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- Overview
- Required Equipment
- Coverage and Locations
- Access and Security
- Troubleshooting
Overview
MSUnet (3.0 and 5 Ghz), the centrally managed wireless Internet service, provides wireless users with the flexibility to roam the MSU campus.
This document provides support for some of the frequently asked questions regarding access to the MSUnet network.
It is mandatory that your web browser has Javascript enabled for MSUnet access. This should already be enabled, as it is by default in most browsers.
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Required Equipment
What equipment do I need to connect to the MSUnet network?
In order to access the MSUnet network, you must have a wireless card installed on your laptop or handheld device that is compatible with the 802.11a, 802.11g or 802.11n standard.
Most newer laptop computers and hand-held devices come with these wireless cards already built into the system. If you are unsure if your computer came with a wireless card installed, contact the product vendor for more information.
Will my MacOS device connect to the MSUnet network?
All current MacOS devices have compatible wi-fi built in.
Where can I purchase a wireless card?
Most current laptops come with wireless capability built in. If you do not already have a wireless card installed, one can be purchased at the MSU Computer Store, located in the Computer Center on campus. More information can be found at http://techstore.msu.edu. Computer equipment stores such as Digilink also have wireless cards available for purchase.
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Coverage and Locations
In what locations can I access the MSUnet network?
MSUnet service is available in select areas within most buildings on the MSU campus.
MSUnet is also available in certain outdoor areas around campus! The following outdoor areas are now covered:
- The courtyard between Case, Wilson and Wonders Hall.
- South of Administration Building on both banks of the Red Cedar.
- North of the International Center.
- The fountain behind the Student Services building.
Look for the MSUnet sign for "hot spot" wireless locations.
What are some of the advantages of the central wireless system?
Advantages of the central wireless system include:
- The ability to roam between access points, even between buildings.
- Guest access, with separate controls on available services.
- Central firewalling and intrusion detection/prevention for the wireless system.
- Wireless access is tunneled back to a central point, so wireless users don't automatically become a part of the local network in a given building. This provides a layer of protection for servers and staff workstations.
- Central management and reporting of all access points. The management features include automatic power level and channel adjustments, mapping of signal strength and coverage, rogue AP detection, automated distribution of software updates, and more.
These and other features allow a large, campus-wide deployment to have greater management options and access controls.
Why do often I see a number after the MSUnet SSID?
Upgrades occur regularly and as a new generation of the wireless network is deployed a generation number is added to the network/SSID name.
Can I use VoIP?
Some users of handheld devices such as an iPhone or Blackberry may wish to use Voice-over-IP to make voice calls.
As with e-mail on cellphones and handheld devices, our ability to support use of VoIP is limited to providing basic settings information.
The ability to use VoIP on the MSU network is also dependent on the ports/protocol settings used by your carrier. Currently, there is a known issue with T-Mobile which renders VoIP on its phones incompatible with our network security.
If your carrier's implementation is incompatible, your device is limited to using cellular technology for voice calls.
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Access and Security
How much does MSUnet access cost?
Unlimited access to MSUnet is free of charge to MSU faculty, students, and staff using a valid MSU NetID and password. Limited access to MSUnet Guest is free of charge to affiliated guests of MSU.
How secure is my MSUnet connection?
The MSUnet network is not encrypted, which means each user must take responsibility for how they handle viewing sensitive data.
When viewing sensitive data over the MSUnet network, make sure that the website you are on has the "https://" prefix. If it does not have this prefix, do not send confidential information such as bank account, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc. There is a slight possibility that these numbers could be intercepted. When the https:// prefix is present, information is secure.
How often must I register my network device with the MSUnet network?
All devices that connect to the MSUnet DHCP service will be prompted to register. Standard device registrations remain valid until 90 days of contiguous device inactivity. After 90 days of device inactivity, a device's registration is deleted. There is no limit to the number of times a device can register with the MSUnet network. If a device accesses the MSUnet network more frequently than every 90 days, the device will only need to be registered once.
Is guest access available?
