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Troubleshooting

Please review our Notice Board for new issues:

  • 802.11b Disabled: On the 17th December 2012 legacy DSSS data rates were disabled to improve performance of the service. As a result 802.11b Wi-Fi clients will not able able to connect to eduroam or UCLGuest. This only effects clients with old hardware and can easily be rectified with an external Wi-Fi adapter.
  • Returning Staff or Students: Returning from your summer holidays or away from UCL for a long period. We've written a check-list of common issues.
  • Google Android 2.2: There is a known bug with 2.2 Android phones that may prevent automatic connection to eduroam » It is expected that 2.3 (Gingerbread) will fix this issue.  A temporary workaround to this bug is to toggle wireless off and on again. It has also been reported that Juice Defender will do this automatically (this is useful if your manufacturer will not issue an OS update).
  • Google Android Gingerbread 2.3.6: We are aware of an issue with Gingerbread 2.3.6 and Phase 2 Authentication. This will prevent successful authentication on the eduroam service. This appears to be a known issue as a patch is available for Samsung devices via Kies ». This is reported to fix the issue on the Samsung Galaxy Y. For users of none-Samsung devices, please refer to the manufacturer for an update.
  • Microsoft Windows 7: There is a known issue with Windows 7 and cached user credentials. The behaviour of this issue is you'll be constantly prompted for your credentials (i.e. UCL userid & password) when attempting to join eduroam.
  • Apple Mac OS X 10.x Keychain: There is a known issue with invalid items in the Keychain preventing successful authentication. To resolve; Open Finder and select Applications > Utilities (folder) > Keychain Access. This will display a list of items stored in the Keychain. Ensure the login keychain from the left-hand pane is highlighted and delete any reference to eduroam.
 
  • I Cannot Connect to eduroam

The following check-list resolves a majority of issues:

  1. Authenticating to the eduroam SSID (Wireless Broadcast) requires a valid UCL userid and password. Your UCL userid is provided on the front of your registration slip and must be appended with @ucl.ac.uk (e.g. ucxxzano@ucl.ac.uk). It is NOT the user name @live.ucl.ac.uk!
  2. If your password is longer than 8 characters (e.g. mypasswd1), only input the 1st 8 characters of your password (e.g. mypasswd).
  3. Ensure DHCP (Obtain IP address automatically) is enabled. Click here for further instructions.
  4. Ensure Proxy redirect within your web browser (e.g. Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, Apple Safari) is disabled. Proxy URL must also be disabled!
  5. Your Operating System may require additional configuration to connect. Please refer to the Guide for further information.
 
  • I Cannot Connect to RoamNet

The following check-list resolves a majority of issues:

  1. Connecting to RoamNet is a 3-phase process. You must follow all the instructions and remember that each time you wish to connect you run the Cisco Systems VPN Client to secure and authenticate your connection. The Cisco Systems VPN Client link below includes solutions to common problems.
  2. Ensure DHCP (Obtain IP address automatically) is enabled. Click here » for further instructions.
  3. Ensure Proxy redirect within your web browser (e.g. Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, Apple Safari) is disabled. Proxy URL must also be disabled!
  4. The Cisco Systems VPN Client Troubleshooting page has solutions to Error, Reason and Warning messages and common issues:
 
  • My Connection is very slow!

Wi-Fi (Wireless) is shared. Therefore, if there are 20 devices connected to 1 Access Point, each device will get roughly an equal share of the total bandwidth. This is known as the contention ratio. We have a program to upgrade our Access Points to increase the available bandwidth. In the meantime, you can either (a) move to a quieter location, or (b) stop Network intensive applications (e.g. P2P, BBC iPlayer, Video Streaming) whilst using the wireless  service.

Also, unlike the Wireless Site Survey which uses accurate measuring tools, wireless adapters may report inaccurate signal strength (i.e reporting excellent signal strength when it is in fact poor). Please ensure you are in an official location listed on the Locations page before requesting support.