Information Technology Services:
Wireless Network Frequently Asked Questions
What are the official Simon's Rock Wireless Network names?
ITS provides these two SSIDs: SIMONS and SECURE. The SIMONS SSID only allows you to visit on-campus websites; you must authenticate to SECURE according to the instructions in order to access the Internet.Why do I need to download software from you in order to connect to the secured wireless network with my Windows computer?
Natively, various Windows clients and drivers do not support the protocol we are using for authentication via IEEE 802.1X, called EAP-TTLS. The software you are downloading enables EAP-TTLS to be used with the Windows Wireless Zero Configuration Service. Using this software (based on SecureW2) is the only officially ITS-supported method of connecting Windows computers to the secured wireless network.Why was I greeted with a "Network Registration" page after connecting my client, even after succesfully authenticating to SECURE for the first time?
The "Network Registration" page is used to ensure that any client on the network has been properly patched for security vulnerabilities. It is an extension of the wired network access policy and not part of the IEEE 802.1X or EAP-TTLS wireless authentication mechanism. In the future, we will be exploring ways to mitigate having to logon to the network a second time. However, once you pass the Network Registration page once, you will not have to reregister until the beginning of the next semester.If I'm a community member or a visitor who does not have a Simon's Rock LDAP Username and/or Password, what should I do?
Network access requests by on-campus conference attendees should be made through their respective Simon's Rock event or program facilities liasions. For education business visitors, please make your requests to the department you are conducting business with. We currently do not support access for community members on our network at this time.How do I configure my Apple iPhone or iPod Touch to operate on the secured Simon's Rock Wireless Network?
Currently, the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch do not support WPA with 802.1x, a requirement for "SECURE" wireless connectivity. Users are prompted only for a password when selecting "WPA" as their encryption type, which indicates that the device is only capable of WPA-PSK, not WPA-Enterprise. In order for the iPhone or iPod Touch to be compatible with the Simon's Rock wireless network, an update would need to be made available from Apple with 802.1x support. ITS will continue to investigate iPhone and iPod Touch compatibility as updates are made available.Can I install a wireless access point in my dorm or office?
We strongly discourage the use or operation of 3rd party access points on campus for several reasons. First, incorrectly configured 3rd party access points can cause network traffic loops which will at best degrade the wired network they are connected to, or at worst create a denial of service on the local wired segment. Second, 3rd party access points may be unencrypted and therefore unsuspecting users may not be aware that most of their data will travel over these access points unprotected and especially vulnerable to interception. Furthermore, in areas where there is official Simon's Rock wireless coverage (see Locations), our hardware will attempt to suppress 3rd party access points automatically.Why can't I connect to websites on the Internet and keep getting redirected your "Getting Connected" page?
There are several possibilites.First, you are connected to the the SIMONS SSID, which only allows traffic to Simon's Rock websites. Following the instructions to succesfully authenticate to the SECURE SSID will allow you to get out to the Internet.
Second, you may have authenticated but your browser may be caching the page. Try clearing your browser cache. If you are on a Mac, it may have cached the DNS entry for websites; try running 'sudo lookupd -flushcache' in a Terminal.app window.