eduroam Setup for Mac OS X 10.5/10.6 is now live at UBC!

The "eduroam" network is a collaborative network that provides students, staff and faculty roaming wireless access at partner institutions. Users would authenticate using the same credentials as they would at their home institution. Currently, students, staff and faculty at BCNET affiliated institutions can log into "eduroam". This includes SFU, UVic, BCIT, UNBC, and TRU. Likewise, UBC students, staff and faculty can use the "eduroam" wireless network at those institutions using your Campus Wide Login account (with a slight change of adding @ubc.ca at the end of the username - for example, cwluser@ubc.ca ). Support for "eduroam" is provided by your home institution. Please see the FAQ section below for more information.

Setup Documents 

The "eduroam" network at UBC supports mix mode WPA with TKIP encryption or WPA2 with AES encryption. A compatible wireless card with updated drivers and patches for your operating system may be required. Please see our guides below for detailed setup instructions for your operating system. We recommend that you set up and test your computer at your home institution first to make sure that it works before travelling. However, that being said, please use the "ubcsecure" network while at UBC as it is the primary wireless network on campus.

Please note: these instructions are specific to UBC users. For visitors to UBC using the "eduroam" network , please follow the setup instructions provided by your home institution . Please contact your home institution if you require assistance. Also note that the Appropriate Use Policies of both UBC and your home institution apply.

Since "eduroam" at UBC is similar to "ubcsecure", you can adapt the more comprehensive "ubcsecure" documents  to set up "eduroam" on your device (remember that your username will be in the cwluser @ubc.ca format for "eduroam").

Other Operating Systems or to use Manufacturer's Wireless Utilities 

There are a variety of wireless enabled devices that might be able to use WPA/WPA2 but do not use the above operating systems. Additionally, some people prefer to use the wireless management utility provided by their manufacturer. Since we cannot cover every instance, the basic information you may need for the "eduroam" network are:

• Network/SSID: eduroam (you may have to manually type this in)
• Network Authentication Method: WPA2 or WPA (also sometimes called WPA2-PEAP, WPA2-RADIUS, or WPA2-Enterprise)
• Data Encryption Method: AES (if WPA2) or TKIP (if WPA)
• EAP Type: PEAP
• Authentication Protocol: MS-CHAP-V2
• Certificate Server: secure.wireless.ubc.ca (if there is a mutual authentication option) 

Appropriate Use 

Users of the "eduroam" network must abide by the Appropriate Use guidelines of both UBC and the home/visiting institution. Wherever the respective appropriate use policies conflict, the more restrictive rules will apply. Please see here for the University of British Columbia Guidelines on the Responsible Use of Information Technology Facilities and Services

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is eduroam?

"eduroam" is a collaborative network that allows students, staff and faculty to access wireless service at cooperating universities without the need for obtaining a guest account. It allows a user visiting another institution to login using the same credentials they would at home.

Where is eduroam? 

In British Columbia, "eduroam" is currently a pilot project with participating members of BCNET including SFU, UBC, UVic, UNBC, BCIT and TRU. The eventual goal is to link with the global "eduroam" community comprised of over 450 institutions across 25 countries in Europe, Asia and Australia.

What are the restrictions of eduroam? 

The network restrictions placed on "eduroam" is at the discretion of the institution providing the service. At the very minimum, "eduroam" provides basic network connectivity for web browsing (HTTP), secure shell (SSH) and VPN only. There is no guarantee that "eduroam" will provide the same access to resources as the home or visited institution's standard wireless networks.

Is it safe to use eduroam? 

At the very least, "eduroam" wireless networks implement WPA/TKIP encryption with 802.1x authentication. Some institutions may offer additional methods such as WPA2/AES or mixed‐mode operation (WPA and WPA2). This ensures that the wireless portion of you connection is secure; however, you should still continue to use protocols that provide end-to-end encryption such as HTTPS and SSH.

What are the technical requirements for eduroam? 

Connecting to an "eduroam" network requires a WPA compatible wireless adapter and an 802.1x supplicant. The EAP type (TTLS, TLS, PEAP, etc) required by a visiting user will be the same as the user's home institution.

How do I get support for eduroam? 

Users wishing to connect to "eduroam" must acquire support from their home institution only. Institutions hosting eduroam connectivity are not required to provide support to visiting guest users. For UBC faculty, staff and students, please contact the UBC IT Help Desk for assistance.

Where can I find out more information about eduroam? 

You can visit the BCNET "eduroam" site for more information on the BC implementation. For information on the global "eduroam" initiative, you can visit the eduroam.org website .