Wireless Access

Guest WiFi

Campus visitors not from a participating institution should use the UCSB Wireless Web, which now features self-registration for UC Santa Barbara guests on the Wireless Web login page! You no longer need a NetID or Conference Code to access our wireless services. Once you register, you'll receive an SMS/text-message-provided password, which gives you a seven-day connection.
 
Campus visitors from eduroam-participating institutions can simply select eduroam from their operating system WiFi options and log in using their institution's credentials. If you experience any issues with eduroam while visiting UCSB, please contact your home institution's service desk.
 
More information here.

Existing students, staff, and faculty

Our department wireless network service provides Wi-Fi enabled devices with the ability to use the University network without connecting their computer to our physical network. All department account holders are eligible to use the wireless network where the service currently exists (South Hall 5th floor.) While wireless network services currently exists in many public spaces and private department areas throughout the campus, you will also find UCSB offers campus-wide access via several wireless networks: UCSB Wireless Web, UCSB Secure and eduroam.

Wireless networking provides the tremendous advantage of computing mobility for network clients. While the advantage of mobility is extremely important for many clients, wireless networking technology is not as fast or consistent as wired network technology, and has some current limitations.

eduroam

eduroam (education roaming) is the secure, worldwide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community. For more information visit www.eduroam.org.

This network service provides visiting faculty and students from participating institutions the ability to easily gain secure network access utilizing their home institution credentials. It also provides UCSB faculty, staff and students who will be visiting a participating institution the ability to pre-configure their device for eduroam access, providing secure, automatic access while away.

Connect to eduroam

Option 1: Join the eduroam Wi-Fi network.
Your account name must be entered in the form <Your_UCSBnetID>@ucsb.edu.  Logins will fail if "@ucsb.edu" is not included.  Use your UCSBnetID password.  Note: This might not be your actual email address. Do not change it to match your email address.  This option will not work for all devices (e.g. Android).

Option 2: Join the UCSB Setup Wi-Fi network.
Open a web browser and go to www.ucsb.edu.  You will be sent to a page that will guide you through the configuration process. This option may provide you with a more secure connection.

 

Current Limitations of Wireless Networking

Unlike the wired network, current wireless technology does not provide dedicated bandwidth for each computer. Though the bandwidth (speed) of a wireless network connection is near that of a wired network connection (~ 100 megabit). Performance may be impacted by the number of users within a given wireless coverage area, as well as your computer's distance from the closest wireless transceiver (or Wireless Access Point, WAP). Wireless networks therefore do not currently provide the same level of performance or consistency as a wired network, though they come very close.

Wireless networks also provide a lower level of security than wired networks unless specific measures are taken to ensure security. Clients should ensure their individual computing devices are securely configured (Please make sure you have a current and updated version of an anti-virus program.

Finally, when buildings throughout the floor are designated as being enabled with wireless networking capability, this may not always guarantee that wireless network access will be available or perform well from every possible location within a given building. While every effort is made during installation to provide comprehensive coverage within each building, many factors can interfere with wireless network signal strength and/or its availability. The most common factor is the core structural design of the building itself. Water supply lines and steel elements within the walls may impair the signal. Other factors specific to certain lab or office areas (such as large steel bookcases, book stacks, and a large number of people) may also interfere with wireless signal strength or availability.

Penalties for Network Disruptions

To ensure the security of information transmitted over the wireless network and protect the stability of both the wired and wireless network for other clients, admin staff will disconnect wireless access points that are not appropriately registered, do not meet network security requirements, and/or are improperly configured.

Notes:

  • Wireless network name: PSTAT Wireless, PSTAT Guest
  • Login information to use department Wi-Fi: Same as department account.
  • Activation usually occurs immediately upon department account creation.