eduroam - End-user Benefits

This document covers the eduroam wireless network and why eduroam is recommended over UWNet.

Refer to eduroam - Accessing and Logging in to eduroam for instructions to connect to eduroam.

What is eduroam?

eduroam (Education Roaming) is a secure Wi-Fi network service for the international education and research community. It is made possible by a federation of servers that allows you to connect to the wireless network at participating institutions.

You can connect to eduroam anywhere on the UW-Madison campus.

eduroam only requires your NetID and password to connect. Once you've connected to eduroam, you can use the eduroam wireless network at any participating institution.

Why is eduroam more secure vs other wireless networks like UWNet?

  • eduroam uses secure network protocols, such as IEEE 802.1x.
  • eduroam uses end-to-end encryption for authentication credentials.
  • When you connect to eduroam at another institution, your credentials are sent securely back to UW-Madison where they are authenticated.

Why should you choose eduroam?

  • eduroam uses secure encryption standards, so you can feel confident that your data is secure. 
  • UWNet requires you to register again every semester, while eduroam only requires a single registration.
  • You can use eduroam across the United States and in over 78 countries.
    • Use the eduroam U.S. Locator Map to find U.S. institutions that support eduroam.
    • eduroam is ever growing as more hotspots are being added around the world and are appearing in more types of locations as well (libraries, coffee shops, museums).
  • eduroam is cross platform and can be used on Windows, Apple OSX, a vast majority of mobile devices, and Linux distributions.
  • eduroam requires minimum configuration to setup and access, and allows people like traveling faculty, staff, study abroad students, and students visiting for NCAA events to easily access a secure network.

If you have any questions regarding eduroam or want more information, please feel free to contact the DoIT Helpdesk.



Keywords:
eduroam, end, user, end user, benefits, NetID Login Service, RADIUS, wpa, wpa2, 802.1x, federation internet net wireless wifi 
Doc ID:
69078
Owned by:
Help Desk KB Team in DoIT Help Desk
Created:
2016-11-29
Updated:
2025-05-12
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk, Identity and Access Management, Network Services