- I am a faculty/staff member and want to register for the wireless network, what do I need to do?
Departmental orders for wireless LAN (Local Area Network) service must be requested through your Communications Liaison, who will submit an Interdepartmental Communications Request (ICR). The ICR must be sent through the campus mail to CNS 1770 Forecast Dr. (0506) or submitted in person at the CNS offices.
- Will faculty/staff be charged for wireless service?
Departmental orders: Faculty and staff who have a traditional wired Ethernet connection to their desktop may obtain wireless LAN service as a complement to their desktop Ethernet connection at no additional fee. If you do not have a wired Ethernet connection, you may still obtain wireless LAN service for a monthly fee. Stand-alone wireless LAN service fees are paid by your department via an ICR form. Consult with your Communications liaison and check the Registration page for more information.
Personal orders: Faculty and staff who choose to personally pay for wireless service may register by faxing in a form. Check the Registration page for more information.
- I am a student and want to register for the wireless network, what do I need to do?
Students must register through the Customer On Line Access (COLA) website. It typically takes no more than two hours for your service to become active.
- Will students be charged for wireless service?
Students are provided with access to the campus wireless local area network as part of their Student Services Fee.
- As a student, can I set up a wireless router in my room?
Due to the increased possibility of generating interference to the university's network, students are not encouraged to operate wireless routers and/or local area networks (LANs) in residence hall rooms. If you decide to set up a wireless router, you must register for Private Ethernet-Additional Connections at CNS Student Network Services office in the Student Services Building. University Computing Support will not support private wireless networks. The operator of the private LAN/wireless network routers assumes responsibility for all traffic that accesses the university network via their equipment, and for maintaining and troubleshooting their network equipment. CNS reserves the right to disconnect any device from the network that negatively impacts the performance of the campus network until the problem is resolved. Please refer the CNS Private Network Page for more information.
For more information on registration, contact CNS Student Network Services at 120 Student Services Building, by sending e-mail to stunet@vt.edu, or by calling (540) 231-3000.
- Now that I have access to the wireless network, do I still need a traditional wired Ethernet connection?
CNS recommends that you use a traditional wired connection when available. Wireless networking technology provides mobility across a network, but does not have the bandwidth capabilities or robustness of a wired Ethernet network. Therefore, wireless LAN is NOT intended to replace wired service, but is being provided as a complement to the traditional wired Ethernet service.
- Can Departmental PIDs be used for wireless access?
Departmental PIDs may not be used to register for wireless network access.
- What is required to use the wireless service?
You must have a wireless network device such as a network interface card (NIC) or USB network adapter that conforms to the 802.11g standard. If you have a wireless technology device, you must register to use the service (see items 1 and 3 above).
- Where can I find the configuration requirements for my wireless network interface card or NIC?
Technical Help can be found at in the KnowledgeBase Articles on answers.vt.edu. These articles will help you configure your wireless device for various Operating Systems.
- Is the wireless authentication logon case sensitive?
The username must be in lowercase. Example: JSmith (incorrect). jsmith (correct).
Your password is case sensitive.
- When I try to login, it flags me for a bad user name and/or password. How can I correct this?
First, make sure you have registered to use the wireless service, and that you have allowed enough time for your service to become active. Also note that CNS' Wireless Service is limited to 15 character passwords; if your password is longer than 15 characters you will receive an error. If you continue to experience problems accessing the network, call the Customer Support Center at 4HELP (4-4357).
- If I come on and off line frequently in a relatively short period of time, will I be required to log in again every time I connect?
No. After approximately 4 minutes of inactivity on the network, a user will be automatically logged off. If you reconnect within four minutes of your last use of your session, you will not be required to log back in.
- Can I use my PDA on the network?
Yes, you may use any wireless network device as long as it conforms to the wireless technology standard (802.11g or 802.11b) and you are registered to use the service.
- I have a private ethernet (LAN) connection. Can I get wireless service?
Students should call Student Network Services at 1-3000. Faculty/Staff should call Ordering and Provisioning at 1-6460 to receive information regarding private LANs.
- Where can I find additional help?
Here are a list of resources available:
- VT Knowledge Base
- Computer configuration - Customer Support Center (4-HELP)
- Network Diagnostics (for network problems only) - call 1-6780
- Registering Students - COLA and Student Network Services - call 1-3000
- Registering Fac/Staff - Ordering and Provisioning - call 1-6460
