Wireless Troubleshooting.

• Requirements
• Aruba Login
• Trouble Connecting to the Wireless?
  • Mac Users
  • Windows Users

Requirements:

• Valid WatIAM username and password. If you are not a current student, faculty, or staff member you can go to the CHIP office (MC1052) where they may be able to assign a guest username and password for a short period of time.
• Wireless card with the latest updates installed. Check the manufacturer’s website for software updates. Make sure the wireless card is turned on, either by a switch at the front of the computer or an icon in the systems tray.
• Make sure any P2P file sharing programs (BitTorrent, LimeWire) are turned off.
• You must log out of the wireless network when you leave any building on campus. If you don’t you will not be able to log in at another building.

Logging in (Aruba):

To begin, open a browser window. You will be taken to the Aruba log-in page. You must enter your WatIAM user name and password correctly to log in.

Possible error messages:

• “Unable to ping your computer”, the settings on your firewall are not allowing the computer to connect.  Go to Start>Control Panel>Windows Firewall>Advanced>ICMP settings> Allow incoming echo requests. This problem will happen with Windows users only.
• “Unable to accept Thawte security certificate”, try using a mainstream browser (i.e. Internet Explorer or Firefox) instead.
• If you have used the wireless for unsafe downloading, your user name may have been blacklisted. You will get an error message explaining why. You must go to the CHIP office (MC1052) to clear up the problem.
• If none of these error messages appear but you are still unable to pass Aruba, there may be something wrong with the wireless card. Go to the CHIP office (MC1052).

Trouble connecting to the wireless:

If you are having trouble connecting to the wireless, make sure your wireless card is turned on. There is usually a small switch at the front of the computer, or an icon in the systems tray. If the wireless card is turned on and the computer is still not connecting properly, follow these instructions.

Mac Users:
Mac users should be able to connect using the wireless network connection at the top right of the desktop. If you are having problems connecting, you will see an icon without any lines (as in the first picture). Open this menu and make sure the airport card is turned on. Once that is done, you should see lines in the icon, indicating that the wireless is detected. Make sure the uw-wireless network is selected. If these settings are correct but you are still having trouble connecting, you may be trying to connect to a server hub at maximum capacity. Move to a different floor or area of the library and try connecting again, or go to the CHIP office (MC1052) or your faculty computing help desk (http://ist.uwaterloo.ca/cs/compfac.html) to try to figure out the problem.

 

 

 

 

Windows Users:

• Right click on the wireless icon in the bottom tray and choose Status.

 

 

 

 

• Next, open the ‘Support’ tab. You should always have an IP address. If you don’t, click on ‘Repair’. If ‘Repair’ is not an option, there is a problem with the wireless card and you should either go to the CHIP office (MC1052) or sign out an Ethernet cable from the circulation desk.

                                                                                                 

• Under the General tab, click on Properties to check the computer’s settings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• When you open the properties you’ll see a list of items. Scroll through this list until you come to the QoS Packet Scheduler. The QoS Packet Scheduler (part of the wireless card) should be checked.

• Scroll down in the list to Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Click to select, and then click Properties. Both “Obtain an IP address automatically” and “Obtain DNS server address automatically” should be checked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Finally, under the Wireless Networks tab, “Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings” should be checked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once all of these settings are correct, reboot your computer and try again. If you are still having a problem, you may be trying to connect to a server hub at maximum capacity. Move to a different floor or area of the library and try connecting again.

If all of these actions have been carried out and you still cannot connect to the network, you can sign out an Ethernet cable from the circulation desk, or go to the CHIP office or your faculty computing help desk (http://ist.uwaterloo.ca/cs/compfac.html) to try to figure out the problem.

If you have questions about these suggestions or are still experiencing problems, please visit the nearest Faculty Help Desk or the CHIP (MC1052) for further assistance!

If you are having difficulty, help is available at the
CHIP, MC-1052 - Mon-Fri, 8am-4:30pm

Problems with wireless connections may be taken to CHIP or
the Engineering Computer User Support Centre - E2-1308

Problems with connectivity in the Map Library may be taken to the
Environmental Studies Computing Helpdesk - ES2-163A.

University of Waterloo Library
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4883

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