By Steve Sharer

Penn State’s ITS department has recently expanded their efforts to upgrade the university’s wireless infrastructure. Currently, students and faculty have to suffer through the arduous process of using a CiscoVPN Client in order to establish a secure connection with Penn State’s Wi-Fi network.  The new system, dubbed Wireless 2.0, merely requires that users enter their Penn State User ID and password. According to the ITS information page, this next generation Wireless infrastructure now offers access points in the following locations:

1. Willard Building- Entire building, as well as the outside area between Schwab and Carnegie
2. Life Sciences Building – In six classrooms on the ground floor (#9 through #14)
3. Telecommunications Building – Entire building
4. Thomas Building- 1st and 2nd Floors, as well as the outside plaza area between Thomas and Ritenour
5. Business Building – Entire Building and adjacent outdoor areas
6. Ag. Science and Industries – General purpose classrooms and portions of the ground, 1st, 2nd, and 4th floors
7. Food Science Building – Entire building and Creamery outdoor seating area
8. Forest Resources Building – Entire building and adjacent outdoor areas

Prior to being expanded to the above locations, the Wireless 2.0 system was tested on Services Road, near the Blue Band Building and IM Fields. By shedding the VPN client, users can expect to see far less connection issues. Under the new system, the time that it takes to connect to the networks has decreased dramatically – from about a minute (using the VPN client) to nearly instantaneously. In addition, Wi-Fi coverage between buildings has also been improved.  The SSID uses 802.1x (EAP-TTLS-PAP) with WPA-TKIP encryption.  Here, it is nice to see that Penn State is utilizing this type of security, as WEP security is highly vulnerable to attack.

For instructions on how to get connected, visit this page (PSU Access ID Required). The setup process is simple: select your platform, click submit, and follow the well-written and clearly illustrated instructions.  Because this new wireless platform does not utilize VPN, many additional platforms are supported, including Linux, 64-bit Windows, Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, and other generic platforms.

Once you have installed the new client, search for the SSID (name of the Wi-Fi network) “psu” in your wireless connections menu. Select “psu” and input your Penn State Access ID and password when prompted to do so. Keep in mind that the legacy VPN network is named “pennstate” andthat this older network cannot be used withthis new configuration. In some places on campus, both SSIDs may appear.

I have tried the Wireless 2.0 system from my 32-bit Vista laptop as well as my iPod Touch. Both devices were able to connect with ease, and the connection was always strong. This was a welcome surprise, especially after the difficulty associated with connecting iPhones and iPod Touch after OS 2.0 offered VPN connectivity. Even though that problem has been resolved, it is nice to see that this new system will be able to support a multitude of devices in the future.

ITS is very interested in obtaining feedback regarding this new system. They are currently encouraging all students with an Access ID number to try out and use this new connection scheme. Click here to visit the feedback form.

Leave your comments regarding your experience with this new system. If you find another location on campus that offers the “psu” SSID, please let us know.

Steve Sharer is a SRA/IST undergraduate student in the College of IST. He serves as the corporate relations officer of the Security and Risk Analysis Club and plays the trumpet in the world renown Penn State Marching Blue Band. Steve runs Digital Frontier, a hybrid blog about technology, security and Penn State. He also created and maintains Volunteer @ Penn State – a unified resource for volunteer events in and around the Penn State community.