Computer Help Documents

• Why does my computer constantly drop connection in my office after I dock my laptop?
• Why am I being asked to register my computer?
• Why do I have to log in each time I want to get on the internet?
• How many devices can I have registered at once?
• How do I find my Wireless Hardware Address or MAC address?
• What's the difference between OSU Secure and OSU Access?
• When connecting to OSU Secure, why do I get the following error message?
• If I don't have an ONID account, can I get access to the wireless?
• Will any 802.11n wireless network card work with the OSU wireless network?

Q: Why does my computer constantly drop connection in my office after I dock my laptop?

A: If you use your laptop in both your office, and other locations, your laptop may be trying to connect to both the wired and wireless connections. If you are at your desk, and have docked, or plugged your laptop into the wired network, we recommend that you disable your wireless connection by using the function keys, slider switch, or button that the laptop has to disable/enable wireless.

Q: Why am I being asked to register my computer?

A: OSU uses a registration system for ONID users that allows you to register your wireless device. The system then recognizes the device using the MAC or Hardware Address, which is a ten-digit hexadecimal number assigned to all wireless devices, the next time the device tries to connect.

Q: Why do I have to log in each time I want to get on the internet?

A: If you have not yet registered your computer on the wireless network, you will have to log in each time you wish to access the internet. If you would like to get registered on the wireless network, please see our Wireless Registration page.

Q: How many devices can I have registered at once?

A: OSU currently limits wireless registrations to four(4) devices per person.

Q: How do I find my Wireless Hardware Address or MAC address?

A: Click to find your Wireless Hardware Address or MAC address.

Q: What's the difference between OSU Secure and OSU Access?

A: The secure part means that any data you send over the wireless connection is encrypted. Browsers and websites can encrypt the data that they send anyway which happens on most or all sites that transfer any sensitive information. The encryption done by the wireless network is another layer of security that helps protect your sensitive information that might otherwise be sent without encryption.

Q: When connecting to OSU Secure, why do I get the following error message?

A: The certificate that CSACS2 passes to your computer is part of the authentication process for OSU Secure, is not being accepted by your computer because the certificate is not in the list of approved certs. In Windows XP you need to accept the certificate, in Windows Vista and 7, you need to simply click continue to accept this certificate.

Q: If I don't have an ONID account, can I get access to the wireless?

A: Yes, you can. Staff and students from the University of Oregon, and Portland State University, can use their e-mail logins to gain access to the campus wireless. If you have neither of these, then the only other way that you would be able to gain access is by having a conference login. If you are here for a conference, you should speak with the organizer to see if they paid to have conference wireless access. If you are not here with a conference, visiting from one of the listed schools, or have an ONID account, then there would be no way to get your personal devices on the wireless network.

Q: Will any 802.11n wireless network card work with the OSU wireless network?

A: No. There are two types of 802.11n wireless network, home  and business. Home 802.11n wireless networks tend to operate in the 2.4GHz spectrum and be slightly cheaper. They work on the presumption that the base station is far away from any other transmitters. Business 802.11n wireless networks operate in the 5GHz spectrum because this allows the installation of many base stations in close proximity.

Oregon State University has a business 802.11n wireless network. If you want to connect to it, at 802.11n speeds, you need to buy a wireless network card that is ‘dual-band’ (i.e. it can connect in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands). Make sure you check for ‘dual band’ support when you are selecting an 802.11n wireless network card.

Possible Solutions

If you are using an Apple Mac computer they have the ability to connect at 802.11n (5 GHz) instead of 802.11g (2.4 GHz), there are not many devices with this frequency meaning there will be more channels available for a faster internet connection. Follow the links below for some more information:

iStumbler - http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20100714193223963

Mac WiFi connections - http://robert.accettura.com/blog/2012/04/04/stable-wifi-connections-with-ma