Internet access in our residences is as follows:

Dinwiddy House and Paul Robeson House

A basic broadband service is included in the rent and is provided by Keycom PLC (see below). It is possible to upgrade the service for an additional fee. On arrival at the residence you will be given a leaflet with more information about how to sign up with Keycom and access their services.

Don Gratton House and Manna Ash House

A pre-pay broadband service is provided by Keycom PLC (see below). There is a one-off connection fee of GBP 20.00 (2006/7) and a monthly charge, starting from GBP 15.00 for 512kb connection. Faster service options are available for an additional fee. A leaflet with details of how to sign up will be given to you on arrival.

Coopers Court

No Internet Services are provided at this site. You will need to make arrangements with BT for the installation/transfer of a phone service. You are then free to make arrangements with a third party Broadband supplier if you choose.

Alliance House

Internet Services are provided by City University . Please refer to their Accommodation Information for help with this service. City will ask you to pay a fee for this service.

Lillian Knowles House

Internet and telephone Services are provided by London School of Economics . Please refer to their Accommodation Information for help with this service.

Information about KEYCOM

You will be required to enter into a contract between yourself and Keycom plc to access the service and accept the terms and conditions of use. You will need to have a credit or debit card to make any necessary payments. Please note that no part of the service is provided by Sanctuary Management Services and no financial benefit is gained from provision of this service. Although Sanctuary Management Services staff will endeavour to assist when there are problems, Sanctuary Management Services cannot accept any liability for the failure of, or the non provision of this service howsoever caused.

You should be able to access the Joint Academic Network (JANET) in use throughout the Higher Education Sector, through the Keycom plc product range.

We would also remind you that you cannot choose to seek an alternative provider as the cables and connections do not exist within the halls to allow this to happen. Keycom plc has committed a large financial investment into provision of this service and is committed to providing a reliable and stable connection. Past students have asked why they cannot have a choice. There are various technical as well as commercial reasons why this cannot happen and we have entered into a contract with a company we believe have the financial backing to support and deliver the service over a long period.

Complaints have also been received about the pricing issues and as a result of this we have undertaken comparison with domestic suppliers. Although prices vary for the basic service and Keycom plc may not be the cheapest, users of the service with Sanctuary Management Services need to be mindful of the fact that students will not require a Broadband modem, there are no BT line rental costs to pay, and there are no download restrictions and no minimum contract period. Comparison on a like for like basis is not easily possible but we are content that the Keycom offering represents value for money.

All Sites

Students are asked to note that the service is delivered via a Local Area Network (LAN). This means that all the connections throughout the hall are linked together in one loop for service delivery. This offers better service delivery than individual connections to the outside web which would in effect be much more costly.

Most new PC's or laptops will already have the necessary socket installed to use a LAN. To connect your computer for use you will need to obtain an RJ45 cable to link your PC or laptop to the dedicated socket in your room. These cables are available for purchase from the residence office.

Before you attempt to connect to the system, you must have undertaken the following steps.

1. Your PC Operating System should include all the latest upgrades and patches. If you are using Windows XP, please ensure that Service Pack 2 (or later) has been installed and the Firewall enabled. This can be downloaded from www.microsoft.com but is often found on cover discs of computer magazines. You should however be aware that Service Packs and patches are country specific. For example of your copy of Windows XP was purchased in Japan , the Japanese Service Pack or patch must be used. If you attempt to upgrade a Japanese copy of Windows with a UK Service pack, the installation will fail. It is strongly recommended that you take all necessary precautions prior to travelling to the hall.
2. If you are using any other operating system, a separate Firewall must be installed.
3. You must have an up to date anti-virus software package installed with the latest virus definitions downloaded. There are various free services available on the web from which you can get a suitable package. Alternatively use boxed products from Norton or McAfee and available from good software retailers. It may be possible that Keycom plc will supply CD-Rom discs which have the necessary software and patches installed. Please enquire at reception as you check in.

If you have not undertaken these steps and you attempt to establish a connection, any virus your computer may be carrying may replicate throughout the LAN affecting all other users and possibly causing the system to fail. Keycom plc will isolate the port of any user that has not undertaken these basic protective measures and causes system problems. If you are not sure what you should do, please refer to the Keycom Helpdesk or Residence Staff.

The system used to provide the service by Keycom plc is protected by two separate firewalls and anti-virus software. This should prevent viruses getting into the system from outside or getting out onto the internet from inside; however these measures cannot prevent virus activity within the LAN which is why individual users need to have taken the steps described above.

In previous years, failure to follow these steps has led to several months of difficulties for all students at the start of the academic year. Even new PC's can be affected by viruses which are often present without the owner realising anything is amiss. Even if your PC or laptop worked satisfactorily using a home Internet connection, this may not be the case in the halls due to the delivery by the LAN. We anticipate that problems caused by viruses will recur at the start of each academic year as students will still ignore these requirements. Please do not assume your computer is unaffected and consider the needs of all users before proceeding. Notwithstanding this it is still possible you will encounter problems. This is not an excuse for poor service by Keycom plc but a refection of the fact that even one rogue computer can bring down the entire LAN.