Campus WiFi - Eduroam

Eduroam is a wireless access service that allows faculty, staff, and students to access a secure Wi-Fi network not only at their home institution, but anywhere else around the globe that uses the eduroam service. Once your device is registered and connected at your home institution, it will connect automatically anywhere that eduroam is available. Lowering the bar for access by deploying eduroam helps reduce connection anxiety for guests trying to connect to the Internet when visiting other institutions, be it for an academic conference or a semester abroad.

Windows:

• Connect to the "Welcome-to-TCNJ" network
• Your default browser will open and bring you to a website with the option "students and employees click here" which will bring you to cat.eduroam.org
• The installer will guide you through the rest of the setup process.
  • When prompted for your username and password, you will need to use your entire TCNJ email address (so include @tcnj.edu at the end)

Macs:

• Connect to the "Welcome-to-TCNJ" network
• X out of the pop-up box that appears when you connect
  • This pop-up may attempt to come back a few seconds later, X out of it again
• Open up your preferred browser and go to tcnj.edu and it will redirect you to the same website that you saw on the pop-up
  • This will not work if you have signed up for guest WiFi in the meantime. In which case, just go directly to cat.eduroam.org
• Go through the same steps for attempting the eduroam installer that you would have in the pop-up, but this method will allow your computer to download the file
• Open the file and when asked for your username and password, use your full TCNJ email address (so including @tcnj.edu) and your TCNJ password
  • If you have updated your Mac OS to Big Sur, you won't have a file to open. Instead, open up your System Preferences and then go to "Profiles" to begin this process
• Once the program finishes running and you get a screen with a "Verified" message, you can connect directly to eduroam

iPhones/iPads

While on Data:

• If your iPhone/iPad has network signal through a data plan, you can either scan the QR code at the end of this section or open up a web browser and go to cat.eduroam.org
• Once there, click on the large button that reads “Click here to download your eduroam installer”
• The screen will dim and a pop-up will appear with all of the nearby schools that are using eduroam. “The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)“ will appear at the top of that list, select it once it comes up
  • If TCNJ does not appear, you may search for it by name in the bar below the list
• On the next page, there will be a new button for "Apple Device" that will prompt a download
• A pop-up from your phone will appear asking you if you want to allow the website to download a file, select "Allow"
  • If this does not happen automatically, you will be brought to a page where you can click a link to manually start the download
• After the download is finished, you will be told to finish setting it up by going to your Settings app. If you do not see a section called "Profiles Downloaded" directly underneath your Apple ID info, you can find the profile by going to the General section and then scrolling to the bottom where the Profiles section will now be
• After selecting the eduroam profile, start the install process and you will be guided to enter your credentials
  • For eduroam, when you are asked for your username, you wil be entering your entire @tcnj.edu email address and not just your regular username
• Once the profile is installed and verified, go to your WiFi settings and switch over to the eduroam network
  • This process will fail if your password is expired and needs to be changed

Without Data:

• If your iPhone/iPad is not on a data plan, the following video will show you how to download the eduroam profile by using the "Welcome-to-TCNJ" registration network

If the video is not loading, here are the steps it outlines:

• Connect to the "Welcome-to-TCNJ" network
• A pop-up screen will appear with a picture of Green Hall that starts with a section labeled "TCNJ Students and Employees" (this is called a "captive portal"), select the "Click here" option at the end of the "TCNJ Students and Employees" section
• On the next page, click on the large button that reads “Click here to download your eduroam installer”
• The screen will dim and a pop-up will appear with all of the nearby schools that are using eduroam. “The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)“ will appear at the top of that list, select it once it comes up
  • If TCNJ does not appear, you may search for it by name in the bar below the list
• On the next page, there will be a new button for "Apple Device" that will prompt a download
• A pop-up from your phone will appear asking you if you want to allow the website to download a file, select "Allow"
• After the download is finished, you will be told to finish setting it up by going to your Settings app. If you do not see a section called "Profiles Downloaded" directly underneath your Apple ID info, you can find the profile by going to the General section and then scrolling to the bottom where the Profiles section will now be
• After selecting the eduroam profile, start the install process and you will be guided to enter your credentials
  • For eduroam, when you are asked for your username, you wil be entering your entire @tcnj.edu email address and not just your regular username
• Once the profile is installed and verified, go to your WiFi settings and switch over to the eduroam network
  • This process will fail if your password is expired and needs to be changed

If the profile doesn't download at the end:

• Click the Cancel button in the top-right corner of the captive portal and you will be given the options of "Use Without Internet" and "Use Other Network," you will want to choose the without internet option
• Open up a web browser and go to cat.eduroam.org
• Once there, click on the large button that reads “Click here to download your eduroam installer”
• The screen will dim and a pop-up will appear with all of the nearby schools that are using eduroam. “The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)“ will appear at the top of that list, select it once it comes up
  • If TCNJ does not appear, you may search for it by name in the bar below the list
• On the next page, there will be a new button for "Apple Device" that will prompt a download
• A pop-up from your phone will appear asking you if you want to allow the website to download a file, select "Allow"
  • If this does not happen automatically, you will be brought to a page where you can click a link to manually start the download
• After the download is finished, you will be told to finish setting it up by going to your Settings app. If you do not see a section called "Profiles Downloaded" directly underneath your Apple ID info, you can find the profile by going to the General section and then scrolling to the bottom where the Profiles section will now be
• After selecting the eduroam profile, start the install process and you will be guided to enter your credentials
  • For eduroam, when you are asked for your username, you wil be entering your entire @tcnj.edu email address and not just your regular username
• Once the profile is installed and verified, go to your WiFi settings and switch over to the eduroam network
  • This process will fail if your password is expired and needs to be changed

