By Paul TakahashiThe Daily Northwestern
Northwestern University Information Technology recently announced its plan to switch wireless networks so users can go online without using a virtual private network.
NUIT announced its decision in an e-mail sent May 22 to anyone who used wireless Internet on campus in the past year.
NUIT launched its new wireless network “Northwestern” during the summer of 2006, according to the NUIT Web site.
The current network “nuwlan” will be phased out in all campus locations except for Norris University Center and in some areas of the Donald P. Jacobs Center by Sept. 1, Wendy Woodward, NUIT’s director of technology support services, wrote in an e-mail to THE DAILY.
“The move to the new network provides wireless access without a VPN login and takes advantage of a newer, more efficient technology,” Woodward wrote.
“Nuwlan” requires users to previously configure a VPN, which connects remote sites on a public network. “Northwestern” allows users to connect by entering their Net ID and password.
“It lowers the barrier to Internet access on campus,” said Medill senior Robby Stein, Associated Student Government’s former communications director and a former Daily staffer.
“Northwestern” uses WPA2, which is a system that makes wireless networks secure. Both “nuwlan” and “Northwestern” are protected, but handle the data encryption differently, Woodward said.
NUIT urged wireless Internet users to make the switch to the “Northwestern” network as soon as possible before the “nuwlan” network is phased out.
Users can make the switch by searching for the “Northwestern” network on their computers. This is a “seamless” process for computers with Mac operating systems and Windows Vista, according to the NUIT e-mail. Windows XP users must use NUIT’s wireless setup wizard, which can be found on its Web site.
NUIT is also making “steady progress” toward a June launch of a university e-mail system powered by Google, Woodward said.
“We have engaged several student groups, including the ASG Information Technology Committee in an early pilot of the program,” Woodward said. “A recent survey of that group shows that 100 percent of the respondents say that the new service is improved over the services NU offers today.”
Students will be informed about when and how to change over to the new e-mail system in the coming weeks, Woodward said.
“We are (using) a phased deployment so we can closely monitor the system and avoid possible points of challenge,” she said.
Reach Paul Takahashi at [email protected].
