HDTV and Wireless Routers

<p>Can some of you current students shed some light on what is possible with connecting a wireless router or access point to the ethernet connection in your dorm rooms? Is this even allowed by CIT?</p>

<p>I asked CIT about wireless in Balch Hall and they said RedRover was available there. Does RedRover cost more or is that included? and is RedRover available in the actual rooms or just in the common areas. They told me she could just connect to the wall, but I imagine that being tethered to the wall isn't much fun no matter how long your cable is.</p>

<p>Also, the large monitor I am buying for my D has a built-in HDTV tuner. Has anyone there been able to pick up any channels with one of those small HDTV antennaes connected to a tv? I don't really think she will watch enough tv to justify paying for the directtv connection they offer there.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Yes, tons of people have wireless routers, including me.</p>

<p>As far as TV, I have no idea of OTA reception. For me, I have a 24" monitor and just download HD rips (720p mkv files) of the shows I like off of DC++ or torrent them from the computer room in my dorm. No need for a tv. And by definition that is not a monitor that you are buying for your daughter. It is a TV because of the tuner, a monitor does not have a tv-tuner, and you could probably save quite a bit of money just getting a regular monitor (there is a 23" widescreen acer on newegg.com for only like $189.99 shipped, 1920x1080 resolution [1080p], even saw it for $10 cheaper one time).</p>

<p>well, I would have to argue it is an lcd monitor that happens to have a dtv tuner.</p>

<p>I would tend to agree that I could probably save some money, but since I was able to get a 26" monitor with 1920x1200 resolution for $329 that happens to have dtv tuner in it. I will take it. If it happens that she can end up using the tv part of it, all the better. I have a very small hdtv antenna connected to a computer here in my office and get quite many channels. I just don’t know with all the hills up there if she will get any.</p>

<p>A quick search of newegg shows I would need to spend $399 at least to get a monitor this size, without a DTV tuner and with lower resolution and lower contrast ratio. The same T260HD monitor on newegg is actually $459 so I feel pretty good about the $329 price</p>

<p>Thanks for the info about the router. That will be most useful. how do they track your bandwidth usage? is it based on login, IP address or MAC address?</p>

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<p>Hmm, I see the samsung you are talking about. I remember seeing the 24" version of that at buy.com not long ago for about $220 or so, but its not on sale at the moment. Pixels will be slightly larger on 26". 26" will be HUGE in a dorm, I can’t tell you how many friends come watch tv shows with me because I have the biggest screen of anyone on my floor (and I only have 24", although it have a better panel than that samsung with much better viewing angles…MVA vs. TN, but that is getting too technical). I couldn’t imagine not having my huge monitor and desktop, just a pain to ship back in the summers.</p>

<p>As far as the router, I believe the track bandwidth from the MAC address. Anyone connected to that router will use bandwidth that goes toward the limit, although for downloading purposes DC++ does not count against it.</p>

<p>Make sure you put a password on the wireless network if you use as router…my roommate learned that the hard way ;)</p>

<p>You do not pay extra for RedRover, but your ethernet plus wireless(RedRover) combined have a monthly limit of 10GB. Any traffic over 10GB in a month costs $1.50/GB</p>

<p>And there is no way to get TV reception without buying into the DirecTV service unless you get a slingbox and stream TV straight from home. But that will also be counting towards your bandwidth limit.</p>

<p>thanks dewdrop. I definately plan to set it up as a VERY secure router.</p>

<p>@hermanns. If they track by MAC address, a router and the computer would have different MAC addresses, so doesn’t seem like they could use the MAC. Unless when you setup the router you have to spoof your registered MAC address to make it work. Otherwise, you would be connected with one MAC address when connecting in your room through your router and then a different MAC address when connecting to wireless somewhere else on campus.</p>

<p>I tried to get that answer from CIT and they just kept telling me they don’t support routers, but yes, she could have one</p>

<p>The ethernet connection in the room will only work on one device. You have to log in and change it if you switch to something else which takes like 5 minutes (had to do this when my desktop came through ups after I had already been using my laptop). It changes the MAC address I believe, but networking is not my specialty. No idea how redrover workers, I’ve never actually used it, except the guest version, but I would guess it would track through a login.</p>