The following is a set of information and examples to help NCSA staff, faculty, and students to connect to our wireless network. You must have a wireless card in your computer (internal or external - we support 802.11b and g standards) and have a valid NCSA email account.

Please note that if you must go through these steps in order to connect to our NCSA wireless network. It is possible to pick up unsecured networks on your wireless-enabled computer that are not controlled by NCSA. The Information Technologies department has no control over these networks and offers no support on them. Furthermore, you may encounter security risks when utilizing these unsecure networks.

It is always a good idea to keep your machine updated with the latest patches and security updates. You may experience difficulty in accessing our network if you do not have the latest patches and security updates. Please verify that you have these latest updates for your operating system before continuing.

The Wireless Network Name (SSID) varies depending on your relationship with the school. A profile will have to be set-up with these SSIDs, as they are not broadcast. They are:

• High School Students: ncsa_hs
• College Students: ncsa_college
• Faculty/Staff: ncsa_admin

The network security type is WPA - enterprise.

The authentication type is PEAP.

Your username and password are the same as your email username and password. Domain should not be necessary in configurations. If you are a faculty or staff member that logs into the domain your Windows machine upon booting your computer, you may select the option to have the connection check your Windows Logon Credentials. Everyone else should allow the connection to ask for your current username/password upon connection.

Below are some step-by-step examples of how to configure your wireless internet connection on some commonly found machines here on campus. If you do not have one of these machines, your dialog boxes and steps might look different.

Example of how to connect a Macintosh (pdf)

Intel 3945ABG PROSet/Wireless Client Configuration – Dell Latitude D820 (pdf)

Example of Cisco CB21 ADU Client Configuration (pdf)