Dorm network help-complicated

hello everyone
I'm using my Airport Express to have wireless in my dorm room on my MBP

The school doesn't allow routers because people don't secure them and they crash the networks.
To even get the ethernet plugs in the rooms to work, you have to register the physical ethernet (MAC?) address in the form xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx or whatever, and DHCP enabled on your computer.
Each student is allowed 2 registered addresses so I registered the ethernet port on the APE and the one on my MBP
They say the DHCP is 4 hours-(between renewals I guess?)
To discourage any upset administrators....
I made it a closed network-(no SSID broadcast I believe)
secured it with WPA2
and turned the broadcast power down to 25%
and its 5Ghz N only
so...
When I set it up, it says there is a "double NAT" and to put it in bridge mode
But if I do that I get a self assigned IP and no internet.
so I leave it on Share a single IP and it seems to work-with only 1 user....

but if I disconnect, i can't get back on the network, and end up having to Hard reset the modem with a wire hanger and redoing all the settings because the MBP can't seem to find it.

Its very annoying to have to redo the whole APE set up each time.

so...does anyone know how the college could have it set up, and how I can set it to best interact with my computer? What additional information is needed? Will additional wireless clients mess with the DHCP? Do I have to reset the modem every four hours? Or was it something else? I very much appreciate any help anyone can offer.

Patrick

i suggest you go to the IT dept and ask them. you sound like you are trying to do it "right" without messing up their system controls. Students tend to attempt to do things on campus that they have been doing at home and find out they can't because the college is mandated to abide by all the download laws, especially when is comes to copyright music. thus all the controls. open access networks are also forbidden forcing authentication of each machine.

patg said:

...The school doesn't allow routers

Click to expand...

IT probably won't help me lol

college dorm troubles

hello,
i have tried to have the air port express hooked up in my dorm room for the longest time and I ended up just taking it back because the guy in our IT department said that it acted as a router and that wasn't allowed. so i don't know if you will be able to or not. if you figure it out let me know because I would love to be able to

To the OP:

brady1027 is correct. Your Airport Express unit is a router even if it doesn't look like one.

Take it out of the mix of things and use ethernet if the school does not provide a wireless signal to individual rooms thru a central broadcast. With ethernet you can dispense with encryption and overall should have a faster connection.

You can always take a trip to Starbucks and play with wireless there. ;D

Regards.