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Wireless connectivity FAQ

While wireless has been around for several years, it is still less reliable, secure and more difficult to configure then a traditional wired network. We have collected some of the most commonly asked questions and solutions relating to wireless connectivity.

Where is wireless available, and when will it be available in my area?

Yale ITS is working toward its goal to provide wireless coverage throughout all buildings on campus.  To date, we have completed this in all residential colleges, including Old Campus, and nearly all libraries, academic or administrative buildings.  Some buildings, including many on the medical campus are scheduled for renovation, in these buildings wireless networks will be installed during the time of the renovation.

I want to use my wireless device on Yale’s network, what do I have to do?

To access YaleSecure you must configure your computer for WPA/WPA2 and have a valid NetID and password.
To access “yale wireless” you must register your wireless hardware address by faxing in a Computing Request Form. Students can view the Roaming and Wireless Connection Sign Up Form to register their device.
If the computer has not already been setup on the network, we recommend a technician visit to properly patch the computer and install antivirus.

Before the VPN requirement, my wireless connectivity in the Medical Library was reliable, but I now find that some days I am dropped at regular intervals.

There are a few issues that may be causing this decrease in reliability:

1. Please be aware that we are now recommending YaleSecure for the secure wireless access from the Medical School.   Please see configuring your computer for YaleSecure.
2. The rapidly increasing numbers of wireless uses and increased network traffic in general that are causing wireless access points (WAPs) to become saturated.
3. Enabling VPN can accentuate the less robust nature of wireless connectivity. For example with web browsing active or email, if a wireless connection is dropped for only a second or two the user may not even notice, but a lag of only two seconds can cause the VPN to drop, requiring you to re-authenticate. Move to a different location that provides a stronger signal and or re-initiate your VPN access.

Two laptop users are sitting side-by-side and when one person is on the Internet, the other is bumped off and unable to regain a wireless signal.

This could be due to signal strength. If you are in an area with less then 30% coverage try and move to a location that offers 75% coverage or higher.

My Windows computer used to connect quickly to the internet, the connection and everything else now seems slow.

Many things can slow down your computer/network connection including viruses, spyware and bad hardware or a misconfigured device.

Spyware can slow all network traffic; this slowdown can become more pronounced on a slower wireless network. ITS recommends Symantec Antivirus with protection against viruses and spyware, click here for installation.

External ISPs often give you software to install on your computer before you can connect to the internet. This software is almost always not needed, and adds a layer of complexity to your network, do not install it! If you have already installed the software, click Start- Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs. Look for a program with the same name as your ISP like SBC/Yahoo or Comcast.

My computer at home can’t connect to the Internet anymore.

If you are not able to connect to the network, check your modem for the internet light. If it is not on, power off the modem, unplug all the cables, plug them back in and power the modem back on. Once the modem has reset, try your connection again, if that doesn’t work reboot the computer.   Make sure that your DNS is set for DHCP.  Contact your Internet service provider.  If necessary contact the ITS Help Desk at 432-9000.

I just purchased a wireless network router and installed it, but my wireless device cannot connect.

Contact your Internet service provider for assistance.  If necessary contact the ITS Help Desk at 432-9000.

I am working from home on my wireless network, and I can’t print to my wireless printer.

This usually happens if you are using Yale VPN, to solve this problem, use the YSM Split Profile option your VPN settings. If you are using library resources, you will need to use the proxy server with the split tunneling configuration. Another solution is to plug your computer into the printer with a USB or parallel cable.  If necessary contact the ITS Help Desk at 432-9000.

My wireless card indicates it is connected to the wireless access pint (WAP), but I am unable to login to the VPN.

Check to see if can connect to an internet site such as www.yale.edu.   If you are running personal firewall software on your computer, you might need to disable your firewall in order to reach the VPN server.  Make sure you are using your correct NetID password.   If necessary, call the ITS Help Desk at 432-9000.

My wireless card indicates it is connected to the Yale wireless network but I get a "page cannot be displayed" error no matter what website I try to go to; even Web pages from ITS.

If you have your web browser set to use the proxy server, this is what you will get. You should "turn off" the proxy server by unchecking the appropriate box. You should be able to see selected pages on the Medical School web server including those pages that will allow you to register your device and download the VPN software.  Contact the ITS Help Desk to verify that your device is registered with the Yale Network.

I have a wireless G connection and a Wireless A/B/G router but am getting slower performance then expected. How can I improve performance?

Besides the usual answers for slow access, network traffic or distance from the router, this problem can be caused by the auto speed sensing radio in the wireless router. Most B/G routers share a radio for receiving wireless traffic. If one computer connected to the wireless access point is using a wireless card capable of only B transmission, then the wireless access point will slow down all connections to accommodate that user. The A capable part of the router uses a different radio to and is not effected by this problem.

Network service contacts

To report a problem:

Problems with campus network connections and DNO services should be reported to the ITS Help Desk at 203-432-9000.

Please provide your name and telephone number and a description of the problem you are experiencing. This information will be forwarded to DNO staff for resolution and followup. Problems affecting individual connections during off-hours and weekends will be addressed during the next work period (Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM- 5:00 PM).

Major network or service failures will be dealt with immediately. If for any reason you feel that a problem has not been adequately addressed or if you have any questions about the service policy and procedures, please contact ITS Network Services Customer Service at 432-4700, or David Galassi at 432-4480.