Joining #SNT on matrix
SNT hosts a matrix homeserver located on utwente.io. If you are a student of the UT you can make an account using your student email.
Note that the utwente.io homeserver only allows using UT emails (*@utwente.nl or *@student.utwente.nl) for registration
What is Matrix?
Matrix is something similar to Telegram, Whatsapp or Signal. It is meant as a platform where anyone can install a home server and participate. The chats are not managed by any server individually, but by all servers that participate in the chat, also called a room.
If you have a utwente.io account and you want to talk with someone outside of the university, for example matrix.org or any other open Matrix homeserver, that is allowed.
This makes matrix both more resilient and more free than something as Whatsapp where a lot of things have to go through Meta servers. The same Meta that is known for questionable security and privacy.
Your chats your choice
Since Matrix is an open protocol, there is a lot of software that implements it, both for home-servers and for clients, this guide focusses on the second. If you want to host your own homeserver, ask one of the older members for guidance.
A list of all clients in the ecosystem can be found at https://matrix.org/ecosystem/clients/ Below, we will also show our curated list of clients that we tested on utwente.io for each platform.
Other guides
We are not the authority on matrix and how to join it, so we encourage you to look for other guides if this one feels incomplete or too opinionated. For starters you can look up the official Join Matrix Guide
Installing a Client
The first step is to download a client. If you want to use our instance of Element Classic web you can visit this link. Another choices are outlined below.
Web/PC clients
Most of the clients here will run on mobile and PC, but some things might not work well on mobile. You open them in your web-browser. Since Matrix uses HTTPS for communication, most of the clients do not have an additional backend that store your messages.
| Name | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Element Classic | 7/10 | |
| Schildi Chat | 7/10 | |
| Element X | Incompatible | Does not support utwente.io |
| Sable | 9/10 | |
| Cinny | 8/10 | |
| Gomuks | 8/10 | Needs a backed to be set up |
Most of the servers here have a native version for the PC and mobile. If that is the case for mobile, it will be included below.
Mobile
You can use this link on mobile to open/install Element Classic with the homeserver pre-set. If you want to use other clients than Element Classic, consider registering on your PC since many clients listed below might have trouble registering on mobile.
| Name | Rating | Notes | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Element Classic | 6/10 | Android/iOS | |
| Schildi Chat | 7/10 | Android | |
| Element X | Incompatible | Does not support utwente.io | Android/iOS |
| Sable | 7/10 | Experimental | Android |
| FluffyChat | 7/10 | Does not allow you to register properly | Android/iOS |
Making an account
Next, we will make an account.
On your client, it will probably ask you if you want to log in or make an account.
Choose to make an account and find the setting for choosing your homeserver.
Enter utwente.io as your homeserver, and register using your university e-mail.
This guide will focus on using Sable for more precise guidance. This guide should be doable on both mobile and desktop, but it was only tested on desktop.
Visit
https://app.sable.moeIn the homserver field, enter:
utwente.ioand then press theRegisterbutton in the bottom to enter registration.
If you clicked the link those steps will have been done for you.Enter a username, a password, you intend to use for logging in.
Enter a utwente email, most likely your student email.
Complete the capcha
Confirm your email by clicking on the link.
You should be logged into the utwente.io server now.
You will get a “This device is Unverified!” prompt, this is normal, click on verify, then Enable on Device Verification, and follow the steps to set up End To End encryption.Make sure that you save all the passphrases and recovery codes in case you lost all your verified devices.
Joining rooms
If all went correctly, you should be automatically added to the following rooms:
- #SNT, for regular conversation
- #SNT Announcements, for events and announcements
- #SNT Matrix Support, for matrix related issues.
- #SNT Space The overarching collection of rooms, which shows up as a separate icon on the left of the screen.
If this is not the case, you can click the links to automatically join them.