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WiFi? Which WiFi?

Image of a Wireless signalBy Cathy McVey, information technology services

WIRELESS, GAMING, GUEST, eduroam, TALAWANDA, EVENT, ICA …. what’s with all the wireless networks? With so many, how do you know which to choose? IT services wants you to understand which network you should pick for your laptop or mobile device when you are on campus.

MU-WIRELESS

This is the primary, full-service wireless network provided for all faculty, staff and students. It is available in all academic buildings, all residence halls, all campuses – including Luxembourg — and in many outdoor locations. MU-WIRELESS delivers the highest speed and greatest capacity and is encrypted to protect your communication.

Re-engineering of the network this summer yielded significant increases in capacity and speed for the MU-WIRELESS network. See the August edition of the IT services newsletter Tech Talk for details.

MU-GUEST As it implies, this network is for guests of the university as a courtesy. A much lower capacity service, GUEST is suitable for reading email or doing some light Internet browsing but is not designed to handle large downloads or heavy traffic. IT services strongly recommends that students, faculty and staff not use GUEST.

Eduroam

A secure, worldwide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community, eduroam allows students, researchers and staff from participating institutions to obtain Internet connectivity when visiting other participating institutions. Guests from other eduroam schools can sign in using their home credentials, and when you visit other member schools you sign in with your Miami credentials. Visit the eduroam website for a list of participating institutions.

MU-GAMING

Planning to play a little League of Legends or World of Warcraft? Then MU-GAMING is for you. Sorry faculty and staff members, this network is only available in the residence halls.

MU-TALAWANDA

Depending on where you are, you may see this network on your list. This is a limited-access network reserved for students from partner schools, including Talawanda, Cincinnati State and the GreenTree Health Sciences Academy.

MU-EVENT

If you see MU-EVENT in your network list, it means there is something special going on. This is only fired up when a special event that may generate lots of Internet traffic by the press or others without access to MU-WIRELESS is in progress. Examples in the recent past include the visit of the Dalai Lama and the Bicentennial Celebration.

MU-ICA

Sports, sports, sports. This network is for press representatives and other specific non-Miami guests at sporting events. It is password protected, and while you may see it in your network list, you will not be able to sign in.

Which WiFi?

So, when your laptop, phone or tablet asks you to join a network, which one should you choose? If you are on any Miami campus and you are an employee or a student, the answer should always be MU-WIRELESS. IT services recommends that you not only use MU-WIRELESS but tell your device to forget the other choices.