Wireless Networking
Where is it Available?
WPI has installed wireless access points in several locations across campus. With the proper equipment, this allows wire-free, roaming network and Internet access throughout many locations.
Please note that this is only an approximate list of coverage. Due to the inherently unreliable nature of wireless, the signal quality and data speed will vary widely within a given building based on numerous factors, including the construction of the building, the particular wireless card in use on the client, and ambient noise level. Whenever practical, we recommend the use of a wired connection over wireless.
Academic Buildings
Residential Buildings
What do I Need?
To take advantage of the WPI wireless network, you will need an WiFi compatible 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g wireless network card that has the ability to handle WPA with 802.1x authentication, also called WPA Enterprise. The Wi-Fi Alliance maintains a Certified Products Search Tool that can assist you in finding wireless cards that have passed compatability and compliance testing.
You will need to register the card in the Wireless: Mobile Wireless Systems IP Range through the Network Registration page. (You will need to know your wireless card's MAC address for the registration process. See Finding your Ethernet MAC address for help with this.)
Machines not on the ADMIN domain will also need to get WPI's ESS-ID (Network Name) and certificate files (CCC UNIX username and password required). You will need to enter this information into your wireless card's control panel.
See Configuration Directions for step-by-step instructions for various operating systems.
What kind of encryption does WPI use?
The WPI wireless network supports two levels of encryption. The stronger, preferred level is WPA2 with AES. For clients that do not support WPA2, such as Windows XP, WPA with TKIP encryption is also permitted.
In addition, WPI requires a high level of authentication. Specifically, WPI requires 802.1x EAP-TLS certificate based authentication. This is sometimes referred to as WPA Enterprise. Note that devices which only support WPA Personal or Pre-Shared Key (PSK) will not work on the WPI network.
I have an 802.11b card that came with my computer... will that work?
Possibly. The WPA standard was designed to work with all standard 802.11b compatible hardware. However, not all manufacturers have updated their drivers to work with the new WPA operational mode. If you find that your wireless card does not support WPA even with the latest drivers, you may need to purchase a newer card. You can search for cards guaranteed to be compatible at the Wi-Fi Alliance Certified Products Search Tool.
What about 802.11a or 802.11g?
WPI has recently installed a new wireless system that, in addition to new security features, supports both the 802.11a and 802.11g standards. You must have a card that will support these higher speeds in order to use them.
Note that 802.11a has signifigantly less penetration through obstructions than 802.11b/g, resulting in less coverage for 802.11a. A properly configured card that supports both 802.11a and 802.11b/g should fall back when 802.11a is unavailible.
What about 802.11n?
At this time, the 802.11n standard has not yet been ratified. This has not, unfortunatelly, stopped various manufacturers from releasing products based on drafts of the pending standard. To prevent a recurrence of the issues that occured with some over-eager purchasers of the similarly abused 802.11g standard, WPI will not invest in any 802.11n products until the 802.11n standard is fully ratified.
My phone has wireless web... can I use that on the network?
There are two different types of wireless data access that are typically found on phones. The first is data access that uses the same radio component as the voice calls. This includes service such as EVDO and EDGE. These services are managed by your cell phone provider.
Some other phones do include a WiFi compatible radio, which may be compatible with the WPI wireless network. The device must support certificate based authentication, and either WPA or WPA2 encryption. While there is no prohibition against using such devices, due to the wide range of different options we are unable to provide any advice or support on purchasing or configuration.
Problematic Devices
While we do not place any particular restrictions on which device may connect to the wireless network (beyond those imposed by the AUP), some devices are known to be incompatible. Typically this is because the device does not support the WPA Enterprise authentication required.
| Device | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Mobile 5 Phones | Unlikely to work. | Most cannot import the certificates, and those that can do not properly support the high level of encryption. |
| Windows Mobile 6 Phones | Varies. | Even on phones that can import the certificates properly, many still have buggy encryption drivers that will not work reliably. |
| Nintendo Wii | Will not work. | No support for WPA Enterprise. The USB wired Ethernet adaptor will work instead. |
Where can I read more about wireless networking?
More information on the 802.11 standards and wireless networking can be found at www.wirelessethernet.org and www.wi-fi.org.
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: Sep 12, 2008, 09:46 EDT
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