Windows on-campus connections to the IU wireless network
On this page:
- Introduction
- Automatic configuration
- Windows 7 or Vista manual configuration
- Windows XP manual configuration
- Troubleshooting
Introduction
IU Secure is the wireless network for students, faculty, and staff to access when on campus. IU Secure uses WPA2 Enterprise (Wi-Fi Protected Access) for authentication; no VPN is needed. IU Northwest will have IU Secure by spring semester 2010; it is available at all other campuses except IPFW.
If you're visiting the university, use the IU Guest network; see Network Access account basics. If you're affiliated with Purdue, see Wireless access at Indiana University and Purdue University.
Note: Beginning January 1, 2010, UITS will require MAC address registration to connect to the IU Secure network. This applies to new devices only; any device that has connected to IU Secure during fall semester 2009 will be grandfathered into the DHCP database and will not need to register. For more information on MAC address registration, see Registering your computer on the IU network
Automatic configuration
To automatically configure your Windows Vista or XP computer to connect to IU Secure, use the configuration utility from IUware. For Windows XP, you will need to select the appropriate utility based on which service packs are installed on your computer; for help, see Determining which service packs are installed in Windows.
If you instead wish to manually configure your computer to connect to IU Secure, follow the appropriate set of instructions below.
Windows 7 or Vista manual configuration
The first time you connect to the IU Secure wireless network, you will need to do the following to configure Windows 7 or Vista for IU Secure:
- From the Start menu, open the
Control Panel.
- Click
Network and Sharing Center. Then, clickConnect to a network.
- From the menu, double-click
IU Secure(you may need to scroll down).If prompted, select
Enter/select additional logon information. Supply your Network ID; for the logon domain, useADS. ClickOK. - You will probably return to the "Connect to a network"
screen. Click
Enter/select additional logon informationagain.
- In the
Validate Server Certificatewindow, verify that the Root Certificate Authority is "Thawte Premium Server CA", and then clickOK.
- In the
Connect to the Internetwindow, you now have the option to save your login credentials so you will not have to provide them every time. To save them, clickClose.
If you cannot connect after following the steps above, see the instructions below for pre-configuring your computer.
Note: Following the steps above will save your username and passphrase for all subsequent connections from your computer. If you do not want your authentication credentials saved (e.g., if you are logged into someone else's computer), clear your credentials from memory as follows:
- In
Control Panel, double-clickNetwork and Sharing Center.
- On the left, click
Manage wireless connections.
- Double-click the wireless network connection you just configured.
- Click the
Securitytab. In Windows 7, uncheckRemember my credentials for this connection each time I'm logged on. In Vista, uncheckCache user information for subsequent connections to this network. ClickOK.
- Refresh or disconnect the connection.
The instructions below describe the complete manual process for configuring Windows 7 or Vista to access IU Secure. Use these instructions to pre-configure your computer before it's in range of the IU Secure network, or if for some reason the process above does not work when you are in range of the network.
- Before manually setting up the new connection to IU Secure, first
check for and remove any existing connections:
- From the
Startmenu, openControl Panel. Go toNetwork and Sharing Center. Then, on the left, clickManage Wireless Networks. - If
IU Secureappears, highlight it and clickRemove.
- From the
- While in the "Manage Wireless Networks" screen, click
Add.
- Choose
Manually create a network profile. In the dialog box that appears:
- For "Network name:", type
IU Secure. - For "Security type:", select
WPA2-Enterprise. - For "Encryption type:", select
AES. - The other options can generally be left alone.
- Click
Next.
- For "Network name:", type
- Click
Change connection settings. Then select theSecuritytab and clickSettings....
- Check
Connect to these servers:and typenet-auth-1.noc.iu.edu.
- Under "Trusted Root Certification Authorities:", check
Thawte Premium Server CA.
- Check
Do not prompt user to authorize new servers or trusted certification authorities.
- Click
Configure....
- Uncheck
Automatically use my Windows logon name and password (and domain if any).
- Click
OKthree times to close all the windows.
When you select the IU Secure wireless network and click
Connect, you will not be able to connect until you
authenticate. Instead, a pop-up window will open (it may take a
moment) telling you that additional information is required. Click the
link in this window to open an authentication box. Type your username
and password; in the "Logon domain:" field, enter
ADS.
Windows XP manual configuration
To manually configure Windows XP to connect to IU Secure, you must have one of the following installed:
- Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
- Windows XP Wireless LAN API (available from Microsoft's Help and Support site)
To configure Windows XP manually:
- From the
Startmenu, click eitherControl Panel, orSettingsand thenControl Panel.
- Double-click the
Network Connectionsicon. If instead you seeNetwork and Internet Connections, click the link in the upper left labeledSwitch to Classic Viewto see the correctNetwork Connectionsicon.
- Right-click the
Wireless Network Connectionicon and selectProperties.
- Click the
Wireless Networkstab, and then clickAdd....
- On the
Associationtab, enter these settings:
- In the "Network name (SSID):" field, enter
IU Secure. - From the "Network Authentication:" drop-down menu, select
WPA2. - From the "Data encryption:" drop-down list, select
AES.
- In the "Network name (SSID):" field, enter
- Select the
Authenticationtab, and then enter these settings:
- From the "EAP type:" drop-down list, select
Protected EAP (PEAP). - Uncheck
Authenticate as computer when computer information is available. - Verify that
Authenticate as guest when user or computer information is unavailableis not selected.
- From the "EAP type:" drop-down list, select
- Under the "EAP type:" drop-down menu, click
Properties. In the resultingProtected EAPdialog box, configure the following:
- Verify that
Validate server certificateis selected. - Select the
Connect to these servers:box, and then enternet-auth-1.noc.iu.eduin the text box. - In the "Trusted Root Certification Authorities" list, check
Thawte Premium Server CA. - Select
Do not prompt user to authorize new servers or trusted certification authorities.
