Guest Wireless Network FAQ


To learn more about the Guest Network, select a question below:

Contents


What is the Guest Wireless Network?

The Guest Wireless Network, also known as the Guest Network or GuestNet, allows campus guests and visitors access to the wireless network for web, email, and communications needs.

Is the Guest Wireless Network for me?

The Guest Wireless Network is one of several means that guests can access the campus network. It is the only one that can be sponsored directly by faculty and full-time staff. However, it does not offer access to campus resources, a department's trusted agent must provide an alternative to a guest if they require such a service. See the article Trusted Agent (TAG) Program Procedures for more details.

How do I access the Guest Wireless Network?

You will need a faculty or staff sponsor to send you your login information. Once you have your login information, you may connect your wireless device to the uchicago-guest network. See instructions below for connecting to this network on your mobile device.

Who can create an account for the Guest Wireless Network?

Current faculty and full-time staff are eligible to create Guest Wireless Network accounts. Sponsorship is not available at this time to students, medical center employees, or part-time staff of the University.

How many devices can connect to the Guest Wireless Network with one guest ID?

Up to three independent devices may simultaneously connect based on their MAC addresses. There is no fixed limit on the number of devices that can be used in rotation.

How long may a device stay connected to the Guest Wireless Network?

A device may stay connected to the network for up to eight hours at a time before the login session times out. After eight hours, the guest will need to re-enter the GuestNetID and password provided by their sponsor.

How many accounts may I sponsor?

Faculty and full-time staff maybe sponsor up to 20 active accounts at a time. These accounts may remain active for a maximum of 14 days.

Note: Students are not permitted to sponsor Guest Wireless Network accounts.

Are there device or operating system limitations?

In general, any device that natively supports wireless networking will work with the Guest Wireless Network. That includes laptop computers, smartphones (iOS, Android, or Windows), and iPads or tablets. However, IT Services does not officially support the Guest Wireless Network for use with operating system versions of Apple OS X older than 10.9, and Windows older than Windows 7. Although support is not offered on these older operating systems, devices that still use them may work on the network.

What is the IP address range of the Guest Wireless Network?

The UChicago Guest Wireless Network IP address range is independent of the standard campus network and is not published.

How do I connect to the Guest Wireless Network with an iPhone or iPad?

How do I connect to the Guest Wireless Network with an Android phone or tablet?

You must be using Android version 2.1 or higher.

  1. Go to Settings > Wireless and Networks > WiFi Settings.
  2. If you do not have wireless enabled, select the checkbox or toggle on the right.
  3. Select uchicago-guest.
  4. Your device should connect to the Guest Wireless Network automatically.
  5. Launch your web browser and go to any site.
  6. The network will redirect you to the UChicago Guest Wireless Network authentication website.
  7. Enter the GuestNetID and password your sponsor provided.
    Note: You will need to enter your GuestNetID or password again only if you disconnect from the network.

I'm trying to login but the web login page does not come up automatically. What should I do?

As a user of the Guest Wireless Network, your device (laptop, tablet, or smartphone) is responsible for triggering the web login page. Some devices are better than others. For example, iOS devices and smartphones are able to handle this automatically, and no action is required on your part. However, if the web login page does not come up automatically, manually launch your web browser, then go to a website to trigger the login page. For example, if you go to UChicago.edu or Google.com, this will trigger the web login page where you may enter your guest login credentials.

I can't login to the guest wireless network while connected to the wired network. How do I fix this?

In order to successfully connect and log in to the guest network, first, you need to disconnect from the wired network connection. To do so, disconnect the wired connection between yourself and your wall socket. Alternatively, you can locate the network connectivity functions in your device and disconnect from the wired network.

I can't login to the guest wireless network while connected to the wireless network. How do I fix the connection?

This usually means that your device is unable to get an IP address from the DHCP server. Make sure that you are not accidentally connected to some other network besides the Guest Wireless Network. Turn off the Wi-Fi on your device. After a few minutes, turn your Wi-Fi on again. This should force your device to request new IP settings from the DHCP server.