What is NUwave?

NUwave is Northeastern University´s secured wireless internet service. It is available in all areas on the Boston main campus except in individual residence hall apartments and rooms (where each student has ResNet high speed Internet access). Students can access NUwave service with their myNEU credentials; faculty and staff can access NUwave with their Northeastern University computer workstation accounts. NUwave secured wireless service will allow you to access standard websites, but it also allows you to connect to shared departmental drives (Q drives), certain network applications, edit websites you have access to, perform file transfers, and more.

I used NUwave the last time I was on campus, but it is not working now. What happened?

NUwave-guest replaced the old NUwave service as the open access wireless network on campus. This fall, NUwave is the myNEU authenticated secured wireless network, offering exclusive wireless access to internal systems for faculty and staff with desktop logins and students with myNEU accounts. Click here to find out how to connect to NUwave.

Is NUwave replacing our wired Internet connections on campus?

No! NUwave service is an enhancement of our internet services. It will not replace our wired (plug-in) internet service.

How do I use the NUwave secured wireless service?

You will need a wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) that handles the 802.11a, b, or g standards (802.11a/b/g). Download directions to connect to NUwave for your operating system. You will need Adobe Acrobat to read these files:

• Windows XP | Windows XP with the Dell wireless card utility
• Windows Vista
• Mac OS X | Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard)

These directions will set your computer to automatically connect to NUwave.

If you are running an operating system other than Windows XP (Home or Professional), Vista, or Mac OS, we will make a best effort attempt to help you connect, but we cannot guarantee service.

If you need assistance with your connection, please visit the InfoCommons in 184 Snell Library for help or call (617) 373-4357(xHELP). Students can visit the ResNet Resource Center for help as well.

Are our wired (plugged in) Internet Services going away? Will NUwave replace wired service?

No. The NUwave wireless expansion is an enhancement to provide more convenient Internet access on campus for mobile technologies, and will not replace our wired (plug in) internet service.

I am running Windows XP or Vista and I am being prompted for a domain when I login to NUwave (secured wireless). What should I do?

Leave that space blank when you log in. When you login, just use your myNEU credentials if you are a student, or your NU desktop login credentials if you are a faculty or staff member.

Why am I having trouble using IMAP on NUwave-guest?

You should use NUwave secured service rather than NUwave-guest. You can set your computer to automatically connect to NUwave. Visit the How do I use the NUwave secured wireless service? section of this website to find out how.

What is the NUwave-guest wireless service?

NUwave-guest is the open access (not secured) wireless network on campus. NUwave-guest is available in all administrative and classroom buildings, as well as residential common areas and libraries. NUwave-guest is intended for light web browsing for people who do not have myNEU or Northeastern University desktop login credentials.

If you are a faculty or staff member, or a student, we strongly recommend that you use NUwave NUwave offers exclusive wireless access to internal systems for faculty and staff with desktop logins and more secure connections to online services for students with myNEU accounts.

How can I access NUwave-guest?

You will need a wireless network card installed on your computer and you will need to be in one the NUwave service areas. If you are running Windows XP (Home or Professional), Vista, or Mac OS (10.2,10.3 or 10.4), your computer will most likely automatically detect NUwave-guest.

Why can´t I use my own wireless router on our network?

Adding wireless routers, switches, hubs or other unsanctioned network expansion devices can disrupt network service to classroom, research, residential and administrative venues. In addition, unsanctioned devices expose the University network and its data to virus, worm and denial of service attacks. For these reasons, the Appropriate Use Policy prohibits connection of personal, private or departmental switches, routers, wireless access points or DHCP-serving devices to centrally-managed network segments, except only as may be agreed to in writing between the device owner and Information Services.

University-sanctioned ports and NUWave wireless services feature reliability, backed up by centralized support and maintenance. These solutions are best when considering network expansion. Members of the community who are considering network expansion are kindly asked to consider the service offerings listed above, as well as the Appropriate Use Policy. If you have questions about the Appropriate Use Policy, please contact itsecurity@neu.edu. For general assistance, please contact help@neu.edu.

