Getting an Ethernet cable if you live in an IUB Greek house or other IU-affiliated building
IU offices
For Indiana University faculty and staff, both IU-specific and standard Ethernet cables are available, priced as follows:
- 15-foot cable for $8
- 30-foot cable for $13.25
If you are IU faculty or staff, and you have an IU account number,
you can use the UITS
Network Resale Orders form to place an order. Click Place
Resale Order and follow the on-screen instructions.
Faculty and staff can also purchase Ethernet cables by contacting the UITS Administration and Finance Office in Wrubel Computing Center at 812-856-5665.
Please see Using longer cables with an IU data jack below.
Note: You must call ahead. For a departmental purchase, bring your departmental account number. All other purchases must be made with a check or the exact amount in cash.
Campus housing
Technology Center Consulting (TCC) has installed a proprietary Ethernet cable in all non-Greek campus housing that you must use to connect to the Internet. Therefore, campus housing residents do not need to purchase an Ethernet cable.
If you need a cable longer than 15 feet to use in campus housing, you have two options:
- Purchase a straight-through cable and an RJ45 coupler from a
computer or electronics store. Attach one side of the coupler to
the end of the pre-installed IU cable, and plug the straight-through
cable into the other side of the coupler and into your computer.
- Purchase an IU proprietary network cable of the desired length from a local computer or electronics store. Ask specifically for an IU wall cable; if you are not specific, you may receive a straight-through cable, which will not work. Once you have your longer cable, unplug the provided IU cable from the jack and plug in your new cable. Leave the pre-installed cable attached to the wall.
Please see Using longer cables with an IU data jack below.
Note: For a reliable connection, do not exceed 50 feet of cable between the data jack in your room and your computer. The maximum distance a reliable signal will travel over Ethernet cable is about 300 feet, and each room on a floor is a different distance from the IU network switch.
IU-affiliated buildings and IUB Greek houses
If you work in an IU-affiliated building or live in an IUB Greek house, you can buy an IU-specific cable at the Computer Connection in the Indiana Memorial Union (IMU). The cables are available in lengths from 6 to 20 feet, in both IU proprietary and standard (straight-through) configurations.
Please see Using longer cables with an IU data jack below.
Using longer cables with an IU data jack
While UITS will sell cables longer than 15 feet, UITS will only support cables of 15 feet or less connected to a university data jack. UITS calculates its networking needs based on industry standard specifications, and allows a minimum of 15 feet of cable at the workstation. Installing a longer cable on a data jack may exceed the specifications and may cause problems transferring data if the total length of the cable from the user machine to the switch port exceeds the physical capability of the electrical signal. (Users may experience no problems with a longer cable in some areas since the distance to the switch port, even with the longer cable, does not violate the standard.)
