WirelessUser FAQ
What do I need to access the wireless network?
You will need to have a computing device (e.g., laptop, PDA) capable of utilizing a wireless adapter card and a wireless adapter that supports the IEEE 802.11b standard. Some computing devices are now coming with wireless capability built in, in this case you don't need a separate adapter card. You will also need a valid Gatorlink account to be able to log in to the network via the campus VPN service or through the WIPA authentication system.
Which wireless card do you recommend?
We recommend the Cisco Aironet 350 wireless client adapter (AIR-PCM352). There are also older 340 series adapters available that may be available at a lower price. The newer 350 cards have a higher power output capability and more advanced performance features.
Where can I buy the Cisco Aironet cards?
The Cisco Aironet cards can be purchased through the University of Florida Bookstore located in the Bookstore and Welcome Center, attached to the Reitz Union. You may also be able to find them through on-line retailers.
Can I use another brand of wireless card?
There are many other brands of wireless adapters. Companies that make compatible products include 3Com, Apple, Lucent, Compaq, Dell, Linksys, and many others. If you use another brand of card it should support the 802.11b standard. 
Additionally the product should have the 'WiFi' logo. All devices that are WECA approved should carry the WiFi logo. A listing of Wi-Fi certified products can be found at the WECA site. There are many types available and some are much less expensive. As long as they are 'WiFi' compatible they should work. The potential downside is that they may not access the network at as high a speed and advanced features like roaming may not work as well.
We are using the Cisco Aironet 350 Access Points so to take full advantage of all the performance features that may be available a Cisco Aironet card is recommended.
Can I use 'HomeRF' standard cards?
No. The HomeRF cards use a different type of radio technology and it is not compatible with the 'WiFi' family of products.
How do I configure my wireless network card?
The Cisco cards will not require any special configuration. Follow the installation instructions and activate the card. Other brands of client adapters should work with their default configuration as well. If they don't then go to the Troubleshooting page for more assistance.
What do I enter for the SSID, radio channel, and WEP key?
You should not enter any enter any of this information. If you do configure any of these settings you may not be able to access the network. Your client in it's default configuration should be able to automatically detect the settings it needs from the network. If however your card should require an SSID to be configured you should set it to 'ufw' as this is the SSId in use by the campus system. For further assistance on wireless client configuration go to the Troubleshooting page for more information.
How do I need to configure my computer?
Instructions on how to configure various Windows versions to use the wireless network are listed at the CIRCA's UF Software CD Wireless Connectivity Help page. Click on your version of windows on the left-hand menu.
Everything is installed and configured, how do I get on the network?
Once your wireless card is active and you are associated to a wireless access point you need to log in to the network. This can be accomplished by one of two methods. The first is to use the campus VPN service. Use of the VPN will provide a secure connection across the wireless network and is the recommended method for connecting to the wireless system. If however the VPN client is not installed or not available you can log in to the network via a standard web browser. Simply open a web browser and you will be redirected to the login page. If for some reason the login page does not appear perform a full reload (usually [Shift]+reload) of your browser. The process is described at the WIPA site. Note that if you have the VPN client you do not need to log in via the web page.
What if I am still having problems getting it to work?
Check the Troubleshooting page for more assistance.
Where can I access the wireless network?
You can access the wireless service in any of the indoor and/or outdoor areas where the service has been deployed. Go here for a current Coverage Map.
How fast is the connection?
Although they are marketed as 11Mbps devices the actual throughput is in reality less than 7Mbps. The rest of the bandwidth is consumed by protocol overhead. In an ideal environment with only a single user connecting to an access point it might be possible to achieve 6Mbps. This can be greatly affected by the environment, harmful interference, and number of users using the system.
What is the network best used for?
It is ideally suited for applications that require mobility and for locations that are difficult or impossible to wire conventionally. It facilitates and offers new opportunities for research and education. It is also useful for more mundane purposes like checking e-mail or web browsing. Low bandwidth applications in general are the best fit. The limitations of the wireless system can cause unreliable service for applications that require high bandwidth usage.
What should I not use the wireless network for?
As discussed above, applications that require a lot of bandwidth should not be expected to run reliably over the wireless network. This would apply to things like streaming audio/video, running server based applications, large file transfers, and interactive graphic environments (games).
What problems do wireless networks have?
Wireless systems are limited in bandwidth and they are a 'shared' medium. This means that multiple users have to share the network so the total potential speed of the network gets split among them. It also carries security concerns (see next section). To make matters worse there are problems that occur as traffic increases on shared networks that can render them useless. Additionally, there are problems that can arise from environmental conditions and radio frequency interference.
Are there security issues with using this system?
Yes, there are definite security issues associated using a wireless connection that all users should be aware of. The fact that a wireless network is a shared environment means that anyone within RF reception distance of you can see every packet you send. The expertise level required to accomplish this is quite low as well. For this reason you should never use any unsecured connections to connect to wireless accounts. The following uses would compromise your account userid and password if run over an unsecured channel that was under observation:
- Checking your e-mail through either a POP or IMAP based client. (Although you can send mail as this doesn't usually require that an account password be used).
- Logging in to an Internet site over a non-secure web page.
- FTPing a file to or from a remote account.
- Opening a telnet session to a remote host.
For these reasons we strongly recommend the use of the campus Virtual Private Network (VPN) system. The client software is relatively easy to install and is available for free for most operating systems. Use of the VPN client will help to insure the security of your network activity. For more information and to obtain the VPN client software please go to the VPN service page.
If for some reason you are unable to use the VPN connection there are application level services you can use to help secure your wireless communications. For e-mail use a web based e-mail system that offers an SSL connection. This service is available for Gatorlink email accounts at https://webmail.ufl.edu/. For remote host connections like telnet and FTP, utilize SSH services to provide a secure connection. It is a good idea to use SSH connections even with the use of a VPN connection to help ensure end to end security.
I've heard about WEP encryption for wireless networks, what is it and why aren't we using it?
WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy and is a mechanism for providing encrypted communication over 802.11 wireless networks. Early on we decided to avoid the use of WEP for a number of reasons. WEP is based on a shared key system. A large part of the security relies upon maintaining the secrecy of the WEP key. Unfortunately all clients that access the system need to have the key. In a large environment where potentially thousands of hosts have the key, it's secrecy becomes nonexistent. There are newer protocols emerging that offer solutions for this problem but that haven't matured yet. Another reason WEP was rejected is that there is degree of protocol overhead and latency associated with using WEP encryption. Also, there was some incompatibility between vendor implementations and we wanted to maintain as generic an environment as possible. Most recently, there have also been reports that the WEP encryption mechanism can easily be cracked.
Can I walk around while accessing the network?
Yes, this is called 'roaming'. However there are limitations. Areas of campus are broken into regions because of network infrastructure issues. If you don't cross the boundary of the region you are in you will be able to move around without loosing connectivity. If you should cross one of these boundaries you may maintain a wireless connection but you will have to reauthenticate via the WIPA process to access the network again. As these regions become defined we will post a map to show the general boundaries.
Do the radio frequency emissions from these systems pose a health risk?
Wireless LAN systems meet stringent government and industry regulations for safety. The power output of wireless LAN systems is very low, much less than that of a handheld cellular phone. As a comparison a typical cell phone has a power output of around 600mW where as the wireless LAN systems have a maximum power output of about 100mW. No adverse health effects have ever been attributed to wireless LAN systems.