UW-W Wireless Connection Instructions
Mac OS X for UW-W's 802.1x Secure Wireless Network
This Quick Start Guide assumes that you already have AirPort wireless enabled and configured for DHCP. You should have an AirPort Status menu bar icon in the upper right corner of your screen, as pictured below.
Mac OS X version 10.3 and later includes the software required to use UW-W's secure wireless network. 802.1x networking is not supported in versions of Mac OS X prior to 10.3 and later. Before attempting these instructions, be sure to update to the latest version of the Apple Airport software using the Software Update feature built into Mac OS X. It is also recommended that you upgrade Mac OS X to 10.3.3 or later.
- Open Internet Connect
Go to a place that provides access to the UW-W 802.1x secure wireless network “uww-wifi”. For current wireless locations, please see the UW-W Wireless Computing web page. To complete these instructions you will need to establish a connection to the network and authenticate with your UW-W ID and password.
Click the AirPort Status menu on the menu bar and select Open Internet Connect.
This will start the Internet Connect application, which you will use to configure your 802.1x credentials. In Internet Connect, click the 802.1X icon. You should see a screen that looks something like this:
If 802.1x does not show, click on File and select New 802.1x connection.
- Edit Configuration
From the Configuration: pulldown menu, select Edit Configurations. This brings up a screen that allows you to save your 802.1x credentials so they can be used for different connections.
In the Description field, type UWW 802.1x. Confirm that AirPort is selected for the Network Port field. Type your UW-W ID in the User Name field (warhawkw in the example above) and type your UW-W password in the Password field. Type uww-wifi in the Wireless Network field. In the Authentication area, only PEAP should be checked. Uncheck anything that is not PEAP and make sure PEAP is checked. Click OK to save the changes.
- Test the 802.1x connection
In the Internet Connect screen, you should now be able to click the Connect button to authenticate to the UWW 802.1x network “uww-wifi”.
The first time you connect, you may get a message indicating that the server certificate is not trusted. On OS10.3, click the "Accept All" button. If you are using OS10.4, click on "Show Certificate." Check the box for "Always trust these certificates" and click on "Continue." You will no longer be asked for a certificate each time you connect. You may also get a message asking if you want to store the password in your Mac OS X Keychain; click Yes. If everything has been configured correctly, you should see "Connected" in the Status area similar to what's shown in the example above.
Tips for Using 802.1x on Mac OS X at UW-W
Mac OS X version 10.3.3 and higher, used with AirPort version 3.4 and higher, has the ability to remember that you need to authenticate via 802.1x with a particular SSID. Once you have established an intial 802.1x connection to “uww-wifi” using Internet Connect, you do not always need to manually start the Internet Connect application to connect to the “uww-wifi” secure wireless network.
If you intend to move between various kinds of wireless access points, don't disconnect from “uww-wifi” by clicking the Disconnect button in Internet Connect. Instead, use the AirPort Status menu to turn AirPort off, or simply put the Mac to sleep via the Sleep menu option or by closing the laptop lid. Mac OS X will remember the “uww-wifi” 802.1x connection and look for it whenever a wireless signal is detected. You may define several wireless networks in this way and then seamlessly move between them without the need to choose a specific wireless network each time.
When live roaming between secure access points within the “uww-wifi” 802.1x secure wireless network, you may notice a 10 to 15 second interruption in service while AirPort re-authenticates. You should see an "authenticating" message in the AirPort Status menu icon.
