in to get access, so the trouble could be that the TV sees the wireless network but can't access it without a login. The TV should have menus that would let her log in though. Do you remember the model of TV?

 

[runwad]

I'ts a Vizio, she had to actually take the whole tv to the tech center because they had to put the password in for her. I still have the box here I'll check that it has built in wi-fi. Geez guess we should've done our research better :-(.

Edit, the box says built in wi-fi. The whole thing about the ethernet cord does not make sense to me. I wonder if they just don't want to deal with it so this is what they told her?

 

[sam_gordon]

Or they're probably used to TVs that don't have built in wifi. "Smart TV" just means it can access the internet, not that it has Wifi.

And yes, it's very possible there's no wired internet in her room. And no, a single parent calling isn't going to be able to get one installed.

 

[runwad]

So Sam are you saying she would need an ethernet cord? There is NO wired internet in her room. I thought the tv could pick up the wireless signal???

If we used this tv in our home could it pick up our wireless signal?? If so what's the difference? Thanks

 

[pryncess527]

If it has built in WiFi, then yes, it should pick up your wireless signal at home.
If it does not have built in WiFi, then you can buy a WiFi adapter to plug into it, so that it will have WiFi ($30-60)

It is entirely possible that Campus Tech Support just gave her an answer to make her go away. You might suggest she ask again -- IME, it's not uncommon at University to get a different answer every time you ask (so frustrating!), so I often joke you should keep asking till you get the answer you like

 

[disneyfantotheend]

I know at my daughter's college, they specifically said that anything like netflix would take a ethernet wire to stay connected. I think it said that it is due to the heavy use of the wifi on campus and it getting bogged down. They also said they will install an Ethernet wire if needed. I wasn't even looking for this information, it was just part of her welcome package and for some reason it stuck with me.

 

[Westcoastwild]

A lot of colleges make it so you have to register a specific device to the system (my cc was too cheap to do this but the uni I went to did this). It stops students from handing out their passwords to friends and family.

Unless it's a VERY new dorm, though, there probably is an Ethernet port- it's just hiding. We technically had wireless, but if you needed a more reliable connection you could use the Ethernet port.

I also wouldn't be surprised if the IT guy has no idea what he's talking OR he was directed to give students who asked about it the run around. Housing when I lived there actively discouraged streaming and heavy gaming. There is probably a workaround- my wow playing acquaintances always found it- but IT wasn't supposed to aid and abet.

 

[jerseygal]

We have WIFI in our home and we needed an HDMI cable which Comcast provided for our Samsung Smart TV in our bedroom. We were not getting HD channels until Comcast provided this. Good luck!

 

[sam_gordon]

So Sam are you saying she would need an ethernet cord? There is NO wired internet in her room. I thought the tv could pick up the wireless signal???

If we used this tv in our home could it pick up our wireless signal?? If so what's the difference? Thanks

No, I'm saying most TVs the support people have worked with probably don't have wifi. If your TV does, it should connect. BUT the school may limit programs like Netflix. I know DD's university has one network for browsing the internet, email, etc, and a different network for gaming/streaming.

We have WIFI in our home and we needed an HDMI cable which Comcast provided for our Samsung Smart TV in our bedroom. We were not getting HD channels until Comcast provided this. Good luck!

HDMI has nothing to do with networking. That allowed you to see HD signals from the Comcast cable box on your TV.

 

[Christine]

Most college dorms have both Wifi and an ethernet port. Usually the ethernet port will be located wherever the college has situated the desks in the room. When my son was in his dorm, he also plugged in as it was a better connection.

Your TV should connect to the wireless unless it's a really cheap TV and doesn't have WiFi capabilities built in. As someone else said, she will need to go through the setup menu on the Smart TV the first time to do that. Just as she would have to do with an Amazon FireStick, Google Chromecast, etc. It's not just going to "automagically" hook up.

 

[runwad]

I think the culprit may be the coax cord. My dh said it hsrdly threads to the tv. Its an old cord and we just brought it in case they didn't provide, which they didn't. Dd says other rooms have no problem with getting the internet, so we'll try a new coax before we pester tech support more.

 

[sam_gordon]

I think the culprit may be the coax cord. My dh said it hsrdly threads to the tv. Its an old cord and we just brought it in case they didn't provide, which they didn't. Dd says other rooms have no problem with getting the internet, so we'll try a new coax before we pester tech support more.

Coax will not affect the internet. It will only affect the cable (or antenna) picture you get. Your DD needs to start from the beginning and find out how to connect to the internet. There should be settings on the TV that allow you (your DD) to search for Wifi, connect to Wifi, enter a password, etc.

Find out if her neighbors can get on netflix. As I mentioned earlier, colleges can block access to certain sites. You need to make sure that's not happening.

 

[runwad]

Dang Sam I was hoping that was it! It'll just have to wait till we go there next weekend. She gets the cable picture just fine. I think she's exasperated working on this and just needs to step away for a bit. She can watch Netflix on her laptop till it gets figured out. Thanx all. Oh and yes neighbors can get on Netflix. Maybe tech put in wrong password that could be too.

 

[wilkeliza]

Ask your daughter if she has to log into the network to use the wifi? My college you could 't use a smart TV unless it was on Ethernet because the Wifi required you to log in to the school server every single time. We eventually got around that by buying a wifi router and making our own network from the Ethernet.

 

[Albort]

if the TV doesn't have wireless, most of time, the TV company would likely sell one that attaches to the TV.

 

[Chickenlady]

Luckily, we don't have this problem. Our son just decided to join the Cadet corps and Army ROTC at his college (great scholarship opportunities, especially for his chosen post grad schooling) and he's not allowed to bring his TV, Video Games, Stereo or any other electronics except his computer this year. Major shock to his system...wonderful boost to his study habits! I'm voting for all freshman to be put on these restrictions.