Wireless Hot Spots

Ripon College recognizes that many students purchase laptops for their compact size and portability.  In our quest we have recently upgraded all hotspots to Wireless G to satisfy the needs of the wireless user.  We are continually expanding wireless coverage areas on campus in addition to those listed below.

Ripon College Wireless Access Points

Bovay Terrace

Lane Library Main floor

Great Hall

Collaborative Learning Center

Kemper Hall

Brockway Lounge

Scott Hall Basement Lounge

Johnson Hall Lounge

Tri-Dorms “fishbowl” Lounge

Pickard Commons

Wireless B vs G?

Wireless G is the fastest wireless internet that can be provided so far letting you connect at a maximum of 54 Megabytes Per Second (MBPS).  This is a significant increase from the previous wireless 802.11b (Wireless B) which had a maximum connection speed of 11 MBPS.  Most laptop computers now come standard with an internal wireless card that can operate on either a “B” or a “G” network.  For those older computers, 3rd party wireless cards are available either as a PCMCIA card or as a USB card.  Available at most major electronic stores, it is now very affordable to go wireless with the average cost of an external card being $45.00. 

How do I know if I have wireless?

If you have a laptop most times you will receive a notification that you are receiving a wireless connection.  There are many different proprietary wireless connection managers that come with laptops so you may choose to use them, but we recomend that you use the Microsoft one that is built into the Windows XP and Vista operating system.  Because of the wide range of programs the following guidelines will be for a general connection. 

Go to My Network Places and choose View Network Connections from the left hand pane.  Under LAN or High-speed Internet you will see several icons, one will be Wireless Network Connection, and at least one more will say Local Connection.  To connect to a wireless connection ensure that the wireless Network connection is enabled.  Then right-click on the icon and choose View Available Wireless Networks.  From this list choose a connection that you want to connect to.  If you do not have any networks listed refresh the list.  All Ripon College wireless networks have the name of RC_Wireless.  These are the only wireless networks supported by the college.  Here is a complete list of locations for Ripon College Wireless.

Tech Tip: When connecting to a wired LAN connection, it is best to disable the wireless connection to prevent program conflicts.  This can be done by going to the Network Connections as done in the above section and right clicking on the Wireless Local Area Network Connection and choosing disable.  To reenable the wireless, right click on the icon and choose enable.

Security:  When choosing a connection it is important to know that a lock next to the connection means that it is encrypted, and that you may need the password to connect, this can be obtained from the person hosting the wireless router.  Connections with out a lock are public access connections and are not secure.  All Ripon College Wireless Connections are not encrypted to allow for public access. 

Tech Tip:  When connecting wireless, do not access bank accounts or other sites that require secure access because your information could be intercepted and used in identity theft.