FAQs about eduroam and Wi-Fi Connections at Dartmouth

The short answer: Goto wifi.dartmouth.edu and click the big green Connect to eduroam button. More detailed instructions are available in this KB Article on how to run the SecureW2 JoinNow Software.

SecureW2 is the maker of the JoinNow software.  The JoinNow software runs on your device, authenticates you with Dartmouth’s Web SSO, creates a certificate file to allow you to connect to eduroam, and installs the certificate and eduroam network on your device.

Dartmouth Public is provided as a free and open Wi-Fi network for guests on the Dartmouth campus as well as an alternative for devices that truly do not support eduroam.  Dartmouth Public is unencrypted Wi-Fi, and as such is not able to access many on-campus resources.  All persons with an active affiliation with Dartmouth (current students, faculty, and staff as well as individuals with sponsored accounts) should connect to eduroam only.  eduroam is secure and encrypted using the latest standards and provides access to resources on the campus network (such as GreenPrint, screen sharing in classrooms and conference rooms, Library media and databases, and administrative applications such as Oracle and OnBase). Additionally, because of requirements in the Wi-Fi protocol, open networks such as Dartmouth Public cannot operate at Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 speeds. In areas of campus where Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 are offered, eduroam will provide the fastest connection available.

The same equipment provides both the eduroam and Dartmouth Public Wi-Fi networks. One signal will not be stronger than another, regardless of what your device says. Sometimes, devices do not scan all available Wi-Fi Access Points when displaying the list of available networks. A signal from a Wi-Fi AP that is nearer to your device may not be represented in the list. eduroam will always provides the fastest, most secure Wi-Fi service.

In some cases, yes. Because of requirements in the Wi-Fi protocol, open networks such as Dartmouth Public cannot operate at Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 speeds. In areas of campus where Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 are offered, eduroam will provide the fastest connection available. ITC does not throttle, rate-limit, or otherwise reduce the performance of Dartmouth Public.

Aside from buildings on the Dartmouth campus, eduroam is provided at DHMC, the Dartmouth Skiway, and several other Dartmouth-owned off-campus locations.  Additionally, eduroam is available to Dartmouth users free of charge at over 2,500 locations in the US, and more than 33,000 locations worldwide.  These locations include other higher-ed campuses, K-12 districts, some government and research buildings, and even airports!

You can use eduroam at DHMC or any other eduroam provider's location. At DHMC, connection to eduroam will provide Dartmouth users access to the Dartmouth College campus LAN.

In some locations where eduroam cannot be provided, a "Dartmouth" Wi-Fi network may be offered instead. The JoinNow installer provided by the "Connect to eduroam" button will also configure your device to connect to this "Dartmouth" Wi-Fi network. Prior to January 2026, a special installer was required in order to connect to the "Dartmouth" Wi-Fi network. This is no longer needed.

No.  Configuring your device for eduroam will not affect cellular phone or data service.  ITC does not provide or support cellular service from public carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon.  For support with cellular service, please contact your provider.

No.  Configuring your device for eduroam will not affect your ability to connect to Wi-Fi or wired networks such as at home or while traveling. Dartmouth ITC does not provide support for off-campus networks.

Any device that supports eduroam should connect to it instead of connecting Dartmouth Public.

Most modern laptops, tablets, and smartphones support the technology required to use eduroam. This includes operating systems such as MacOS, Windows 10 and 11, iPhone/iPad, Android, and Linux.  The SecureW2 JoinNow software (which is used to configure devices for eduroam) is continually tested and updated by the vendor in order to ensure compatibility with operating system updates.

Your device may need a software, operating system, or driver update.  Please contact the manufacturuer of your device for confirmation that it supports WPA2-Enterprise and EAP-TLS. If your device is still unable to support EAP-TLS after updating software, please contact the Service Desk for further assistance.

Please contact the Service Desk so we can determine how best to connect your device to the network.

The CAT tool and the GetEduroam app should not be used.  Dartmouth users must configure their devices with the JoinNow application in order to connect to eduroam.

Only Safari, Firefox, Chrome, and Edge are supported.  Other browsers have been known to be incompatible with the JoinNow process.  Please set your system’s default browser to one that is supported and re-run the JoinNow software.  You may set your default browser back once JoinNow has completed.

In order to ensure your device connects to the eduroam or Dartmouth Wi-Fi networks properly, the JoinNow installer configures your devices to ignore or otherwise deprioritize the Dartmouth Public and Dartmouth Guest networks.

5 years.  This length of time will cover most students’ time on campus as well as the useful life of any computer hardware.  If you need to renew a certificate for your device, simply re-run the JoinNow software.

As many as you want, though if you are planning to connect more than 10 devices (such as for lab equipment) we ask that you contact the Service Desk to determine the most appropriate solution.

You should use a Departmental NetID or a Service Account to complete the JoinNow process.  Never use your personal NetID to connect shared equipment or anyone else’s device to eduroam.

WPA3 is the current generation of “Wi-Fi Protected Access” - the software feature that encrypts Wi-Fi connections.  Dartmouth's eduroam network supports this standard in order to ensure the highest level of security as well as support the latest Wi-Fi protocols.  See this article on WPA3 for more information.

EAP-PEAP-MSCHAPv2 (Extensible Authentication Protocol, Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol, Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol Version 2) is a way for a device to provide its (or its user's) identity to the network for the purposes of establishing a secure connection.  This method uses a NetID and password combination to validate identity.  The username and password are checked every time a device connects or reconnects to the network.
MSCHAPv2 was determined to have weaknesses in the technology which could be abused by a cyber attacker.  Microsoft is recommending that use of this technology be discontinued and has begun to remove support for it in recent Windows updates.  Other operating systems are expected to remove support for MSCHAPv2 in the future.

EAP-TLS (Extensible Authentication Protocol, Transport Layer Security), is another way for a device to provide its (or its user's) identity to the network for the purposes of establishing a secure connection.  This method uses a digital certificate - a special file that contains a complex sequence of encrypted data about the user's name and permission level.  A digital certificate must be installed on each device that needs to connect to the network.  The SecureW2 JoinNow software generates and installs this certificate.  This certificate is presented to the network upon every connection (similar to waving your ID Card to unlock the door to a building).  If the certificate is valid, access to the network is granted.