The MSUnet Guest network provides bandwidth-limited access for affiliated guests. While these networks do not require DHCP registration of the wireless device, agreement to abide by the MSU Statement of Acceptable Use is required (see the Guest Access section).
See MSUnet: Guest Access for more information on MSUnet guest access.
Do I have to log into the MSUnet network in each building I visit?
The MSUnet network extends across the East Lansing campus and to many remote locations. Registering a device with the MSUnet network provides access for that device across the entire MSUnet network. Some facilities located on an MSU campus or affiliated remote location may provide isolated network services which are not part of the MSUnet network.
Do I have to log out of the MSUnet network?
It is not necessary to log out of the MSUnet network. Registrations can be edited or deleted by browsing to DHCP.msu.edu and selecting "Manage your computer registrations".
See DHCP Help FAQ for details.
Can I join MSUNet wireless with a private MAC address?
Background: A media access control (MAC) address is a unique string of letters and numbers that is used to identify a device on a network and allow it to communicate with other devices. MAC addresses are usually assigned when the device is manufactured and, unlike IP addresses they generally do not change when moving from one network to another. In other words, MAC addresses have historically been static and unique to each network device.
The MSU DHCP registration system requires that you have a static MAC address. MAC randomization aka Private MAC Address setting that is available on some Android 10 and up, Windows 10 devices, and iOS 14 and higher, is not compatible with the MSU network. Many devices connect using a private network address by default. The setting can be turned off for each SSID and disablement is necessary. If your device unexpectedly loses wireless network connection after DHCP registration, disable Private Network or randomization, and re-register the hardware assigned MAC address of the device.
What is a certificate?
All secure web (https) sites have certificates that verify the authenticity of the site. Part of connecting to the Wireless system is logging into the authentication server. This login page is a secure web page and thus has a certificate. If you are unfamiliar with certificates and/or would like view the possible certificates that you will see (different browsers display the certificate in different ways), consult the help pages for your browser.
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Troubleshooting
I can get a valid network IP address and strong signal; why can't I connect?
In most cases such as this, Windows users (or Mac users with non-Airport wireless cards) the wireless card is not fully compatible with the network and you will need to connect to the Internet via a wired connection (i.e., Ethernet or dialup), and download and install updated drivers for your wireless card.
Why must I sometimes temporarily disable my wired Ethernet device to use MSUnet?
When our wireless equipment administration software detects a computer which has both wired and wireless devices, some configurations and combinations of these two devices cause the administration software to reject the connection. This behavior makes MSUnet seem unreachable and is a bug in the administrative software. We expect a forthcoming software update will resolve this issue. A temporary workaround is to disable your wired Ethernet device whenever you connect to MSUnet.
Why won't my browser redirect to the DHCP Registration page?
If your home page is set to a secure web page (a page with a URL that starts with "https://"), then MSUnet Wireless will be unable to redirect your browser to our registration page. Browsing to a non-secure page should correct this problem.
Browser redirection to the registration page is known to not work if either of the following are true: 1) If the website you are trying to visit does not exist or is offline; 2) If you are trying to visit an SSL encrypted site. However, once registered, the SSL sites will work; this is only a limitation on the redirect to the registration page.
If you encounter either of these two problems, simply trying to visit a different, non-secure web page (i.e., http://www.msu.edu) should get you redirected.
I followed the setup instructions and it didn't work. What now?
If you are in covered location and can't seem to connect, try loading the web page a few (2-4) times. If that doesn't work, toggle your connection to MSU Guest and then back to MSUNet 3.0 (or 5 Ghz). Also, try closing and restarting the browser and repeating the tries; rebooting your computer is also a good idea.
Be sure your device has Private Networking DISABLED (most typically the default setting on iOS devices such as iPhones and iPads, some Android devices, and increasingly on Windows devices). See this DHCP help page (link) for instructions.
If following these instructions still doesn't help resolve your problem, contact the MSU IT Service Desk at (517) 432-6200, or visit the MSU Tech Store walk-in service counter at 110 Computer Center.
Where can I go for help with my MSUnet connection?
Contact the MSU IT Service Desk at (517) 432-6200, or visit the MSU Techstore located in 110 Computer Center.
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