EdIT - Educational Information Technology

Wireless access is now available at Poe Hall. The classrooms have at least one active, wired port, as well.  Both wireless and wired access is provided via the University's Nomadic Computing project. The Nomad system provides IP address and authentication to the campus network.

The links to the left show floor-by-floor classroom network ports.

If you find an area in the building that is not letting you connect to the wireless network, please let the helpdesk know. ced_help@ncsu.edu

Configuring Your Computer for Nomad

To gain wireless or classroom wired access, your Windows or Macintosh computer's network settings must be configured for DHCP. If your computer is configured to work in your office or on your home network, please write down your network settings before changing them to work with Nomad.

For wireless access, your computer must be equipped with an IEEE 802.11b-compliant wireless network card.

Internet access through Nomad requires a valid Unity username and password.

Connecting through Nomad

To obtain network or internet access once your computer's network settings have been correctly configured:

1. Launch your web browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer).
2. Direct your browser to https://nomad.ncsu.edu/ if it does not automatically take you there.
3. You may receive notification that the web page you are visiting contains an unknown security certificate. Accept the certificate and continue on to the page.
4. On the login page, enter your Unity user name and password and click "Login/Refresh."

Upon successful authentication, you are granted network/internet access until you log out or your session times out. Nomad will automatically log you off the system if it cannot reach your computer for more than 10 minutes or if your network connection is idle more than 2 hours.

Notes on Wireless Performance

Please note that your wireless connection speed depends in part upon the number of connected users and their level of activity -- the more people sharing the overall bandwidth, the slower each individual user's connection becomes. Also, even in covered areas, signal strength may vary depending upon your proximity to access points, whether or not you're in the shadow of a reinforced concrete wall, etc. If you experience intermittent network loss or extremely slow connection speeds, use your wireless network card's signal meter to check your signal strength. If the signal strength is poor, try moving to a different seat or desk -- moving just a short distance can result in noticeable signal improvement.

Because your information is traveling through the air, it's important to remember that security is always a concern on wireless networks. Because of vulnerabilities and scalability issues, WEP (wired equivalency privacy) protocols are not employed in the campus wireless network. Though not a great concern for most web browsing and email activities, users should make sure web pages employ encryption before passing sensitive information over the web.Wireless users are also encouraged to employ secure protocols whenever possible. See ITD's SSH page for more information on secure remote access connections.

ComTech's Wireless Data Network home page provides further information about the state of wireless computing on campus.

 

 

DEPARTMENTAL ADDRESS &
CONTACT INFO

Educational Information Technology

Poe 412A, Box 7801

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, N.C. 276195-7801

919.515.1760 tel

Help Desk: ced_help@ncsu.edu