Fix your Wi-Fi connection

If you can't connect to the Wi-Fi, you may be able to fix the problem.
 

1. Make sure your institution has the University Wireless service

Check which institutions have University Wireless coverage. Some Colleges prefer to run their own Wi-Fi systems. Contact your local IT support for advice.
 

2. Check you've followed the instructions

It's always worth running through the eduroam set-up instructions again to make sure you haven't missed anything. In particular, make sure you have entered your passwords correctly. Don't forget that the password for the Network Access Token is different from your Raven password.
 

3. Turn it off and on again

Restarting your device may solve any connection issues you're having.
 

4. Update your operating system and wireless drivers

Make sure you're using the latest version of your device's operating system, with all the updates and patches installed.

If you're using a laptop or desktop PC with an operating system that has wireless drivers you can update, such as Windows or Linux, make sure they're up to date. Find out how to update your wireless wifi driver.
 

5. Ensure your device obtains an IP address automatically

University Wireless requires your device to be set to obtain an IP address automatically using automated Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Ensure this is enabled on your device – for example, here are instructions for Windows 10. You should be able to find instructions for device by searching online.
 

6. Ensure MAC address randomisation is switched off

Some devices offer randomised MAC addresses as a privacy feature. You'll need to ensure this is switched off to use UniOfCam-IoT, as it isn't supported. It's also useful to turn this off when using eduroam because it will enable us to track and diagnose your issue more easily.

You can find online advice on how to check and disable this option for your device – for example, Apple has instructions on how to turn off private networks on iOS devices.
 

7. Narrow down the issue

A process of elimination can often help you to diagnose the problem. If it doesn't help you solve it, it will provide valuable information for your IT support staff.

For example:

• Are you experiencing the same problem on multiple devices or just one?
• If some are working and some aren't, what are the differences between them? 
• If it fails on more than one device, does it fail in the same way?
• Does the problem occur everywhere or in a specific location?
   

Known issues

Software incompatibilities: Blocked Devices and ARP scanning

Some software generates excessive Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) scanning traffic on the network, which can cause your device to be banned from access the University Wireless system for a while.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• AVG Antivirus with 'scan local networks' enabled (default). To resolve: Turn 'scan local networks' off.
• Avast Antivirus
• 360 Total Security
• Fing (network scanning software)
• Lenovo Wi-Fi Security, Lenovo Vantage and Lenovo Location Services
• Software on Xiaomi devices (often antivirus or network software)
• Software on OnePlus devices (often antivirus or network software)
• Software on Huawei devices (often antivirus or network software)
• ESET smart security / ESET Network Scan
• Wi-Fi scanning software / apps
   

Lack of support for some 802.11 Wi-Fi standards

Some old devices don't support the 802.11r protocol, which eduroam uses to help with roaming from one access point to another. Updating your software and drivers may help in this case.

If your device can't support 802.1x, which eduroam uses for authentication, you will need to use UniOfCam-IoT. 

Some Dell laptops with Intel 802.11ac wireless network cards can't connect to 802.11ax wireless access points, which we are deploying in some areas of the University. You can manually update your Wi-Fi driver to resolve this issue.

Some other devices may also have issues with the newest 802.11ax access points. To resolve this you may need to determine the manufacturer of your wireless card inside your laptop, which can be different from the laptop manufacturer. You may then need to update the drivers directly from their website instead of Windows Update or from the laptops manufacturer. The most common makers of wireless cards for laptops are Intel and Broadcom.
 

Devices that you cannot use

Devices such as wireless extenders, bridges and routers are not allowed to connect to the Wireless Service. Connecting these type of devices could affect the service for others.
 

Limitations of UniOfCam-IoT and AirGroup

AirGroup helps your devices to discover and communicate with each other on the network – for example, it would allow you to use Airplay between Apple devices. However, as with every complicated technology there are some devices and software that are not compatible:

• Chromecast NC2-6A5 Generation 2 and below and Generation 3 using the model code NC2-6A5 will not work on UniOfCam-IoT due to the age of the supporting hardware/software.
• Media streaming from Windows Media Server does not work across different SSIDs e.g. eduroam and UniOfCam-IoT.
• Some Android devices cannot discover the media server while using the native music and video player applications and when they are connected across different SSIDs e.g. eduroam and UniOfCam-IoT. Android devices can discover media server when they are connected in the same SSID. This restriction is forced by the device.
• Wireless Clients such as iPad and iPhone running the Sonos application cannot discover Sonos music system.
• Playstation 4 (PS4) owners are recommended to turn off AirGroup as all PS4s on the network are discoverable with the Playstation mobile app. This will mean the app will not work, but will help protect your device.
   

Getting help

If you've considered all of the above and are still encountering problems, seek help from your local IT support team in the first instance.

It will help IT staff to resolve your issue if you're ready to provide the following information:

• The time and date of when you experienced the issue
• Where you were when it happened
• Which device you were using, including operating system, make and model and, if you know how to find it, its MAC address
• Which network you were trying to use – for example, eduroam or UniOfCam-IoT
• Which user name you were signing in with
• Details on what happened – for example:
  • Could your device detect the Wi-Fi network?
  • Were you able to connect but not load anything, or couldn't you connect at all?
  • Did you see any error messages? What did they say?

You can also contact the UIS Service Desk. We can support mainstream devices that are less than 5 years old, and will do our best to troubleshoot other devices but this is not always possible. Unfortunately, we're not able to provide support for Linux devices.