Android Mobile Devices:

• A "headless device" is any device like gaming consoles, smart home devices (Alexa, Google Home), smart streaming devices (Roku, Fire sticks, Chromecast) etc. that do not have the same interface as a phone or computer to be able to download the installer for the eduroam WiFi network. DO NOT register your phones, tablets, or personal computers through this method
• First, check if your device can be connected to the network via an ethernet cable, this is the preferred method for any other device and there are ethernet jacks available in your room
• For devices that either can't be connected via ethernet cable or that you do not have any more ethernet jacks for, follow these directions:
  • Open your preferred web browser and go to https://aruba-clearpass.tcnj.edu/guest/ (you MUST be connected to eduroam on the device you are visiting this website with)
  • Your username will be your full @tcnj.edu email address, not just your normal username, but you will still use your normal TCNJ password
  • Follow the instructions for creating/registering a device
    • Assign a name that will hep you differentiate it from any other device you may register
    • Some devices will have both a "Wired MAC Address" and "Wireless MAC Address" (if the device does not have wired capabilities, it will just say "MAC Address"), you will always want to use the Wireless MAC Address
    • Check the box for “AirGroup” if it is the type of device (primarily Smart TV's) you will be streaming content to directly from another device through various screencasting options
      • If enabling AirGroup, choose “Personal” to keep the device private. Choose “Shared” to allow another user to stream content to the device as well
        • When doing this, you will be asked to enter the email addresses of people who are allowed to cast to this device (this is because AirPlay will be able to recognize the email address stored on their eduroam profile)
    • Click on the “Create Device” button
    • Once your device is registered, you can connect it to the "Welcome-to-TCNJ" network
• This registration method has a limitation on how long it stays active and how many devices can be registered based on your relationship to the college:
  • Students – 180 calendar days (up to 8 devices)
  • Faculty and Staff – 365 calendar days (number of devices not limited)
• This method presents limitations for the following devices:
  • Smart Home Devices: since this connects your headless device to the "Welcome-to-TCNJ" network, you can only use voice commands to control them and not the provided smartphone app since your phone and the device are on different networks
  • Smart Streaming Devices: You will need a version of these devices that come with a physical remote in order to control them since this connects your headless device to the "Welcome-to-TCNJ" network. The provided smartphone app will not work since your phone and the device are on different networks
  • Printers: we recommend getting a physical cable to connect your personal printer to your computer because this method connects your headless device to the "Welcome-to-TCNJ" network, it will be unable to communicate with your computer since that will be on the eduroam network
• To view or manage your device(s):
  • Open your preferred web browser and go to tcnj.edu/wifi/headlessdevices
    • You must be using a device already connected to the campus WiFi to access this website
  • Enter your TCNJ email address and password as the login credentials
  • Choose the “Manage Devices” option on the left-side menu
  • Click on a device to manage
    • The Remove option allows you to delete the device
    • The Edit option allows you to change settings for the device
    • The last IP address assigned to the device will be shown
    • If you made any changes to the device, click on the “Update Device” button

Guest Wireless Network Access

TCNJ offers self-registration for Guests to use wireless on the campus. In order to obtain access, you must be able to receive either a text message or an email. The credentials you receive will provide wireless access on up to five (5) mobile devices, tablets and/or laptops for 24 hours. After this time period, you need to re-register and obtain new credentials.

TCNJ students and employees members should not use Guest accounts. They should follow the instructions for connecting to eduroam.

Guests follow these instructions:

1. Connect to the Welcome-to-TCNJ wireless network. This is an open network, meaning there is no encryption on the guest network. Guests are encouraged to use a VPN and/or SSL protected (e.g. https://) websites when working with sensitive data such as passwords or account information
2. On many mobile devices a captive portal will automatically pop up. If this does not happen, open your preferred web browser and try to navigate to a webpage such as tcnj.edu. Choose the "Click Here" link under “TCNJ Guests”
3. On the registration page that opens next, enter your information in the provided boxes. Make sure you enter all of the requested information correctly, including your mobile carrier. (If you choose the wrong service provider, you will not receive the text message from the system. If your carrier is not listed in the drop down menu, you will need to search online to determine the correct carrier for your service.) Click on the “Register” button
4. The login page will then open. Enter the username (email address) that you provided as well as the password provided to you by the system via text message or email

At this point, the device you logged in with will be connected to Welcome-to-TCNJ. Your device will automatically connect to this network for the next 24 hours, after which time your credentials will expire.

You may connect to Welcome-to-TCNJ using the same credentials for up to four (4) additional devices over the same time period. In the steps above, instead of completing the form on the registration page at Step 3, choose “Sign In”  Where it says "Already have an account?" and enter the same credentials.

Guest network access allows the user to connect to publicly accessible websites and use services such as VPN. There is no security on the Welcome-to-TCNJ network. Guests will not be able to access TCNJ internal resources, such as the library databases.

When connected at another institution, eduroam is not a VPN, it's simply a method to gain access to the Internet quickly so that a VPN can be used for secure communications. Until a VPN is used, data will be traveling over networks that are not in the control of their home institution. Users should treat the connection as if it were a public and be careful of what data is transmitted when not connected to a VPN. More on TCNJ's VPN service can be found here. 

Eduroam can be found at educational institutions all over the world. To find locations in a specific area or region,

Click Here