Wireless Internet Access
Wireless Access using Vista (PDF).
How do I connect to the CNC wireless network? Where are the wireless Access Points? Can I print from the wireless network? Can I Access my Home Directory over the wireless network? Can I do email over the wireless network? Does it matter how many people are using the wireless network at one time? Will I experience interference or disruptions on the wireless network? Are wireless communications between client computers and access points encrypted? Can visitors to the college access the wireless network?
Q: How do I connect to the CNC wireless network? A:
The following steps will guide you in connecting to the wireless network:
- Open the web browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.).
- You will see a security alert pop-up indicating that you are redirecting to a secure site, (Figure 1.1). Click the Yes button to proceed, you will be redirected to a login page.
- At the login page, you will need to enter your CNC account information and click Login.
- Once you have successfully logged in, you will notice that a log-out popup window appears, this window will stay open during your session. PLEASE USE THIS WINDOW TO LOGOUT WHEN YOU ARE DONE USING THE COMPUTER.
- IF YOU CLOSE THIS WINDOW, PLEASE RE-OPEN THE WEB BROWSER, TYPE THE FOLLOWING INTO THE URL FIELD: HTTP://LOGOUT.WIFI.CNC.BC.CA, AND YOU WILL BE LOGGED OUT.
Q: Where are the wireless Access Points?
A: There are many access points throughout the college, covering the entire college. The best connectivity is in the open areas (common areas)
Q: Can I print from the wireless network?
A:Yes. There is a wireless lab specificly for this, lab 2-308.
Q: Can I Access my Home Directory over the wireless network?
A:Yes, you may use the normal remote file access through a web browser. Please see the Remote Access FAQ for instructions.
Q: Can I do email over the wireless network?
A:If you are using web-based mail, then the answer is yes. For security reasons many non-standard Internet ports are blocked on the wireless network, so non-web-based email will not work.
Q: Does it matter how many people are using the wireless network at one time?
A:Yes. The more active users there are on the same wireless network, the slower it will work. They share the available bandwidth, so it depends on what they are all doing. A single access point should be able to handle about 30 connected users without becoming too sluggish, unless they are all attempting some high bandwidth operation.
Q: Will I experience interference or disruptions on the wireless network?
A:It is possible. The wireless network operates at the 2.4GHz radio frequency range, the same range used by mobile phones, microwave ovens and other rf devices. Large physical barriers, like steel reinforced walls, will cause interference.
Q: Are wireless communications between client computers and access points encrypted?
A:No. Just like the wired network, they are open, non-encrypted, and could potentially be intercepted. Use the network with this understanding. It is best to use a VPN encryption option. The College supports PPTP currenlty and will provide IPSEC in the future. Please see the instructions for setting up PPTP on a XP workstation.
Q: Can visitors to the college access the wireless network?
A:Yes. Visitors can get a temporary visitor account at the CNC Library Circulation Desk.
SECURITY WARNING - Since this is an un-secure connection, ANY sensitive information, ie. account numbers, passwords, & other personal information are at risk of being intercepted. Use extreme caution when accessing the wireless network in this fashion. 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 or for the network as a whole. 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 protecting your traffic from prying eyes.
