Earlier this year, Kent State University’s Division of Information Services presented the university community with a new wireless network option. Eduroam, a worldwide system of wireless networks, allows faculty, staff and students to securely access the wireless networks at participating academic and research institutions. By logging in with Kent State credentials at any campus, a user has the ability to access the eduroam network, connecting him or her to networks of partner institutions.
"Having the ability to log in to a secure network as if you were at your own university alleviates a great deal of hassle," says Mike Perdue, Kent State’s director of network services. "Anyone who attends conferences has at some point experienced issues trying to connect to a guest network. Sometimes just locating the temporary credentials can be an ordeal."
Providing an eduroam network offers this same convenience to counterparts from partner universities when they visit a Kent State campus. The Division of Information Services recently streamlined the process for creating guest accounts, but the eduroam network eliminates the need to arrange quality network access for lecturers, vendors and other university guests.
Where is eduroam?
Nationally, 308 institutions support an eduroam network and an additional 93 are in various stages of implementation. Kent State joins other Ohio universities, such as the University of Cincinnati, Case Western Reserve University and the Ohio State University, that also offer this service. Eduroam's presence is even more widespread on an international scale, serving institutions in 76 countries around the world.
Accessing the eduroam Network
All Kent State students, faculty and staff have access to the eduroam network. While on a Kent State campus, select "eduroam" on your device and log in using your Kent State email address (including the @kent.edu) and password. Your device is now connected to the eduroam network. When visiting a participating institution, simply select "eduroam" and your device will automatically connect.
If you have questions or experience any difficulties, submit a ticket at support.kent.edu or call 330-672-HELP.