The information given here assumes that you have a wireless-capable machine (802.11a/b/g) that has already been configured for use with a wireless network. If you are using an operating system earlier than Windows XP or Mac OS X, have installed a non-standard wireless card, or have previously configured your machine with a static IP address, you may need to do some extra setting up; if you need advice on configuring your machine to use wireless, please see your local computer support staff.
Note for users of Mac OS X 10.7 - Lion. You must be running 10.7.3 or later to use eduroam or Lapwing. There is an issue with earlier versions of 10.7 which prevents connection.
- Provided you are within range of a Lapwing hotspot, Lapwing should
appear on the list of visible wireless networks when you start up your
machine:
- on a Mac you can see this list by pulling down the Airport menu (if this menu does not appear on the Menu bar, go to System Preferences, then Network, then Airport, and make sure that the box "Show Airport status in Menu bar" is checked).
- On a wireless-capable Windows system, you should normally be able to see the list of visible networks by right-clicking on the wireless status icon near the right-hand end of the taskbar.
- Select Lapwing from the list; you should now have a wireless connection established.
- To authenticate for your session you now need to start up a web browser, e.g. Firefox or Internet Explorer, and request a web page not local to your machine, for example http://www.cam.ac.uk/ - note that the URL must start with http not https. Lapwing will intercept the web page request and display a page confirming that you are about to authenticate using Lapwing.
- Note that if the page you request happens to have been cached locally on your system it will be displayed directly from there and will not take you to Lapwing. If this happens click on some links to find something that actually needs network access. Note that attempting any other network activity, such as making an IMAP connection to read mail, or using ssh to login to a shared system, will not work until you have been through the authentication process.
- Once you have reached the Lapwing page, choose whether you are going to use Raven or a temporary Lapwing ticket to authenticate, and supply the appropriate identifier and password.
If this process is successful you will see a confirmation and an invitation to click on a link to take you to the page you initially requested. You are now connected and can use network facilities. Note that some groups of ticket users, for example summer schools, may be subject to some network restrictions.