Engineering VPN FAQ
This document attempts to answer some common questions about the College of Engineering's VPN service
What is VPN?
VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a tool that creates a secure network connection from a public or private network (like a cafe or your home) to another network (UW Or CoE). UW-Madison uses VPN technology to enable remote users to securely connect to certain campus and/or college resources.
What is the difference between WiscVPN and Engineering's VPN?
There is very little difference between WiscVPN and Engineering's VPN service. Engineering's VPN service has all the same features as WiscVPN and if WiscVPN does what you need it to, there is no reason to switch. The only additional feature of Engineering's VPN is that it will give you access to resources that are behind the College of Engineering's Firewall.Are there any places that the VPN will not work?
No. The VPN client should work most anywhere.Will Engineering's VPN work from the campus wireless network?
Yes. In fact, if you use Engineering's VPN, you can connect directly to the VPN using the "Full Tunnel" profile without having to authenticate to the campus wireless.There are several types of VPN in Engineering, which do I choose?
For the most part, undergraduates will use WiscVPN, but have access to the license VPN for use with some software programs. Graduate students and faculty/staff can activate the CoE VPN and use either the full or split tunnel mode. There is also a special type called Collaborator VPN (see below).