Can I set up a wireless router in university halls?

Basically I know I can get a wired connection at the university, but to use my iPad, iPhone and PS3 on the internet I could do with a wireless network. If I buy a wireless router can I just plug it into the wired connection?

You have to ask the university if it's ok. They are the ones providing the service. They might block wireless if they think it isn't secure enough.

Yes and no… It depends.

the wireless router will do NAT (network address translation) so devices on the inside of the router will be assigned private IP addresses (as defined in RFC1918) and the WAN (external network) wiil probably also be on RFC1918 addresses (use a different set on your internal side to avoid confusion - ie if the WAN side is 192.168.0.0/24 use 10.0.0.0/24 on the LAN side). But you would be better checking with your landlord/accommodation provider to ensure that you are no breaking their rules by using NAT and/or wireless.

I would check with your university's terms of internet use before doing so to make sure that you won't get in trouble. Your school probably has a tech support phone number or office. Call or visit and ask if setting up a wireless network is fine, and how exactly it should be done to keep within school rules.

If it turns out you can, I advise you to choose the strongest security your router offers, choose a strong password, and turn it off when you aren't using the network, unless you plan on letting others use your network. Keep in mind, this may cause security conflicts if you let many people use the network… Some people may not have good intentions when logging on.