Below are a list of topics that often are helpful to unit IT professionals.
The Device Compatibility Guide provides information about which electronic devices can be connected to the campus network and information about how to connect them.
WiFi-enabled devices must include an IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/acwireless local area network chipset that supports 802.1X/WPA2-Enterprise.
Some wireless devices significantly deteriorate the campus WiFi environment. Unit IT professionals are encouraged to check with [email protected] before purchasing and installing wireless video cameras, cordless telephones, printers, or projectors. We will help you determine if the device you want to purchase will work with the campus WiFi networks.
For more information about devices that are/not compatible with our university network, see our Device Compatibility Guide.
University of Michigan units can sponsor guests, providing them to use MWireless at no charge.
Units interested in installing a wireless network should contact their ITS Infrastructure Project Manager.
Units interested in site surveys or installation guidelines for network components should contact their ITS Infrastructure Project Manager.
MGuest is limited to web (http), secure web (https) secure mail, and VPN services:
- HTTP 80
- HTTPS 443 (TLS/SSL)
- POP3s 995 (TLS/SSL)
- IMAPs 993 (TLS/SSL)
- SMTPs 465 (TLS/SSL)
- Mail Submission (MSA) port 587
- Secure Shell (SSH) port 22
- Google Talk and the Play store port 5228
VPN and WiFi calling access via the following ports is allowed:
- Protocol 47, 50 and 51
- Port 500
- Port 1701
- UDP port 4500
- UDP port 10000
MGuest session length may be limited, traffic is rate limited, and packets are assigned a lower QoS priority level to protect radio resources for authenticated users while providing a satisfactory user experience for guest users. Network management practices change over time as capabilities evolve, capacity increases, and user experience expectations shift.
MGuest traffic is routed and addressed separately from university academic networks; some university resources such as library journals cannot be accessed.
The university's enterprise network is rigorously engineered and is designed with hardware that delivers higher performance than equipment designed for home networks.
A typical home network is capable of supporting support approximately five people and their devices using a single, shared password everyone in the household knows. The university network, by contrast, serves over 100,000 people in hundreds of locations daily using unique university credentials to authenticate to the network.
Home networks also permit WiFi-enabled devices to send out signals to make them easily visible and accessible to all. The university WiFi network isolates devices to prevent a large number of devices being visible to faculty, staff, and students. This means that some devices need to be set up on campus using a uniqname and password, and others may not work on our network at all. The Device Compatibility Guide provides information on which devices do/not work on campus and specific setup instructions.
Additionally, our enterprise access point hardware is more versatile than a typical home AP. It is designed to:
- Coordinate with other APs
- Support large numbers of devices simultaneously
- Deliver multiple wireless networks (e.g. MWireless, eduroam, MGuest)
- Be managed with many other APs from a single administrative interface
Enterprise AP features include:
- High performance radio chipsets
- Increased processor capability
- Higher memory capacity
- Virtual Local Area Network support to segment user groups and satisfy security requirements
- Quality of Service controls (necessary for voice/video)
- Fast and secure roaming, allowing authenticated clients to roam securely between APs without delay
- Client diagnostics and troubleshooting
- Advanced encryption and user authentication standards
- Scalability and extensibility to accommodate the size of campus buildings and integrate with campus authentication, monitoring, and logging tools
- Configurable transmit power to customize the radio frequency for the individual location
- Support for various advanced radio protocols and 802.11 technologies.
- Support for power over Ethernet
- Vendor support for feature enhancements, bug fixes, and security patches
The FCC often receives inquiries concerning the potential safety hazards of human exposure to radio frequency (RF) energy. If you receive questions about RF safety, please refer individuals to the FCC Radio Frequency Statement.