Testing a New Wireless Network Service
The internet has changed over the years. We now have a multitude of devices which are incompatible with the more secure enterprise wireless infrastructure offered by EDUROAM and SOMERVILLE/SOMERVILE-STG (see https://blogs.some.ox.ac.uk/ict/internet-access-at-somerville-college/unsupported-devices/). There certainly is no move from manufacturers to provide enterprise level support for these products, while the number of them increases and the usefulness of the devices has become hard to ignore. The Internet of Things (IoT) is here to stay.
Work has been undertaken by our network suppliers to provision a test network setup with a registration web form which will allow the IT team to provision network keys to members of the College, for security these will be provided to a registered mobile number via SMS text in the first instance.
Use of this new network will enable a user to onboard all of their devices with a secure encryption key provided to a virtual network which encapsulates all their devices into one segmented network. This allows your own devices to communicate with both the internet and each other, so an iPad can control a TV, a wireless printer can be used with laptop/iPad/iPhone etc. While securing them from other users on the network.
The network name is unique to Somerville College and will begin testing building by building starting with Margery Fry House, then Catherine Hughes. If successful we can then roll it out across all college buildings. Careful consideration will need to be taken when looking at provisioning the network to the College’s rented buildings on Woodstock Road (St Giles Terrace) as there are issues with the number of networks that can be offered using the over-the-air connection currently in place.
The service will replace the now defunct Guest-Somerville, which is only used for internal conference laptops, and if successful will be promoted as the preferred network for members of the College when on-site by moving from an on-demand registration model to an auto-enrol model which would allow the keys to be distributed before term begins in September.
Please click here if you would like to begin testing and are a resident of Margery Fry House.