Wireless Networking in Gund Hall & Sumner Rd

Location and Coverage
Warning
How-to
Timeout
Notes
Getting Help

Location & Coverage

Please note that 100% percent coverage of Gund Hall studios or classrooms is not envisioned for the foreseeable future; and signal strength will vary throughout the coverage area.*

The SSID of our wireless access points is "GSD" *. Wireless broadcasting base-stations (WiFi) are installed in:

the Gund Hall studio tray area, providing adequate signal strength in all studio tray areas that have no concrete roof overhead, and some under-tray desks, as well as into various adjacent areas, such as the chauhaus (ground floor), the 'Pit', 5th floor hallway (south end), Stubbins Room, Rooms 517 and 518, and ground floor lobby (north end and Piper steps) and partly into the outside quad
the 'Lounge' areas outside departmental headquarters on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors provide wireless networking in those lounges and adjacent areas (offices, patios, etc.)
Room 109, covering also the Pit, and Rm 111.
The Sumner Rd (east) end of 7 Sumner Rd.
Most of the lower floor of the library though perhaps not in Gropius or Special Collections.

* Note: You will also find a wireless SSID entitled "Harvard University". This wireless network extends throughout much of the Harvard campus, is open to any Harvard user with an HUID and PIN, and will support web-browsing and email. Only the 'GSD' network will allow you to connect to GSD-owned software (Keyserved) or to map a network drive. Only GSD-affiliated students can connect to the 'GSD' wireless network.

Services that will not work:

Video Conferecing
Various Peer-to-Peer technologies

* At the north end and in other parts of the building, the signal from other Harvard or FAS wireless access points may be stronger than ours, and you may find yourself connecting to their system. For a map of all official Harvard wireless points, see see http://www.wireless.harvard.edu/maps.php

Warning

DO NOT DEPLOY PERSONAL WIRELESS DEVICES (e.g. wireless routers, wireless access points). These can cause interference with the WiFi system, and improperly configured can cause disruption of the entire GSD network. You must check with Helpdesk before you plug any device other than your personal computer into the network.

How-to:

Install and configure an 802.11 (A or B) compliant wireless card; select 'wireless' rather than Ethernet. When you see evidence that the computer has detected a 'GSD' base-station, launch a browser. When you see the authentication page, choose 'HUID/PIN' from the pull down menu at left, Enter your HUID and PIN, and continue online!

The authentication page looks like this:

Timeout

In accordance with guidelines established by the University, these wireless access points provide email and web service only to those users with a Harvard University ID and a PIN (HUID/PIN). For more information about HUID/PIN, see http://www.pin1.harvard.edu/

Upon first connecting, each wireless user will be routed to a web page requiring HUID and PIN for authentication. After successful authentication, the user will be connected at either 11 mbs (802.11B) or 50 mbs (802.11A) depending on the type and configuration of their wireless card.

After some period of inactivity, the connection will "time out" and require re-authentication via HUID/PIN. This behavior is similar for all official wireless access points throughout Harvard University. This process is controlled by a technology called 'BlueSocket', and a small floating window with that logo will appear for the duration of the wireless connection.

Note: You must launch a browser or open a new browser window after connecting to the wireless network, for this authentication to occur.

Advisory Notes

Wireless ethernet technology is still a technology in active development. While it works well, much of the time, there are a number of known issues. Especially with Windows systems, there may be conflicts between built-in 10/100BaseT ethernet cards and wireless cards, requiring different configurations for each to work. Bandwidth and network speed are affected by a range of variables, including the number of simultaneous connections, and are invariably slower than wired connections (making wireless inefficient and undesirable for the transfer of large files.) Signal strength is highly dependent upon physical factors; the presence of concrete masses and human bodies (columns of water) can dramatically change signal strength in a small area.

In addition, there are other "wireless" devices that use the same 2.4 GHz frequency band as these wireless devices, and can cause interference to users of the wireless network. These devices include, but are not limited to other IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN devices, cordless telephones, cameras, audio speakers, Bluetooth enabled devices and microwave ovens.

Wireless' slower speed and questionable reliability make it more useful for certain types of work. Generally services that intermittently access the network to download small amounts of information (like web browsing) work better than services which require large downloads or streaming (like drive mapping.) With this in mind, some services on the GSD's wireless network are restricted.

Getting Help

Computer Resources Helpdesk can provide basic troubleshooting with respect to wireless performance or behavior, or configuration of wireless network cards (There are too many variables and known problems, and this is emergent technology in many respects.) When a conflict with wired connectivity occurs, helpdesk will usually first re-establish wired connectivity even if this means disabling or modifying wireless functions.