<p>Buy the ethernet cable. There is wireless internet coverage all across campus except in a a select couple of dorms, I can’t remember which. The wireless is pretty good, but an ethernet cable is only $15-20 at your local Staples or online and wired internet is almost always faster and more reliable. If you get a 25’ length cord you can comfortably use it anywhere in your room.</p>
<p>Check to see if your dorm has wifi in the entire building. If not, then the ethernet cable will be required anyway. Also, if you don’t want to buy it now, you can wait until you move in, try the internet out for a while, and then buy one and have it shipped to your dorm, not a big deal.</p>
<p>I was in the Markley Basement and I still got ridiculously fast internet with wireless. My download speed touch 6-7 mbps once (which I think is something in the ballpark of a 50mb connection)</p>
<p>I didn’t use one last year but a lot of people did. On you’re hall there will be one big wireless router thing on the wall and your speed depends on how close your room is to that thing. So some people on one end of the hall basically couldn’t get wireless in their room and on the other end of the hall it was really fast.</p>
<p>All the wi-fi across campus is free and all students and faculty have access. Even non-students/faculty can get wi-fi, because scattered across the campus is free public U-M wi-fi as well. I was able to connect to it all over the place at orientation.</p>