Technology Services Wi-Fi Help, eduroam

eduroam is a service arising from an international agreement between more than a hundred educational institutions around the world to provide 'roaming' wireless connectivity that works across any of their campuses. The University of Illinois is a participant in this program, and eduroam wi-fi can be found everywhere that the main IllinoisNet can be seen. This article provides instructions for joining the network at the Urbana-Champaign campus, after which it should function anywhere in the world that also has eduroam. More information about the organization and the program can be found on their website: https://eduroam.org/

Before following the below instructions, try joining eduroam using your .edu email address as the username and your usual password. This may not work the same for non-Illinois users, depending on your home institution's account system configuration.

In order to streamline the process of connecting, the University provides a piece of software that configures your device to connect to the eduroam network. You'll need another internet connection, such as cellular data or IllinoisNet_Guest, to download this configurator program.

To begin connecting to eduroam, use your device's web browser to navigate to https://go.illinois.edu/eduroamsetup

This site will automatically detect your operating system, and the process will be somewhat different between devices:

Windows

  1. Click the Join Now button. Your browser will download a file named WiFi_University_of_Illinois_Urbana-Champaign_Wrapper.exe
  2. Run this .exe file. It may ask for administrative permissions.
  3. On the "Please enter your credentials" screen in the small window that appears, use your .edu email address in the 'Enter your Username' field. For University of Illinois members, this is usually NetID followed by @illinois.edu
  4. Enter your password. For University of Illinois members, this will be the same password as all other University services.
  5. Click the Next button. The configurator program will use your credentials to set up the eduroam network.
  6. Once the program displays "Joined..." your device should be connected to the internet, and the program can be safely closed and deleted.

macOS

The SecureW2 configurator program will only work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) and above. For older versions of macOS, see the Manual Configuration section below.

  1. Click the Join Now button. Your browser will download a file named WiFi_JoinNow_Wrapper.dmg
  2. Mount this .dmg file. It will present a box with a program titled WiFi_JoinNow_Wrapper.
  3. Double-click WiFi_JoinNow_Wrapper or the secureW2 icon to run it. It may ask for permission to make changes to macOS.
  4. On the "Please enter your credentials" screen in the small window that appears, use your .edu email address in the 'Enter your Username' field. For University of Illinois members, this is usually NetID followed by @illinois.edu
  5. Enter your password. For University of Illinois members, this will be the same password as all other University services.
  6. Click the Next button. The configurator program will use your credentials to set up the eduroam network.
  7. Once the program displays "Joined..." your device should be connected to the internet, and the program can be safely closed and deleted.

Linux

Due to the large variety and technical nature of Linux distributions and networking utilities, it is not possible for us to provide thorough testing or support for Linux devices. If the configurator program fails for you, you may need to use your distro's networking tools to follow Manual Configuration below or consider a different operating system for University business.

  1. Make sure that you have mkdir, rm, tar, gzip, pwd, sed, readlink, and python available as commands.
  2. Click the Join Now button. Your browser will download a file named SecureW2_JoinNow.run
  3. Execute SecureW2_JoinNow.run as a shell script, i.e. with a command like sh ./SecureW2_JoinNow.run
  4. The script will unpack an archive and run a Python program that will prompt for your credentials. Be sure to use your full University email address for your username.
  5. The program will then use your credentials to perform network configuration automatically.

Android

The SecureW2 configurator application requires a version of Android that is 8 (Oreo) or newer. Devices that are not able to update to at least Android 10 may require manual configuration; see below.

  1. Click the Download button under Step 1, or install the SecureW2 JoinNow application from the Google Play Store.
  2. Open the SecureW2 JoinNow application. If you are located on campus, it will automatically detect the presence of University networks, give itself Illinois branding, and prompt for your credentials.
  3. Enter your .edu email address as your username. For University of Illinois users, this is usually your NetID followed by @illinois.edu
  4. Enter your password. For University of Illinois users, this will be the same password as all other University services.
  5. Depending on your Android version, you may see a prompt about wireless networks suggested by JoinNow MultiOS. Accept this prompt.
  6. If you do not see this prompt, you may need to navigate to your Settings app and select the 'eduroam' network yourself.

More information about joining and troubleshooting networks with the SecureW2 JoinNow application is provided by SecureW2 here.

iOS and iPadOS

  1. Enter your .edu email address at the "Enter your Username:" box. For University of Illinois users, this is usually your NetID followed by @illinois.edu
  2. Click the Join Now button. A prompt will appear asking if you want to allow the site to download a configuration profile. Tap Allow.
  3. If a "Choose a Device" prompt appears, select the device that requires the eduroam network's connection.
  4. When the profile has been downloaded, navigate to the Settings app. You should see a new section titled "Profile Downloaded" - tap it.
  5. Tap Install in the upper-right corner and enter your device's passcode, then tap Install again.
  6. You will be prompted for your password. For University of Illinois users, this will be the same password as all other University services.
  7. Once you see "Profile Installed" tap Done in the upper-right corner.
  8. You can now select the eduroam network in Wi-Fi settings, and your device will be able to connect without prompting for credentials.

Manual Configuration

In the event that the SecureW2 JoinNow application does not successfully have your device connected to eduroam, or your device is not compatible with the application, you may still be able to join.

In your device's wireless internet settings, locate the appropriate fields and enter these values:

  • Network or SSID: eduroam
  • Security: WPA2-Enterprise
  • Encryption: AES
  • EAP Method: PEAP
  • Phase 2 authentication: MSCHAPv2
  • CA certificate: Use system certificates (you may need to navigate to https://go.illinois.edu/wificert to have your device retrieve the appropriate certificate)
  • Online Certificate Status: Do not validate
  • Domain: wireless.illinois.edu
  • Identity: your .edu email address
  • Password: your account's usual password

Other fields should be left blank or at their defaults.

Still having issues?

Please contact the Technology Services Help Desk by email at consult@illinois.edu or by phone at 217-244-7000.