Stay connected to UBC Wireless

Important changes to UBC wireless took place on May 9, 2018. To stay connected, download and install AutoConnect on your laptops and mobile devices, and any other devices not managed by UBC IT.

Users of iOS devices (iPhones, iPads) may receive pop-up messaging to re-connect to the new WiFi security certificate. If you receive this message, please accept the change to connect with the new wireless connection and log-in with your credentials if prompted or contact us if you need assistance.

For Faculty, Staff, and Students at Hospital sites: Please note that the faculty, staff, and students at the following locations are encouraged to use Eduroam as their default WiFi connection as UBC Secure deactivated at these sites on May 9:

  • Vancouver General Hospital
  • Diamond Health Centre
  • St. Paul’s Hospital
  • B.C. Children’s & Women’s Hospital
  • Richmond Hospital

For UBC Faculty, Staff & Students

AutoConnect Now
to UBC Secure

( or connect manually )


For Users of eduroam or ubcprivate

For Eduroam users and visiting faculty, staff, and students from partner institutions, AutoConnect to the eduroam network. ( or connect manually )

For UBC Private users who have their own departmental virtual network, AutoConnect to the ubcprivate network. ( or connect manually )


On-Site Support

UBC IT staff will be on-site at the following campus locations and times to help faculty, staff, and students with AutoConnect.

UBC Okanagan Campus

UBC Vancouver Campus
  • September 5 and 6 from 11:30am to 1:30pm outside of UBC Bookstore
  • September 11 from 11:30am to 1:00pm by the Flag Pole Plaza (Staff and Faculty Welcome Back BBQ)
  • September 12 from 11:30am to 1:00pm inside Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, 2nd Floor
  • September 13 from 11:30am to 1:00pm inside Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, 2nd Floor

Frequently Asked Questions

General

FAQs last updated July 6, 2018

On May 9, 2018, UBC’s wireless network certificate expired. Certificates are implemented on a wireless network to ensure it is secured, so activities such as accessing your emails or transferring data to a colleague are protected. To maintain the security of our wireless network, we implemented a new certificate. To stay connected, all students, staff, and faculty should use the AutoConnect tool to upgrade to the latest wireless environment.

We strongly recommend renewing your wireless connection with the AutoConnect tool to ensure your transition is seamless.

Please select one of the three wireless networks – ubcsecure, eduroam, or ubcprivate, to run AutoConnect. You do not need to run AutoConnect on all three wireless networks. If you are a UBC faculty, staff, or student, please select ubcsecure. If you are an Eduroam user/visitor, please select eduroam. If you are a UBC-affiliated group, please select ubcprivate.

AutoConnect provides the most up-to-date wireless configuration in order for you to connect to the UBC wireless networks. It is the most secure way for your credentials to be protected and configures your device with the default wireless internet network you wish to use.

You can access AutoConnect via any internet connection such as ubcvisitor at UBC or your own data plan.

Yes, you can configure your device manually if you do not have an android device; however, we strongly recommend using AutoConnect for simplicity and to also ensure all steps are done correctly. Android devices must use AutoConnect for all three wireless networks – ubcsecure, eduroam, and ubcprivate.

Depending on your unit/departmental configurations, you may not have administrative access to make changes to your desktop. Please contact your departmental/unit IT administrator for help.

Running AutoConnect should be done whenever you get a new device that you want to connect to the UBC wireless network. Additionally, some operating system upgrades may require you to re-run AutoConnect.

You can contact the IT Service Centre Help Desk (both campuses) by calling, emailing or dropping by in person. For more information on the ITSC, please visit www.it.ubc.ca/helpdesk.

Installing AutoConnect again won’t cause any issues on your device.

UBC IT Desktop Services has upgraded the wireless configurations on all UBC IT supported Windows laptops on the backend as of May 9, 2018. Users do not need to perform any action. However, if UBC IT Desktop Services was not able to upgrade your laptop on the backend, they will follow up with you and provide you the manual instructions.

Yes, we recommend you run AutoConnect on campus. If you do run the AutoConnect app off campus you will likely get an error message during the install as the application will attempt to connect to UBCsecure.

Mac desktops should generally be connected to a wired connection, but wireless is possible on many Mac desktop models. UBC IT will support both Mac and Windows wireless devices.


Android Users

Under your WiFi settings, click on ubcsecure and select “forget network”. Try running AutoConnect again to renew your wireless connection.

Please click on the link “If the button above does not work, tap here”. After clicking the link, it will download a netconfig.sh file. Open the file to run the connection wizard.

AutoConnect requires mobile devices to set up a pin/passcode for security reasons. Please set-up on one your mobile device to better secure your phone. A pin/passcode will prevent data theft if in the event your phone is stolen or missing.


For Additional Support

For more assistance with connecting your device to UBC’s wireless network, please contact the IT Service Centre:

UBC Vancouver - IT Service Centre Help Desk | 604.822.2008

UBC IT HelpDesk - Walter Koerner Library

UBC Okanagan - https://it.ok.ubc.ca/contact | 250.807.9000