Student Halls
Information for Students
Are you a student in Student Halls? Please see here for relevant information
Reliable high speed internet shouldn’t be a luxury for anyone, especially students! It is a vital tool for both work and play.
Internet access is one of the highest priorities for students, with over 90% rating it as an important factor in their decision for student accommodation according to the National Student Housing Survey.
Why should you choose Photonic Networks Ltd as your internet service provider?
Photonic Networks Ltd offers great reliability and uptime: our networks are strong and secure, our technical support is locally based and always responds quickly to any issues.
Photonic Networks Ltd’s ethos is that every user gets the speed advertised, all the time, with no restrictions.
(Many ISPs throttle bandwidth/traffic, especially at peak times, using an ‘up to’ clause because they cannot provide the speed they advertise.) With Photonic Networks Ltd there’s no restrictions or limits, just fast and reliable internet, meaning happy, satisfied students.
You can promise your student customers the best internet of all with a system from Photonic Networks Ltd. Our technology ensures each student receives a good, fast connection, unaffected by others’ activity, at a competitive price. We pride ourselves on being able to offer a fast, reliable service all day every day, with no restrictions, blocks or throttling, and on being able to guarantee our speeds. Our services and networks have been designed with input from the people using it, based on their needs, and are extensively tested in real-world situations before release as a Photonic Networks Ltd product.
It’s easy for the students themselves. (And therefore for you too!)
All users are pre-registered so residents just turn up and get instant access. No waiting around, no lengthy or complex sign up required. Users simply log onto the network in the same way they do at a coffee shop. If the broadband is not included in their rent, or they choose to pay extra for a speed upgrade, our unique “Pay & Use” service is available for these. This works on a rolling 30 day contract top-up system, similar to a phone.
Photonic Networks Ltd produces ‘sign up packs’ for each student. These include instructions on how to use the service, how to sign up and log in, and how to attach devices such as phones and games consoles. They also include instructions on how to get technical support, and in properties where wired ethernet sockets are installed in the student’s room, we also give each student a free ethernet cable. Surprisingly helpful, as many of them forget to bring one and will go straight to the accommodation office if they don’t have one!
Wired – and wifi! Multiple connection options for no extra cost.
Something a lot of student users complain about is not having good wifi in their halls. These days, nearly all students have smart phones that need wifi to connect to the internet, as do handheld games consoles such as the Nintendo Switch, or Steam Deck. More and more buildings we enable are getting wireless installed by default for no extra charge. Compare this with other providers, who will only install wired systems with one network socket per room.
We use the latest 802.11ac wireless routers to ensure a blazing fast user experience. Our wireless system is also 100% compatible with all leading games consoles such as the Xbox series X and the PS5.
Bring Your Own Router
For the students who want that bit extra, or their own wifi hotspot. We have no restrictions on what students can attach to the network (including routers/switches/access points). You can even run NAT and connect up to 253 other devices to your own private network. All we ask is that people do not serve addresses from their network to other people.
Specialist services for advanced users and IT Students
Keep even the most advanced customer happy! Optional extras such as Static IP addresses (up to 8), VPN Remote access, Multiple ways to authencate (PPPoE, Hotspot or MAC) are all available. We are completely flexible with needs and can install many specialist services as bespoke solutions or part of a bigger package.
Ready for the Future
Our network is becoming what the industry call “dual-stack”. We are able to offer access to the new IPv6 part of the internet while still maintaining current IPv4 access. All parts of the network are easily upgradeable to the latest speeds, power etc.
Unfiltered access – because students hate restrictions!
We do not block any websites, block ports (other than TCP25*) and we do not restrict what users can do based on protocol. You will receive the same service if you are checking your email or downloading via a P2P network.
*TCP Port 25 is blocked to follow industry best practice to prevent machines infected with viruses from sending out spam.
Any other benefits of a Photonic Networks Ltd network? Yup – it consumes much less energy than most internet systems – especially for Halls!
The No-Chill systems – environmentally friendly and saves on energy bills!
Our systems are specially designed with the environment in mind. One of the first steps we took was to design a system that does not require Air Conditioning. Not only Air Conditioning is very expensive to install and maintain it also pulls a huge amount of electricity adding to the customer’s electric bill. Our systems are different; all the key parts are designed to work in a room with a high ambient temperature making air conditioning redundant.
Our kit has very low power consumption!
Our systems have one of the lowest power requirements in the industry due to our selection of low-power routers. This technology has been borrowed from our Rural Connect systems that are usually powered from green energy sources such as solar or wind.
Even so… what if things to go wrong?
A Photonic Networks Ltd technician is available to fix problems at any time, day or night – 24/7! Network problems can often be rectified remotely, saving time and money with site visits and repairs.
We designed the network so we can fix most things from our desks. If a site visit is required, a technician is on standby at any times to come out and rectify any problems.
