Getting Started

Welcome to Harding University!

If you're a new student, you've probably already heard that forty times today and will hear it hundreds more before Impact is over. If you're a returning student, welcome back! It's almost time to begin another semester, and we at DormNet are here to help make that transition easier, whether this is your first time at school or you're back for your final semester.

One way we are trying to help make that easier is simply by sharing some tips for beginning to use Harding's on-campus network. This post brings a lot of useful info together, so feel free to read it all or skip to the heading that sounds like what you're looking for! As always, if you need more help feel free to call DormNet at 501-279-4545!

Introduction

As you are well aware, the internet has situated itself at the center of almost every aspect of our lives. In many ways, this has helped make our lives easier. You can talk to your friends and family back home for free. You can access your bank account for a bank that may not have a physical location anywhere for the next five states. You can order that one obscure decoration you need to make your dorm room perfect. And you can do all of that from just about anywhere on campus.

Harding provides internet access to all of the students, faculty, and even visitors on campus through wireless network coverage that blankets campus and optional wired connections in your dorm room. However, keeping such a large network operating and secure is not an easy task, so Harding has implemented several tools to help with it. These tools are in place to help protect you and your data but can sometimes cause a few very minor inconveniences. That's primary reason we started the DormNet Blog, and this post will link you to all of the most relevant information we've collected!

SafeConnect and Antivirus

You might have been a little confused when you first connected your laptop to the network and were asked to install a small program called SafeConnect. As this linked post explains, this is simply a program to detect whether or not you are using antivirus software. We don't use it to monitor your activity or anything like that. It's just to help keep your data, as well as that of everyone else, safe from malware.

Maybe SafeConnect just warned you that you've been quarantined and you're actually reading this on your smartphone right now? Well, that's an easy fix! As I said, SafeConnect just checks to make sure you have antivirus running. Click here for some more info on getting some free but powerful software up and running to protect yourself and others.

Add Your Harding Email to a Mail App

So you've just been given a brand new email address and told to check it daily (which you absolutely should. How else will you know if you're teacher has cancelled class or rescheduled a test?). One way lots of people do that is simply by adding it to the mail app on their phone or tablet. The following links explain how it can be done easily on a variety of devices! Here are instructions for your iOS device or Android device. You can also add it to your mail app in Mac OS X. If you have another device that isn't listed, you can probably figure it out as well. The key is to treat your account like a Gmail account (Google powers Harding mail) and add it that way.

HUWA-SEC: Fast and Secure Campus Wi-fi

As I mentioned above, Harding offers wifi coverage for most of campus, including the student center, library, and academic buildings. When you go to connect you'll notice two available networks. The first is HUWA-GUEST, an unlocked network with no security intended for visitors to campus. The other is HUWA-SEC, which asks for a username and password when you click on it. What many students don't realize, however, is that it simply wants your Harding username and password. It is intended for students just as much as for teachers and faculty.

Unfortunately, some devices (including Windows PCs) are often reluctant to connect to this network. However, it's usually just a matter of changing a few simple settings to be able to take your laptop to the library or stream Netflix in the student center (just remember the headphones). Here are some tips for connecting Windows and Android if your devices give you trouble. Most other devices connect automatically.

Cloud Storage

You've likely heard a lot about "the cloud" lately. Maybe it was that ambiguous app on your iPhone or an advertisement for those new Google laptops. Cloud computing is quickly becoming a central aspect of modern computing, and, although this movement has it's pros and cons, there is one cloud application you'll certainly want to take advantage of.

Cloud storage services give you space to back up your files online and share them with other people so you can work together on projects. There are several options available and different advantages to each. This post give you a good summary of some of the advantages of cloud storage.

It focuses primarily on Google Drive, one cloud option you can use. There are advantages to Google Drive not offered by some of the others, not the least of which being the fact that your Harding email account already comes set up with one. It also gives you access to Google Docs so that you can share files with others and work together on papers or PowerPoint presentations online. Dropbox is another great option available, although it doesn't provide you with the same online editing power as Google Drive. Both will also provide you with folders on your computer's desktop to easily sync files between computers and other devices, as both services also have excellent apps available for iOS and Android. Many other cloud storage services are available as well.

These services are also incredibly useful should something ever happen to your computer, as you can see in this horror story from a few months ago.

M Drive: Network Storage on Campus

Harding also offers a local cloud storage option. Although you aren't given as much space in your "M Drive" as Google Drive and Dropbox offer, it's convenience on campus makes it worth using. Whenever you log into a campus computer, you'll have access to 1 gig of network storage under "Computer". This is an excellent place to store your work in labs or the library so you can access it on any computer and won't risk losing your data if something happens to a public computer you saved it to (in fact, never save to a public computer. Always use your M Drive or a flash drive. Always.) You can also access it from your personal computer by visiting hushares.harding.edu and logging in with your Harding info.

Harding Websites are Blocked

This is a rare problem but seems to be more common with newer computers. It's possible your computer came preloaded with a security program that, as an unfortunate side effect, blocks Harding websites. Here are some instructions for how to get rid of it.