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aTV won't work with university network?

T

tanderson11

macrumors member
Original poster
So I just got my Apple TV for christmas, and i love it. But at my university the apple tv's don't work with the network we have here for some reason. I called tech support and they said that the apple network and university networks don't work well together so it won't let me connect to the university network.

Is there a way around this, to hack it somehow or how about setting up a personal hotspot through my iphone/ipad to connect it through instead of going through the university's network?

Thanks!
 
A lot of university IT departments block video streaming devices like AppleTVs, Rokus, Google TVs, whatever.

Buy your own Internet access if it means that much for you.

Your fellow students shouldn't have to foot the bill for this unless the school can provide general availability of the network bandwidth necessary for a large number of students to enjoy this sort of privilege.
 
Not at all uncommon. They are probably trying to keep system traffic down and block out commonly known ports.

You can look into private VPN's. You would need to use a computer as the gateway and then plug in the ATV to the computer. This service sends all the data through a tunnel that exits the Internet somewhere else.
 
How easy is it to set up a VPN through my computer?

Do y'all know if it would work using LTE through my iPhone if I tethered it that way?
 
tanderson11 said:
How easy is it to set up a VPN through my computer?

Do y'all know if it would work using LTE through my iPhone if I tethered it that way?
Click to expand...

Setting up a VPN on the Apple TV is not easy and I don't think its even possible. Regardless, your easier way out of the University network block is to pay for your own internet line from a service provider like Cox, Comcast or AT&T (U-Verse).

Yes, using LTE via Hotspot feature in the iPhone will work. However, each movie is around 2GB at minimum (assuming 480p) and on the HD movies each one weighs no less than 3.5GB (at 720p). This means any average data cap you have will be blown in one screening.
 
Yeah, well it'd be perfect for me using my phone since I have unlimited data then, eh? I have an iPad as well but I wouldn't use that due to the limited data.

I'm not that desperate where i'd pay for my own internet here at campus.

Thanks for the input guys!
 
tanderson11 said:
Yeah, well it'd be perfect for me using my phone since I have unlimited data then, eh? I have an iPad as well but I wouldn't use that due to the limited data.

I'm not that desperate where i'd pay for my own internet here at campus.

Thanks for the input guys!
Click to expand...

I remember when I was at my university some years ago that it required a web page login. Is that the case with yours? If it is I have a work around to help you.

If you have a ethernet jack you wire the mac and then share the connection wirelessly.

http://osxdaily.com/2012/01/05/enable-internet-sharing-mac-os-x/

Or you can buy a router stem it up and plug it in to an available ethernet jack and broadcast your own private network. I did that in college as well, but I only left the network up when I was using it and turned it off when in class, work, vacation. I made sure that it was also password protected.
 
I would go in person and talk with someone from your campus IT department - most schools have enough bandwidth and throttle it on a per-connection basis so that you aren't hurting your fellow students. Also, you may not even be able to get internet in your room from a random ISP - many campuses run their own phone systems if there are even jacks in student rooms.

The router method could work, depending on how secure your campus network is, but I'm guessing that they block devices that can't show a web page by default (usually some sort of login) and that would also prevent a router from working. In most cases, devices like an Apple TV can be added on a case-by-case basis, much like video game consoles.

You might need to explain what an Apple TV is (or even use a Roku or other streamer as an example). As far as the device itself goes, it shouldn't cause any problems on the network any more than a computer or video game console. I suspect the person you spoke with just assumed it was an AirPort device, and those can (like any router) cause problems with a network if they start assigning IP addresses upstream.

In other words, stop by and ask, be polite, and don't necessarily act like you're entitled to having it connected. Good luck!
 
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