NUIT activated its new guest wireless access Wednesday, which will help Northwestern campus visitors connect to the Internet more easily.
The new wireless service allows guest Internet users to select “Guest-Northwestern” as their chosen network when connecting to Wi-Fi on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. Previously, visitors were required to register a temporary guest NetID with the University in order to gain Internet access. Guests will be able to use the guest wireless service for 24 hours before having to re-register their devices.
Wendy Woodward, director of NUIT Technology Support Services, said the new guest wireless service is a more convenient way for visitors to connect to the Internet on campus.
“The new guest wireless service provides a quick and easy way for University guests to access the Internet to stay connected, to conduct business, or just check email or social media during their campus visit,” Woodward said in a University news release.
NUIT unveiled its new guest wireless access less than a week after the University released admissions letters for applicants for the class of 2016, many of whom will be visiting campus within the next few weeks as they make their final decisions about where to attend college.
Aside from prospective students, visiting faculty, researchers and alumni need access to the Internet during their time on campus, NUIT’s associate vice president Tom Board said. Members of the business community and those attending conferences at NU often need to use the Internet in order to access their own corporate networks. The new guest access will make those situations less stressful for visitors, he said.
“There are many cases where we’re getting people access that they legitimately need,” Board said. “While it was possible, it was certainly more difficult than what we just deployed.”
He added that giving visitors better access to campus Wi-Fi is important as handheld devices such as tablets and smartphones become increasingly ubiquitous, so it makes sense to have “as low a barrier as you can.”
Weinberg senior Matt Velez said the new wireless service will make both prospective students and visiting family members more comfortable on campus.
“It definitely makes places like Norris more inviting, and campus itself,” he said. “It definitely makes you feel more welcome.”
Woodward said NUIT began developing the new guest wireless service earlier this year in reaction to feedback from faculty, staff and students. However, she said members of the NU community should not view the addition as a replacement to the current wireless access and should continue to use their NetIDs for wireless access.
“The guest wireless access network is limited in terms of its speed and availability,” Woodward said. “We want to make sure people are using the appropriate network when accessing wireless data.”
The new guest wireless access went live in conjunction with improvements to the wired Internet systems in residence halls and Greek houses. On Wednesday, NUIT activated Northwestern Network Access Control in four residence halls. The NAC will improve the network security for those who connect to the Internet via Ethernet cables and also has the capability to provide guests with access, Woodward said.
The NAC will be activated in the rest of the residence halls and Greek houses April 4.
