Campus Wireless Access - Troubleshooting
Known Issues
iPad using iPhone OS 3.2
iPhone OS 3.2 on iPad malfunctions in a way that can cause sudden disconnects for iPad users.
When the iPad is configured with an email account that supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®, and the iPad is configured to retrieve email for that account using "Push"(or the iPad has an application installed which supports Apple Push Notification Service, and Notifications are enabled), the iPad will try to remain connected to the Wi-Fi network even when the iPad's screen is locked and the iPad is not attached to a power source. As a result, the iPad will not attempt to renew its DHCP lease and will continue using the IP address after the lease has expired.
Issues
An iPad user that has "push" enabled may notice an error message after unlocking or waking up the device indicating that the browser cannot open a particular page because the server stopped responding.
In the meantime, since the iPad has retained the IP address after the DHCP lease expired, any other user that tries to connect to wireless and is given that IP address will cause the ipad to be disconnected without warning .
Resolution for iPad users
Turn off "Push" (i.e. Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync) support for all mail, contacts, and calendar accounts. Do so using: Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendar -> Fetch New Data -> Push -> Off.
Turn off "Notifications" (Apple Push Notification Service). Doing so can be a little tricky, because the setting appears and disappears depending on the applications installed. Begin by checking the Settings application for a Notifications category.
The Settings -> Notifications category appears if your iPad presently has any applications installed which support Apple Push Notification Service. None of the applications pre-installed in iPhone OS 3.2 support Apple Push Notification, but many such applications are available in the App Store.
- If the Settings -> Notifications category appears, turn off Apple Push Notification Service for all applications. Do so using: Settings -> Notifications -> Off.
- If the Settings -> Notifications category does not appear at this time, when you later install an application in the future which supports Apple Push Notification Service (for example, Facebook), the Notifications category will appear in Settings, and will default to On. When that happens, you would need to turn off Apple Push Notification Service by using Settings -> Notifications -> Off.
- It would be inconvenient (and easy to forget) to check for the appearance of the Settings -> Notifications category every time you install an application in the future. So if the category doesn't appear presently, install one of those applications now (Facebook, for example), just to force the Settings -> Notifications category to appear. Once the category appears, configure Settings -> Notifications to Off. Leave that application (or any single application that uses Apple Push Notification Service) installed "forever", so the iPad retains the Settings -> Notifications -> Off configuration.
Reboot the iPad. This is to workaround a problem we have sometimes seen, in which the configuration changes made above sometimes don't take full effect until the iPad is rebooted. Reboot the iPad as follows:
- Turn off the iPad by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the red "slide to power off" slider appears on the screen. Release the Sleep/Wake button. Drag the slider to power off the iPad.
- Turn on the iPad by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears on the screen. Release the Sleep/Wake button.
Be aware that if you were to delete all installed applications which support Apple Push Notification Service, the Settings -> Notifications category will disappear, and the iPad will forget that you turned off Apple Push Notifications. If later you were to install any application which supports Apple Push Notification Service, the Notifications category would re-appear in Settings, but would be reset to On. At that time you would need to change this setting to Off. To avoid encountering that issue, ensure you always keep installed at least one application that supports Apple Push Notification Service.
Additional Information
We recognize that this workaround represents some inconvenience to the iPad customer. We view this as a temporary workaround to allow these customers the opportunity to use their devices on the campus network until there is a fix from Apple.
UIT cannot guarantee that this workaround will prevent the iPad from exhibiting the DHCP malfunction. It's possible that the workaround does not fully address the problem; however, our experience to-date is that it is indeed effective.
Source: UIT Network Systems, Princeton University
Windows
- If you don't have java installed or you aren't allowing ActiveX, you can't run the Setup Wizard and will have to do a manual download of the Wizard. This option will be presented to you after the Wizard has started.
- If you don't have admin privileges on your machine or your are running as a restricted or standard user, you will have to follow the manual configuration instructions.
- Internet security programs that block java applications or java scripts may try to keep the Wizard script from running. If you encounter this, you'll need to follow the manual configuration instructions.
- Windows 7 has not been officially released; we're still working on compatibility issues. If you have any problems, please use the manual configuration instructions.
- Make sure you're patched and up-to-date.
Mac OS X
- Mac Leopard 10.5.x - Make sure you're patched. If you installed Java Update 4, the Wizard won't run because Java Web Start is not correctly associated with the browser. Either follow the manual configuration instructions or follow the directions in the UConnect Setup Wizard to repair the issue.
Issues With Older Devices
Due to the WPA2-Enterprise/ AES configuration used by the new UConnect network, some older devices may need additional help connecting.
If you are running Windows XP, your computer may need a patch that provides WPA2 via the built-in Windows Wireless Zero client (Note - this patch requires Service Pack 2).
If your wireless card is more than four years old, you may also need to upgrade your adapters' drivers by visiting the manufacturer's website. The UConnect setup wizard automatically checks for this software patch and lets the user install it, but you can also check for this manually by going to the Properties of the wireless adapter, Wireless Networks tab, Add a new network, and verify WPA2 is listed in the Network Authentication drop down box - if not, it needs the patch found here: http://tiny.cc/tXOz2. Please see our list of Recommended Wireless Adapters for more information.
If you need help troubleshooting this issue, please contact the Campus Help Desk at 801-581-4000, option 1.
For More
For more help with campus wireless access, contact the Campus Help Desk at 801-581-4000 option 1.
