Wireless Troubleshooting Guide
Troubleshooting your connection to the 'nyu' network
We currently don't have a catlogue of troubleshooting tips for connecting to the 'nyu' network. As we gather more information we will add it to this page. If you are having difficulty connecting to the 'nyu' network, please schedule a troubleshooting session for assistance.
NEW MAC TROUBLESHOOTING: 10/22/07 - In response to issue that have developed with Macs using the 'nyu' network, we have created the following page: Mac Wireless Troubleshooting. Please try these steps in order to correct some of the problems that have arisen regarding Mac wireless.
NEW ISSUE: RESOLVED 8/16/07 - We have discovered that certain laptops using the Atheros 5006eg Wireless cards and running Windows Vista (found on, but not limited to Toshiba laptops) may need to update their wireless driver in order to connect to the nyu network. Please see us to get this driver and install it on your laptop if you belong to this group!
Troubleshooting your connection to the NYU-ROAM3 network
If your laptop does not support any of the encryption types that the 'nyu' configuration uses, you may still use the NYU-ROAM3/VPN connection. There are quite a few reasons you might not be able to connect to the NYU-ROAM3 network. Listed below is a good process for eliminating most of them. If you still have problems connecting you may schedule a troubleshooting session.
Identify the source of the problem
1. Check for Access to the NYU-ROAM3 Access Point. If your wireless connection utility (Windows’ Wireless, Access Connections, ProSet Wireless) shows that you have are connected to NYU-ROAM3, go directly to step 5 to troubleshoot the VPN Client. If your wireless connection utility shows that you do not have a connection go to step 2.
Getting onto the NYU-ROAM3 Access Point2. Making sure your wireless device is active:
a. Verify that your wireless device is turned on. Some laptops have a physical hardware switch located on the case. Make sure this is in the ‘On’ position. Other laptops use a Function Key combination (e.g. Dell uses Fn+F2, IBM uses Fn+F5)
b. Open Network Connections (from the System Tray or from the Control Panel). Verify that your wireless Connection is Enabled. If not, right-click on your wireless connection and select ‘Enable.’3. If you use Windows to configure your wireless connection (the following assumes you have Service Pack 2 installed on your machine. If you do not, please go to www.windowsupdate.com and download and install this update first):
a. Within Network Connections, right-click on your wireless connection and select ‘Properties’.
b. Select the ‘Wireless Connections’ tab.
c. Verify that NYU-ROAM3 appears in the ‘Preferred Networks’ window.
d. Verify that it is an automatic connection. It will say (Automatic) next to NYU-ROAM3.i. If it says (Manual), you must remove the profile and re-enter it. To do so, click ‘New’ and enter the SSID as NYU-ROAM3.
ii. Change the decryption to ‘disabled’. Select ‘OK’. Go to step (3.f.)e. Select NYU-ROAM3 and click ‘Properties’. Verify that the SSID is NYU-ROAM3 (this is case-sensitive), that Network Authentication is Open and that Data Encryption is Disabled. If not, make these changes. Click ‘OK.’
f. Select “Advanced” and verify that the radio button for “Infrastructure Mode” is selected. If it is not selected, do so now. Make sure the check box ‘Automatically Connect to non-preferred networks’ is UN-checked. Click the ‘Close’ button.
g. Click ‘OK.’ If your wireless connection has access to NYU-ROAM3, attempt to connect through the VPN client. If you have trouble with the VPN client, proceed to step 5.4. If you use another wireless utility (e.g. IBM Access Connections, Intel ProSet Wireless):
a. Check to see if you are using your NYU-ROAM3 profile. If you are not, select that profile and try to connect.
b. If you can’t connect through your NYU-ROAM3 profile, check the profile to make sure thati. The SSID is NYU-ROAM3 (case sensitive)
ii. Security is set to Open or None and encryption set to Disabledc. Re-connect to the profile. If your wireless connection has access to NYU-ROAM3, attempt to connect through the VPN client. If you have trouble with the VPN client, proceed to step 5.
Troubleshooting the VPN Client
5. If you can connect to NYU-ROAM3, but the VPN Client won’t authenticate ….
a. If you’re getting to the sign-on screen and it won’t authenticate you, make sure your caps-lock is off. If you keep getting the netid/password window it’s because your password is incorrect.
b. The most common error is 403 (other codes that are similar in symptoms are 412 and 401). This usually indicates a problem with your connection to the Access Point. Please make sure your wireless connection says it is connected to NYU-ROAM3. If it does not, refer to steps 2-4 above. If you are still receiving Error 403, please set up an appointment with ITS.
c. If the VPN client fails to initialize, you may have an issue with your firewall software. If you are using Windows Firewall, this shouldn’t interfere with the VPN Client. If you are using a 3rd party firewall such as ZoneAlarm or Norton Internet Security, check program access to make sure Cisco VPN Client is permitted access. If you’re not sure whether the firewall is affecting your VPN connection, try turning it off while you connect through the VPN client. If configuring your firewall software to permit the VPN Client doesn’t work, please set up an appointment with ITS.
d. You can sign on through the VPN but you can’t load a webpage in your browser: Clear your cache. In Internet Explorer go to Tools>Internet Options and click ‘Delete Files.’ Select the ‘Delete All Offline Content’ option. In Mozilla Firefox go to Tools>Options Select the Privacy Tab and then hit the button that says ‘Clear’ next to Cache, or the ‘Clear Cache’ button depending on your version. If clearing your cache doesn’t enable you to reach a web page, please set up an appointment with ITS.