Campus Wi-Fi has changed: What to know

Effective Friday, Jan. 7, the ability for students to connect to the UNMC Wi-Fi network named TK-421 was discontinued.

In the past, the use of TK-421 allowed personal devices full access to all UNMC and Nebraska Medicine resources.

Allowing personal devices to be connected in this manner puts the institution at risk — when unmanaged, unprotected systems have the ability to connect to sensitive internal resources. 

Eduroam is the recommended Wi-Fi network for students. Eduroam is available in all educational and research areas.

Find additional information online at UNMC's Eduroam information site.

Other Wi-Fi networks are being broadcasted and could be listed when the student searches for available networks. Each network has its own unique purpose and service.

Contact UNMC Help Desk for assistance via email, at 402-559-7700 or through the IT Helps self service portal.

Here are some questions and answers on Eduroam and the campus Wi-Fi:

What is Eduroam?

Eduroam is the preferred wireless (Wi-Fi) network for the personal devices of students, faculty and staff of UNMC.

UNMC is using Eduroam in alignment with the broader University of Nebraska and Big Ten best practices for personal device use.  More information on Eduroam and other networks can be found on UNMC's website.

Should I use Eduroam when I am on a UNMC-owned device?

No. MedCenter WiFi is the Wi-Fi network designated for UNMC- and Nebraska Medicine-owned devices.  More information on MedCenter WiFi and other networks can be found online.

Why did TK-421 go away?

TK-421 wireless is being removed from the organization due to the legacy configuration and security issues. The use of TK-421 allows the devices full access to all UNMC and Nebraska Medicine resources. Allowing personal devices to be connected in this manner puts the institution at risk — when unmanaged, unprotected systems have the ability to connect to sensitive internal resources. 

I have used Eduroam in the past and found it not to be as reliable as TK-421. What has been done to make improvements?

We found that Eduroam had supported only newer devices with 5 GHz wireless frequencies, and 2.4 GHz wireless frequencies were not supported. This has been addressed, and it now supports both 2.4 and 5 GHz wireless frequencies.

Does Eduroam have access to the UNMC network?

Eduroam does not permit access to any internal resources, only to the internet.

How will I access UNMC resources while on Eduroam?

UNMC resources are accessible via UNMC's secure portal. This includes the full Microsoft Office 365 suite of web applications (SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Teams) as well as published UNMC resources (ADIS – Academic Department Information System, Digital Commons, Echo 360, ENGAGE, RSS – Research Support Systems, UNMC Library).

Internet based resources (such as Box or Canvas) can be accessed directly. 

Users will not be able to access shared drives or other networked computers or resources. To access, users will need a UNMC-managed device.

Why was there a change to require a UNMC-managed device?

In the past, students used their personal devices to access UNMC lab computers and servers to download data from the PI’s lab.  This was done for convenience and to promote remote work. However, this practice is not aligned with NU Executive Memorandum 41. So there was a need to enable controls on research data and systems.

How do I request a UNMC-managed device?

New devices can be requested through the IT Helps portal.

What do I do if I have an issue with Eduroam?  

You can request help via the help desk email, by phone at 402-559-7700 or via the IT Helps portal.