RIT
Systems and Technologies

Problems connecting to the RIT wireless network with WPA

ITS is currently transitioning the RIT wireless network to use Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).

RIT’s Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) wireless network requires that you authenticate, or log in, to connect; it is not an open network. It provides a level of additional security through encryption — especially to allow you to safely login with your RIT computer account username and password — of your wireless network transmissions.

While most modern wireless network cards support the WPA standard (as well as WPA-2), some personally- and institute-owned hardware may not. In some scenarios, your operating system may allow you to configure the appropriate settings even though the hardware will not function correctly, or vice versa.

Troubleshooting

If you are able to configure the appropriate settings but you still cannot connect to the RIT wireless network with WPA, we recommend that you attempt the following steps:

  1. Consult the manufacturer’s documentation to determine if your wireless network card or adapter (which may be internal or even integral to your computer) supports WPA. Much of the information can be located on the vendor’s Web site. If you discover your device doesn’t support WPA you may want to consider purchasing one that does.
  2. Update your device driver software. Updating the device drivers can bring you added functionality, as well as alleviate known technical problems. You can locate the most up-to-date software from the company that manufactured your computer or its wireless network card. Some links to common vendors are:
  3. Contact the ITS HelpDesk, your system administrator, or IT support organization for assistance if the self-help steps above .

Legacy devices

ITS is continually attempting to move RIT network resources to a more secure model that will benefit the entire campus. During this transition we acknowledge that some devices may simply lack the capacity to utilize WPA.

The current open authentication “rit” SSID is still broadcast and will continue to be broadcast for the foreseeable future. However, it is our intention to limit access to the open network over time.

Eventually, we anticipate that users and administrators will be required to apply for an exception through the ITS HelpDesk to connect to the open network. We feel that it is in the community’s best interest to transition as many devices as possible to the WPA network.