This General Guide is for setting up Smart Home devices here on Campus. This includes Dorm Rooms, Classrooms, and Offices at each of our Campuses. If you are setting up your devices at home or at a non-Park location, please refer to the Manufacturer's Owner's Manual or Setup Instructions.
What Do You Mean By "Smart Home" or "Internet of Things"?
Smart Home devices (also known as Internet of Things or IoT for short) are devices originally manufactured to make your home "smarter". For example, lighting, smart speakers, etc., that can be controlled by your phone or by your voice. While most Smart Home Devices are geared for a house or apartment, some devices are just as much at home in the dorm or office. Most often these devices are the "voice assistant" type: Amazon Echo, Google Home, and HomePod. Beyond voice assistants and smart speakers, there are a few other Smart Home Devices that can be adapted to dorm/office life, however a vast majority are not due to installation prohibitions on Campus.
What Smart Home Devices Am I Allowed To Setup On Campus?
The list of Smart Home and IoT Devices available to buy grow every day. Outside of the obvious restrictions for permanent installations, you can check with the following Departments to see what is or is not allowed:
Students can check with Residence Life and Campus Safety
Faculty and Staff can check with their Supervisor, Department Head, and Facilities
What WiFi Do I Connect My Smart Home Device To?
When connecting your Smart Device to a Park WiFi network, make sure it is connected through Park-Net-Guest. Smart Home Devices are generally meant to be connected at home and are not compatible with most Business-grade WiFi that require a password. Park-Net-Guest does not require a password and will work with virtually all Smart Home Devices.
For dorm rooms where you have your own WiFi router, we suggest you connect your Smart Home Devices to your own router. This simplifies your setup between your Smart Home Devices and that they can freely talk to each other over the same network.
I Connected My Smart Home Device To Park-Net-Guest Or To My Personal WiFi Router, However My Phone Or Tablet Cannot See It
Smart Home Devices prefer to operate on the same WiFi connection or network. Make sure your phone or tablet is on the same network as your Smart Home Devices.
For Students, make sure your phone/tablet is on the same network as your Smart Home Devices; either Park-Net-Guest or your own personal WiFi router in your dorm room.
For Faculty & Staff, make sure your phone or tablet is on the Park-Net-Guest.
Final Considerations
The world of Smart Home Devices and IoT Devices is growing by leaps and bounds each day. And while some of us at Help Desk do have a good knowledge of many Smart Home Devices, we won't be able to answer every question about every Smart Device out there. Please feel free to send questions our way, but there may be times we might not have a good answer; in those instances we'll try to get you connected to the Manufacturer's Support Group.
Technology changes rapidly and Smart Home / IoT is no different. Please expect changes to the above guidance as technologies change.
Thanks!!