TRU Wireless
Logging In
When you try to access a webpage on the Internet in a wireless-enabled area on campus (see the "coverage" section for locations), you will be directed to the SSL protected (https://) TRU Wireless login page. Enter your TRU Novell username and password. You may be asked by your browser to accept the certificate. If you are answer yes.
If you are a staff or faculty person you will have a Novell account to access your PC at work. Students can pick up their Novell account at the Computer Lab desk in OM1326.
If you are only using websites local to TRU such as http://www.tru.ca you will not need to login.
Inactivity Timeouts
If you are not actively working on the Internet your session may timeout. If this happens you will be redirected to the login page as soon as you try to access a webpage on the Internet. Currently the inactivity timeout is set for 1 hour.
Setup of Wireless Devices
Install your wireless network card by following the manufacturer's instructions. For a network name (SSID) use "tru" 802.11b (lower case). Although you can sometimes leave network names blank or set to ANY to connect to any network, we highly recommend that you create a profile for campus with the specific TRU network name.
When using XP with the latest patch, you have to check the box that allows you to connect using non-802.1x support.
We have only tested our network with Wireless Desktops and Notebooks/Laptops. MACs, Palm Pilots, and Pocket PCs have not been tested and are currently not supported.
Security
Most people don't realize how insecure most networks are. For example, many old networks are subject to "sniffers," which are programs or devices that capture all traffic on a local area network (LAN). By using a sniffer, someone can see your email; passwords, URLs visited, and even read the content of your text messages unless you take precautions.
The best way to protect yourself from someone seeing your private information is by using a form of encryption, which encodes your data. Encryption is available for individual applications.
For example, most Web sites doing sensitive transactions will use SSL (Secure Socket Layer). You can see which Web sites use SSL by looking at the URL. If SSL is in use, the URL will start with HTTPS:// (instead of HTTP://) and any text (except the actual URL) will be encrypted between you and the Web server, thus making sniffing useless.
Several other systems use encryption:
- SSH (Secure Shell) is used instead of Telnet and to tunnel some protocols
- SSL/TLS is used to tunnel other non secure protocols
- SFTP (usually part of an SSH client) is used instead of FTP
Some other applications are harder to secure at the application (email being the most widely used).
TRU's Wireless Network does NOT have any built-in security. Do NOT transmit any sensitive or personal information that you do not want others to know over this network unless you are connected to a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or a Website using SSL or some other encrypted protocol.
For maximum security please ensure:
- You use an encrypted path to transmit any sensitive or personal data
- Your virus software is up to date with the latest virus signatures
- Your PC has been patched with the latest updates from Microsoft: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
- You are using a personal firewall.
Can't Get to the Login Page
If you have the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings in your web browser set to "Automatically detect settings" or the Proxy server set to "Use a proxy server for your LAN", you may be unable to get to the login screen. Your web browser will appear to just hang. Disabling the automatically detect settings and or proxy server and restarting the web browser should take care of the problem.
To check these settings for Microsoft Internet Explorer:
- Open Internet Explorer web browser
- Select Tools>Internet Options from the menu bar
- Select the Connections tab
- Click on the LAN Settings button
Make sure the 'Automatically detect settings' check box is disabled and the 'Use a proxy server for your LAN' check box is also disabled.
Also, make sure your network card is set to get it's IP information from DHCP.
Wireless Connection Available but Cannot Connect
Do you have your SSID set correctly?
Please double check to ensure that you have the SSID (wireless network name) parameter set to "tru". If you are using Windows XP and there is a rogue access point in the vicinity of where you are trying to login, your computer may be automatically connecting to a different SSID.
Do you have Encryption (WEP) turned off?
If you have your connection configured with encryption it will not see our network. If you are using the generic Windows setup, there should be an “Advanced” tab where you configure your SSID (see the Wireless Setup for details). Inside there you can disable WEP (Wireless Encryption Protocol).
Turn Off Bridging
If you are using Windows XP, some users will experience problems connecting to the wireless network because Windows XP will automatically "bridge" your network cards. You must turn off bridging.
To turn off bridging, follow these steps:
· Select Start>Connect To>Show All Network Connections or
· Select Start>Control Panel>Network And Internet Connections>Network Connections
· For your wireless card, remove it from the bridge, by right-clicking on it and choosing Remove from Bridge.
Are you using the latest drivers for your wireless card?
Please check your wireless card manufacturer’s website to see if there is updated software for your wireless card. This can include both the software driver, plus the actual firmware installed on the card. Some default drivers are known to have problems that have been fixed in later versions.