At IUB, if my residence hall does not yet have IU wireless network access, how do I configure a wireless access point?

The IU Secure wireless network is available in all IU Bloomington and IUPUI dormitory residence halls (with the exception of Wright), along with the Campus View Apartments. If IU Secure is not yet available in your campus residence, you may operate a properly configured wireless access point (WAP) as an exception to the IT-19 Extending the University Data Network and IT-20 Wireless Networking policies from the University Information Policy Office (UIPO). Once IU Secure is available in your residence, this exception will no longer apply and you will need to remove your WAP from the network.

Required wireless access point settings

You must configure your WAP according to the following security guidelines before connecting it to the IU network. An improperly configured WAP can interfere with the connections of others in your building on the IU network. Also, an improperly secured network leaves your personal information vulnerable to hacking, and can lead to Digital Millennium Copyright Act violations, fines, and legal action if someone uses your WAP for illegal file sharing.

To properly configure your WAP, follow these guidelines according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer of your WAP. Be sure to click the button that saves settings (e.g., Save Settings, Apply, OK) after every configuration change. For help, contact the Support Center.

• Disable Network Address Translation (NAT). Once you disable NAT, make sure that the DHCP server is disabled, and that DHCP pass-through is enabled.
  
  
• Set your Service Set Identifier (SSID) to usernamewap, where username is your IU Network ID username.
  
  
• Disable SSID broadcasting. Note that you will have to manually enter your SSID in computers you wish to connect to your network; your WAP will not appear in the list of available networks.
  
  
• Enable wireless encryption. Use the highest level of encryption offered by both your WAP and any devices you wish to connect. UITS recommends using WPA2 with AES or TKIP encryption.

  Note: Do not use your IU Network ID passphrase as your wireless encryption passphrase or shared key.

• Change the default WAP administrator password. Default passwords (e.g., admin for Linksys products) are widely known, and offer no protection from hackers.
  
  
• Select a specific WAP channel during configuration. Select only channel 1, 6, or 11. If you are near a microwave oven, do not use channel 6, because microwave ovens run on channel 6 and will cause wireless interference (a slow connection, dropped packets, or only one bar). You may need to change the channel if you have additional wireless interference.
  
  
• Enable MAC address filtering, and add the MAC addresses of your wireless devices to the list of allowed addresses. To find your MAC address, follow the appropriate instructions:
  
  
  • In Windows, how do I find the MAC address of my network adapter?
  • In Mac OS X, how can I find the MAC address of my Ethernet or wireless interface?

Note: If you connect an improperly configured device to the IU network, UITS may temporarily block your network access to prevent security breaches and interruptions of service. If your access is blocked, see If my network access has been disabled by UIPO or UISO, how can I get it re-enabled?

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