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General
Requirements
Accessibility
Troubleshooting
What is wireless network
access?
Simply put, wireless network access is a connection to the campus network
without the use of wires or cables.
How does wireless work?
Much like the cellular telephone network, wireless networking works by sending
data over radio waves. In the cell phone world, the cell phone talks via radio
waves to a tower. The tower relays the messages to the wired, world-wide
telephone network. The telephone network sends a signal back to the tower which
transmits it via radio waves to the cell phone. Wireless computer access is
very similar. Your laptop sends information via radio waves to an access point
located inside buildings. The access point is connected to the campus network.
Anything coming back to your laptop first goes to the access point and from
there is broadcast to your laptop.
As with cell phones, any wireless-equipped laptop within range of a given
access point can communicate with the network. Indeed, some systems, including
our campus system, permit roaming between access points. If you move out of
range, you lose the connection. Further, a single access point can communicate
with multiple wireless-equiped laptops. That means that frequently you’ll be
sharing the available bandwidth with other users. If there are lots of users
communicating with a single access point, you may notice that your network
connection slows down.
How fast is a wireless connection to the campus
network?
With the 802.11g wireless standard you can have a connection of 54 Mb/sec at
best (i.e., if you’re right next to the access point and you are the only
user). However, you rarely achieve the maximum possible speed.
This is because of multiple users and signal strength. All users within
range of an access point share that bandwidth, so you’ll only get the top speed
if you are the only person within range of that access point.
In addition, as you move away from the access point and the signal gets
weaker, the system will automatically slow down to give you more reliable data
transfer (sort of like speaking slower so people will understand you
better).
Thus, your connection speed depends on distance and on the number of people
sharing the access point.
Where is wireless access available on
campus?
Wireless networking is available in certain areas of Hewitt Union, King,
Lanigan, and Mahar Halls, Penfield Library, Poucher, Rich, Sheldon, Snygg, and
Wilber Halls. It is also available in certain areas of Johnson Residence Hall
and the following Dining Halls: Cooper, Lakeside, Littlepage, Mackin, and
Pathfinder. Please check our online map for exact
locations.
Whom do I contact if I need
help?
For assistance with the VPN client software or connecting to the campus
wireless network, contact the Technology Support Center located in 26
Lanigan.
You can also phone the TSC at 312-3456 or send email to help@oswego.edu.
What hardware do I need for
wireless?
A wireless equipped laptop running the 802.11b or 802.11g wireless
protocol.
The wireless capability may be built in to your laptop, especially on newer
models (e.g., Dell TrueMobile 1150). Alternatively, you can outfit an older
laptop with a wireless card.
Based on our testing, Campus Technology Services recommends two cards: the
Linksys Wireless-G network adapter card and SMC Networks 54 Mbps Wireless
Cardbus Adapter. Both are available in the College Store.
How do I determine if my laptop supports
wireless?
Refer to the minimum requirements listed here.
Which version of wireless are we using on
campus?
802.11g, which is the most common standard at present.
What wireless card should I buy, and how much
should it cost?
If you’re purchasing a new laptop, you’ll want to make sure that it includes
wireless support (e.g., Dell TrueMobile 1150). Laptops such as this don’t need
a wireless card.
However, you can retrofit older laptops to work with the campus wireless
network by purchasing a wireless card. Of all the PC cards we tested, the
Linksys Wireless-G card and SMC Networks 54 Mbps Wireless C Cardbus Adapter
gave the best performance with the campus wireless network. You can purchase
these cards from your neighborhood computer store. They’re also available for
sale in the College Store.
A nice feature of wireless G cards is that they will communicate with B
access points (such as those commonly found in hotels, airports and coffee
shops.) These cards will work not only on campus, but also out in the wider
world. When the campus upgrades to the faster 802.11g standard later this year,
you’ll be all ready to take advantage of the higher connection speed.
Macintosh users will need to have the Airport card installed in their
Mac. Both the older Airport and the newer Airport II cards will work with
the campus system as well as with most systems in the wider world.
My laptop is already equipped for 802.11G
wireless. Will it work with the Oswego campus system?
Many newer laptops are coming equipped with the 802.11g standard (which has a
maximum data rate of 54 Mb/sec, about 4.5 times faster than 802.11b). Our
campus wireless system is compatible with any 802.11b or 802.11g equipped
laptop.
We are supporting the Linksys and SMC wireless cards. We are also supporting
Dell TrueMobile 1150 equipped laptops and Macintosh Airport and Airport II
cards.
How do I access the campus network via
wireless-equipped laptop?
We have engineered the campus wireless network to recognize those with a valid
SUNY Oswego computer account. The first time you connect to the campus wireless
network, you’ll go to a special registration page that allows you to download
the necessary software (a VPN client) that’s already configured to work with
our wireless network. After connecting to the registration page, you’ll be
asked to read and accept the Computer
and Network Acceptable Use Policy. Then you’ll click on the link to
download the VPN client software to your laptop. Next you’ll double-click on
the client software icon to install it.