Effective Use of wireless in the classroom

Don´t have students simultaneously access streaming content
Do not have students access streaming video (youTube), interactive games (Second Life, World of Warcraft) simultaneously in the classroom, as this will negatively impact wireless performance. If you want to display this content during a class, use the wired (plugged in) connection to the internet to display this information. Most classrooms on the Boston campus have in room projectors that you can connect a laptop to. Classrooms with computers in them have wired internet connects and projectors.

Be cognizant of individual wireless use
Individuals can impact their classmate´s wireless access. Playing World of Warcraft, F.E.A.R, Second Life, or other online games will affect other people´s ability to use wireless. Because the heavy bandwidth requirements that many of these games require, it is better to run them on a wired connection.

Be aware that connection speeds may vary at the start and the end of class periods
At the start or the end of a class period, all of the users in a classroom (or multiple classrooms in close proximity to each other, will start closing down or opening applications, saving or retrieving files, etc.) Depending upon the locations of the resources (network based data files, applications, etc.) connectivity may become sluggish due to the high demand placed upon the network. To counter this phenomenon, save files on your hard drive, and not to an online resource (shared drive, myfiles,etc) at the start and end of class periods.

Wireless access in the classroom is not replacing replace wired access or computer labs.
If you teach a class that requires high speed internet connectivity for many students, please reserve a computer lab by emailing your request to roomreservation@neu.edu. NUwave is intended as a convenience, not as a substitute for computer labs or other wired connections.

If you need assistance with determining how to best use NUwave wireless service in the classroom, please contact the Information Services Help Line to schedule an appointment with our Network Services group.

Tips and tricks for using wireless in common areas

Students, Faculty and Staff: Use NUwave, not NUwave-guest
The fastest and most secure way to access sensitive information on the web is a plugged in (wired) connection. If you choose to use mobile technologies to access the internet, NUwave is the securest way to connect to wireless on campus.

Students
If you a student, use NUwave when you are using myNEU to protect your personal information, and whenever you are sending sensitive information across the web.

Faculty
Faculty and staff should use the secured NUwave service to access resources that are not available from the NUwave-guest, like department shared drives (Q drives), certain centrally-managed applications, and more. If you manage a website here on campus, you can make changes to it wirelessly from NUwave, as well as (more specific services)

Download directions to connect to NUwave for your operating system. You will need Adobe Acrobat to read these files:

• Windows XP | Windows XP with the Dell wireless card utility
• Windows Vista
• Mac OS X | Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard)

These directions will set your computer to automatically connect to NUwave.

Practice safe computing
Even though NUwave is a secured wireless connection, a wired connection is the fastest and most secure connection you can get on campus. If you are doing online banking or shopping, or passing especially sensitive personal information, plug in instead of using wireless.

Don´t use bandwidth-heavy applications and services
Use bandwidth-heavy online games and streaming video can negatively impact everyone´s wireless internet connection. If you plan to use those services for an extended amount of time, be considerate of others, and use a plugged-in connection instead.

Can electronic appliances disrupt wireless service?

Cordless telephones and other devices that use the 2.4 gigahertz frequency can disrupt wireless internet service. If you are considering purchasing a wireless telephone, please make sure that it uses the 5.8 GHz or 900 GHz frequencies.

What´s the difference between the 802.11a/b/g standards?

Warning: This is going to be a little technical. If you are not sure what kind of wireless card to buy, buy one that can handle 802.11 a/b/g.

The 802.11b standard allows three channels, which means that up to three access points can be within range of each other without interfering with each other. At Northeastern University 802.11g allows four channels.  802.11a allows 12 channels.The higher the number of channels, the higher the number of access points that can be used to share the user load without significant interference. The b and g standards operate under the 2.5GHz frequency spectrum, and 802.11a operates under the 5GHz frequency spectrum, which has less interference. So while 802.11a seems like the best way to go, it has one drawback over the other two: The range for an 802.11a access point is approximately half of the distance of the others. We predict that most people will be using the 802.11g standard.