ICT Help Desk
Wireless Access FAQ

FAQ for all wireless access matters

Why can't we pick up a wireless signal in halls?

The cost of providing wireless to the halls is prohibative at this time. Additionally any wireless service would provide varying levels of quality of service in a situation like the halls where there rooms have a varying number of internal walls and distances away from any position we might be able to place antenne. This would lead to some students getting a very strong signal and others a poor signal, with no realistic way of providing a fair service

Why can't I get a signal?

FIrst off, do you mean signal or do you mean connection. Signal is how strong a broadcast you are receiving. This is shown usually as a series of bars that light up the stronger the signal is. On a Mac this is usually in the Finder bar at the top of the screen and on a PC, in the system tray as an icon you can double click on to bring up a further screen showing signal details. You will need at least half signal to get a reliable connection and no signal can mean you are either out of range, blocked by some physical item (a wall, metal beam etc) or there is something wrong with your laptop (maybe your wireless device is turned off?).

Other people can get a good signal, but mine's rubbish!

Different laptops will receive in different ways. If other people can get a good signal and you can't, your laptop must be a poor receiver or else there is a localised reason the signal is poor right where you are standing. For example, the support beams in Graphics Production damp wireless signal by a good 2 bars if you have them in Line of Sight with the base station. Also, people can block the signal, as can obviously walls and other building structures.

What is 'line of sight'?

To get a decent signal, you will need a path of clear air between you and the wireless base station. This is good Line of Sight. Look out for the Campus icons around college to see if you have a good Line of Sight with the nearest base station. If you don't, expect your signal to be poorer than it could be.

Can I get a connection in halls?

If the signal reaches then you can, but it is not intended to therefore you are just lucky. Wireless access from halls is not supported in any way, so don't ask about it.

My wireless is disabled

Turn it on. Often there is a physical switch on a PC laptop. On a Mac there is only a software switch, found by clicking on the wireless icon on the top bar and turning the wireless on.

My PC laptop says my wireless is managed by another program

Intel chipset wireless devices often come with 3rd party software that manages the wireless device. In order to use the CAMPUS network you will need to use the built in windows client, which can be turned off by these 3rd party devices. Quit any of these programs and disable them from startup using the msconfig program. If this is making no sense to you ask for help from the ICT Helpdesk

Do the college support those wireless configuration programs that sit in the system tray?

No, we recommend you disable these and use the Windows wireless client. Most of the third party wireless programs can be disabled and asked to leave management of the wireless to Windows.

Where can I see my signal on a PC laptop?

Usually you can see your current signal strength only once you have connected to a network as often windows will not display the signal correctly in the wireless networks dialog box (where you can choose a wireless network to connect to). Once connected the best view of your signal strength is by right clicking on the wireless icon in the system tray and clicking status. Anything 3 out of 5 bars or above is good. Anything below that and you may have problems connecting.

Where can I see my signal on a Mac laptop?

The wireless icon on the menu bar gives a good indication of signal strength. 3 or 4 bars is good, anything less and you may have problems connecting.

On my Mac, when I click connect, it gets stuck on authenticating

Click cancel and press connect again.

I see other wireless networks bar Campus.

Please report these to ICT as these rogue signals can harm performance of the Campus network. Do not attempt to set up Ad Hoc wireless networks yourself. If you need to do so please inform ICT first and be prepared to give a good reason.