Once the VPN client software is installed on your laptop, you’ll open the
VPN client, click on the tab for making a connection and log in using your SUNY
Oswego computer account username and password (the same username and password
you use in campus labs to get access to a computer). The system will verify
that you are indeed a member of the campus community and then connect you. This
is a totally secure connection because of the VPN software.
Once you already have the VPN client software installed on your computer,
you no longer have to visit the registration page. You can just launch your VPN
client software and choose the appropriate connection.
What is VPN and why do I have to deal with
this?
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It’s basically a way of creating a
secure “tunnel�? between your computer and the campus network. The VPN software
adds security. Most wireless networks have no or very limited security, so
someone might have access to your data as it travels across the wireless
network. The VPN software running on your laptop encrypts all information
before sending it to the main campus network. The access point connected to the
network sees the encrypted data and decrypts it and sends it to its
destination. Data coming back to you is encrypted by the network and sent over
the wireless network to your laptop where it’s decrypted and presented to you.
It’s all transparent to you, but anyone intercepting your wireless traffic will
be unable to read it. That means that any sensitive personal information (bank
account numbers, proprietary information, etc) you send across the wireless
network is protected.
As an added benefit to the campus, the VPN software also prevents non-campus
wireless users from having access to our campus network. They can’t just sit in
or outside a wireless equipped building and use our campus network because they
won’t have a valid username and password. As noted before, they also can’t
"snoop" on your wireless traffic because it’s all encrypted.
When will additional wireless sites be
available on campus, and where will they be located?
We’ll soon begin deploying wireless access points in other campus locations. In
time, we’ll be expanding the network to other campus locations, concentrating
on those spaces where students are most likely to congregate.
Why can’t I use wireless in the residence
halls?
Residence halls are equipped with Ethernet connections for those students who
want network access. Under most conditions, Ethernet is faster and more stable
than a wireless connection.
For the time being, we’ll concentrate on expanding the wireless network to
locations on campus that don’t already have network access.
Can I install my own wireless network
access point in my area?
Faculty and staff should contact the Technology Support Center for a
consultation if they are interested in establishing wireless access points in
their area.
Students living in residence halls are prohibited from installing their own
wireless networks because it is essentially an extension of their network
connection, a practice disallowed under the Computer
and Network Acceptable Use Policy.
Can guests of the campus obtain wireless
access?
Yes, depending on the length of stay and the purpose of the visit.
Guest wireless access requires the submission of a guest wireless access
form by the person(s) or department hosting the guest.
The wireless registration page refuses to
load. Why?
In some isolated cases, a computer may detect the presence of a wireless
network but is seemingly unable to connect to it. There are several reasons
this may be happening:
- Under Windows XP, you may have to perform an additional step to connect to
the wireless network. You should see a small network connection icon in the
lower-right corner of your Windows toolbar. Right click the icon, and choose
View Available Wireless Networks. You should see “SUNY Oswego�? listed. Click
Connect, exit your web browser if it is still running, then relaunch it. The
registration page should load properly.
- The DNS cache stored on the computer may be out of date or corrupted. To
fix this, do the following:
-
- Click Start, select Run.
- Type "cmd" and click OK.
- Type "ipconfig /flushdns" and click OK.
- You should receive a message stating "Successfully flushed the DNS
Resolver cache."
- Restart the computer.
Why do I lose my wireless signal and
connection as I move around in a wireless area?
Wireless works via radio waves. Just as your FM reception in your car can get
spotty if there are too many tall buildings around or if you’re too far from
the broadcasting antenna, wireless suffers from situations where the radio
waves are not strong enough to get through.
This is affected by things in the environment (concrete and steel in the
walls), and by antenna location (your wireless antenna in your laptop is either
built into the card [the bump that sticks out when the card is inserted] or
it’s built into the case of the laptop). As you move around, your signal
strength may change and that will affect your connection.
The VPN client does not work.
Check to make sure you do not have a 3rd-party software firewall (such as
ZoneAlarm) running on your computer. Software firewalls interfere with the
functionality of the VPN client. Consult your firewall software’s documentation
for instructions on how to disable or uninstall the firewall.
Windows XP users should verify that the firewall built into the operating
system itself is disabled. To do this:
- Go to the Start menu and select Control Panel.
- Open the Network Connections control panel by double-clicking it.
- Depending on the hardware configuration of your computer, you will see one
or possibly several network device icons.
- Right-click on the Ethernet connection or dialup connection that applies to
your situation, and select Properties.
- Click the Advanced Tab.
- Uncheck the box listed under the “Internet Connection Firewall�? section.
Click OK.
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