eduroam - End User Benefits

This document describes the benefits of using eduroam vs other networks like UWNet by answering some key questions.

What is eduroam wireless (education roaming)?

    • Eduroam is a secure world-wide network that acts as a large hotspot for the educational community
    • Eduroam is made possible by a federation of servers that allows you to connect to the wireless network at participating institutions
    • Eduroam is easily accessed and only requires your NetID and password to connect

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

    • Eduroam provides increased security via secure network protocols such as 802.1x
    • Wireless networks like eduroam use 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?

  • You can feel confident that your data is secure when using eduroam due to the use of some of the most secure encryption standards
    • US eduroam institutions
    • 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 widely available in over 78 countries!
  • 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 
Doc ID:
69078
Owned by:
Help Desk KB Team in DoIT Help Desk
Created:
2016-11-29
Updated:
2025-03-13
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk, Identity and Access Management