- Verify that
- Verify that
Secured password (EAP-MSCHAP v2)is selected for the authentication method, and then clickConfigure....
- In the
EAP MSCHAP v2 Propertiesdialog box, uncheckAutomatically use my Windows logon name and password (and domain if any), and then clickOK.
- Click
OKto close theProtected EAP Propertiesdialog box.
- Click
OKto close theWireless network propertiesdialog box.
- Click
OKto close theWireless Network Connection Propertiesdialog box.
- Your system will attempt to connect to the IU Secure wireless
network. You should see a notification balloon near the system
tray displaying the message:
"Click here to select a certificate or other credentials for connection to the network IU Secure"
- Click the message balloon, and then enter your IU Network ID
credentials in the authentication box. In the "Domain" field, enter
ADS, and then clickOK.
Troubleshooting
Problems getting a wireless signal
Wireless coverage is widely available at IU. If you suspect you're not
getting an adequate wireless signal, check the connection status. In
Windows XP, in the Network Connections folder,
double-click the Wireless Connection icon. The connection
status information includes a signal strength meter.
If you are not getting an adequate wireless signal in an area that is supposed to have coverage, try verifying your laptop's wireless settings. By default, some operating systems use settings that are incorrect for the IU network. Unless you change these, you may not be able to connect to the wireless network. You will not need to make any adjustments to wireless settings if you're using Windows Vista's wireless services. To check your settings in Windows XP:
- From the
Startmenu, selectControl Panel; alternatively, selectSettings, and thenControl Panel.
- If the screen prompts you to pick a category, click
Network and Internet Connections, and thenNetwork Connections. If it doesn't, double-clickNetwork Connections.
- Right-click
Wireless Network Connectionand selectProperties. Then, click theWireless Networkstab.
- At the bottom right, click
Advanced.
- Make sure the only option selected is
Access point (infrastructure) networks only. If other options are selected, deselect them.
- Click
Close, and then clickOK.
If you have trouble connecting, but the signal strength is good, a different network configuration issue may be preventing communications. To resolve this issue, use standard TCP/IP troubleshooting techniques; see In Windows XP, how do I reinstall TCP/IP?
If the signal strength is poor or no signal is received, try the steps below for configuring Windows XP without using Wireless Zero. If that does not resolve the issue, consult the manufacturer to determine if the wireless network adapter is working properly.
Windows troubleshooting
- If you are having difficulties connecting in Windows Vista, you
can try installing the Wireless Optimization
Utility for Windows Vista from IUware.
-
Resetting TCP/IP and the Winsock Catalog:
Occasionally, a computer caches network settings when switching access points or networks. To clear these settings, follow the steps below.
To reset the Winsock Catalog:
- In Vista, click the
Startmenu. In XP, from theStartmenu, selectRun.... - In the "Start Search" or "Open:" field, type
cmdand then clickOK. - At the command prompt, enter
netsh winsock reset.
While still at the command prompt, to reset TCP/IP, enter:
netsh int ip reset reset.txtNote: You will not get any "success" message from this command; you will return to the command prompt.
- In Vista, click the
-
Driver problems:
To troubleshoot driver problems:
- From the
Startmenu or desktop, right-clickComputerorMy Computer, and selectManage.
- Under "Computer Management", click
Device Manager.
- In the right pane, double-click
Other devicesif possible. If the wireless network adapter is in this folder, the drivers for the network adapter have not been installed.
- Double-click
Network adaptersand see if a wireless network adapter is present.
- If the wireless network adapter is present, double-click it. Under
the
Generaltab, confirm that the device is working properly. If it is not, you will see an error code under "Device Status". You can further troubleshoot the error by searching for the error code at Microsoft support. - If the wireless network adapter is not present under either
Network adaptersorOther devices, either the problem is with the device or the driver may not be installed.
- If the wireless network adapter is present, double-click it. Under
the
- From the
-
Configuring Windows XP without using
Wireless Zero Configuration:
If you can view the properties for the Wireless Connection icon but you do not see a
Wireless Networkstab, the network adapter driver does not fully support the Wireless Zero Configuration service; configure Windows XP to use the connection as follows:- In the
Network Connectionsfolder, right-clickWireless Connection, and then selectProperties.
- Click
Configure. From theAdvancedtab, configure your wireless network by using the available configuration options. The available options and option names may vary depending on the driver manufacturer:
-
Service-Set Identifier (SSID): At IU, this should
be set to
IU Secure. - Wireless Equivalent Protocol (WEP) or Encryption: Disable WEP.
-
Mode or Network Type: If you have an access point
(e.g., you are at IU trying to connect to the IU network), set this
option to
Infrastructure. If you do not have an access point, and you are connecting computer to computer, set this option toAd-Hoc. -
Data Rate: Set this option to
Autoor to11 Mbps. -
Power Save: For troubleshooting, set Power Save
to
Offor toDisabled. After the connection works properly, you can change this setting.
-
Service-Set Identifier (SSID): At IU, this should
be set to
After you configure these options, click
OKto save the changes. Test to see if your connection works. If a red "X" is displayed over the connection icon in theNetwork Connectionsfolder, or if you cannot connect:- From the
Startmenu or the desktop, right-clickComputerorMy Computer, and selectManage.
- Double-click
Services and Applications, and then clickServices.
- In the details pane, right-click
Wireless Zero Configuration, and selectProperties.
- Under "Startup type", select
Disabled, and then clickOK.
- Close the
Computer Managementwindow, and then restart the computer.
By disabling the Wireless Zero Configuration, you should be able to connect to the wireless network.
- In the

