UCONN-PUBLIC network to be replaced soon

The University of Connecticut is launching a new public Wi-Fi service this month that will eventually replace UCONN-PUBLIC, the current Wi-Fi system.

“UCONN-PUBLIC is really sick,” Katrina Garbiel of the Information Security Office said.

According to Garbiel, the current system is running on an outdated infrastructure and no longer has vendor support.

Using a student survey, Garbiel said UConn heard the complaints of students and are looking to expand the Wi-Fi service across campus and strive to make it more reliable. “[UConn] is a top 20 public university, we should offer those [full Wi-Fi] services.”

UCONN-GUEST will be the new wireless network, and is specifically for people without a NetID. Garbiel stressed that students need to get in the habit of using
UCONN-SECURE. The secure system gives users access to all the university resources that public does not, and it is safer and more stable for students to use.

UCONN-GUEST’s system of logging in is far more comprehensive than it is now. Wednesday’s Project Weekly in the Daily Digest outlined how visitors will now be able to gain access straight from their laptops.

“UCONN-GUEST will have a self-provisioning system of providing visitors with temporary credentials for access to the new network,” the release said.

This happens when guests will open a browser and be sent to an access page. They will enter their credentials and receive an email or text message with their user name and password. Access will be granted for seven days and users will have to wait two day before requesting access again.

Gabriel said that the people that will benefit the most from this are reporters who are covering events, and other visitors who currently need to go to a kiosk or get permissions before hand.

UCONN-GUEST will be launched on March 12 and UCONN-PUBLIC will be put to rest on May 20. “There will be gravestones around campus,” Gabriel. UConn is waiting to kill UCONN-PUBLIC so finals are not disrupted. Next semester, however, there will be reminders that UCONN-PUBLIC will be no more.