Connecting to the USC Wireless Network via MS Windows OS

If you encounter any problems, please contact our UTS Help Desk, at 777-1800 or 7-1800 if you are on-campus. You can also visit our Get Connected sites for additional help, at http://uts.sc.edu/connected .

Before attempting to connect to the wireless network, please ensure that your Windows laptop is equipped with an internal or recommended external wireless card and is properly configured to use that wireless card.

Before your Windows PC can connect to the USC WLAN, the following will take place:

• You will need to configure your SSID to your wireless card - see following pages for instructions (for external card configuration, please refer to http://uts.sc.edu/wireless).
• You will have to authenticate to the network.
• You will have to validate that your computer is configured to meet the minimum security requirements for the network.
• You will have to establish an encrypted connection to USC’s VPN (Virtual Private Network) device.

The authentication, validation, and secure access process involves 4 steps outlined below:

1. Login to the network with your network username and password.
You can initiate the login process by opening a web browser window. You will immediately be redirected to the USC Wireless Network Authentication & Registration page. This page defines the terms and conditions for operating a device on the USC wireless network. Your login indicates your acceptance and intention to comply with the terms and conditions for operating a device on the USC WLAN. This will also begin the authentication, validation, and secure access process. You can obtain your network username and password by logging into VIP and selecting the “Technology” link and then selecting the Network Username button. Your network username and password is not the USC identification number and PIN used to login to VIP itself.)

2. Download and Install the Cisco Clean Access agent.
If this is the first time you are logging onto the USC WLAN, you must download and install the Cisco Clean Access agent on your Windows laptop. Once installed, the Cisco Clean Access agent will automatically launch and will request that you login using your network username and password.

3. Clean Access will check whether your PC is current with Windows critical updates and current with anti-virus software.
If your Windows laptop is current with critical updates and anti-virus software, you will be redirected to a site that informs you that the Cisco VPN client must be downloaded and installed on your Windows laptop. If your Windows laptop is not current with critical updates and/or anti-virus software, you will be directed to the appropriate site(s) for those updates.

4. Download and Install Cisco VPN Client.
If this is the first time you are logging onto the USC WLAN, you must download and install the Cisco VPN client on your Windows laptop. You will be redirected to the appropriate site for the client. Once installed, this client will need to be launched via the shortcut provided and it will request that you login using your network username and password.

Connecting to the USC Wireless Network via Macintosh or other OS

If you encounter any problems, please contact our UTS Help Desk, at 777-1800 or 7-1800 if you are on-campus. You can also visit our Get Connected sites for additional help, at http://uts.sc.edu/connected .

Before attempting to connect to the USC WLAN, please ensure that your laptop is equipped with an internal or recommended external wireless card and is properly configured to use that wireless card.

Before you can connect to the USC WLAN, the following will take place:

• You will need to configure your SSID to your wireless card - see following pages for instructions (for external card configuration, please refer to http://uts.sc.edu/wireless).
• You will have to authenticate to the network.
• Your device will be scanned for vulnerabilities.
• You will have to establish an encrypted connection to USC’s VPN (Virtual Private Network) device.

The authentication & validation process involves 3 steps outlined below:

1. Login to the network with your network username and password.
You can initiate the login process by opening an Internet browser window. You will be immediately redirected to the USC Wireless Network Authentication & Registration page. This page defines the terms and conditions for operating a device on the USC wireless network. Your login indicates your acceptance and intention to comply with the terms and conditions for operating a device on the USC wireless network. This will also initiate the authentication, validation, and secure access process. Once your network username and password has been entered, your device will be scanned for vulnerabilities.

(Note: You can obtain your network username and password by logging into VIP and selecting the “Technology” link and then selecting the Network Username button. Your network username and password is not the USC identification number and PIN used to login to VIP itself.)

2. Your device will be scanned for vulnerabilities.
If any known vulnerabilities are detected, your device will be placed in a quarantine mode. To fix this, you must update your device with the correct patches before being allowed access to the wireless network. After this is fixed or if no vulnerabilities are detected on your device, you will be required to download and install the Cisco VPN client.

3. Download and Install Cisco VPN Client.
If this is the first time you are logging onto the USC wireless network, you must download and install the Cisco VPN client on your device by clicking on the button provided. Once installed, this client will automatically launch and will again request that you login using your network username and password. Once your username and password have been entered, you will be connected to the network.