Wireless Handy Guide - Macintosh Setup Instructions
Introduction
This guide is meant to be a guide for anyone trying to use their Apple laptop to connect to our campus wireless network.
Want to print these instructions out?
Please go back to the Wireless Guides page for the downloadable version!
Here is what you will need to have:
- Wireless-enabled laptop: This means that you must have
an Apple laptop with wireless capability built-in, or you must have an
external wireless card.
- As of this writing, the latest Apple laptops are the iBook G4 and PowerBook G4. Both of these have built-in Wireless capability - 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme (Wi-Fi 802.11g). This will work on the GCC wireless network.
- If your Apple laptop doesn't have built-in wireless capability, then please note that your card must be compatible with the 802.11b signal! That is, the card must say "802.11b" or 802.11g" on it. If it says "802.11a" only, then the card will not work on our network!
- Wireless network name: engarde
- Your eGCC Username and Password: If you are an employee here at GCC, your eGCC Username and Password usually is NOT the same as your Glory login information. You would use your eGCC Username and Password login information to access machines in the High Tech Centers and in the classrooms. If you have forgotten your eGCC Username and Password, please contact Technology Research & Implementation at (623) 845-3482 for assistance.
Here's a screenshot of a Macintosh PowerBook G4 laptop running Macintosh OSX - version 10.3.9. The magnified area in the center of the screenshot is where the Wireless icon is located. And, this is where we'll start.
Step 1: Locate the AirPort status icon
AirPort status icon: Picture of a triangle comprised of four semi-circular lines. The number of darkened lines correspond to the signal strength. The icon is located in the top right-hand corner of your screen, as shown above.
Here are the three different appearances of the AirPort status icon:
AirPort is turned off/disabled. No semicircular lines are visible. To turn AirPort on, please click on the icon and select "Turn AirPort On" from the menu that appears.
AirPort is turned on, though most likely has not established a connection with a network. All semicircular lines are greyed out. To connect to a network, please follow the steps in this Guide.
AirPort is turned on and has established a connection with a network. In this case, signal strength is excellent because all four lines are darkened. To see what network you're connected to, please click on the icon and look at the menu item with a checkmark item next to it. The checkmarked item is the name of the network you're connected to.
Now, if you do not see the icon, there are two possibilities:
- The AirPort Status icon has been set to not appear in the Menu bar.
To fix this, please do the following:
- Open the System Preferences window (click on the Apple icon in the top left-hand corner and select the "System Preferences..." menu item)
- Click on the "Network" icon to bring up the corresponding preferences
- Check the box next to the text "Show AirPort status in the menu bar". If required, click on the "Apply Now" button.
- If you have an external card, the card might not have been plugged in properly. Try re-inserting the card.
Step 2: Verify that "engarde" network hasn't been detected
Now, when you clicked on the AirPort Status icon, a drop-down menu like the one shown to the right should appear.
If you do not see "engarde" listed, then please select the "Open Internet Connect..." menu item to setup the "engarde" network.
If you do see "engarde" listed, then simply click on the name "engarde" to connect. If connection is successful, you will see the AirPort Status icon's lines darken (see Step 1). If this doesn't work, please proceed through this Guide.
Step 3: Configure the settings for the "engarde" wireless network
Now, when you clicked "Open Internet Connect..." in Step 2, the window below should have appeared, already on the section corresponding to AirPort Settings.
Here, we're going to enter in the information needed to set up our wireless connection to "engarde".
- Select the drop-down box next to "Network", such that you see the window to the bottom left. Please select the "Other..." menu item from this drop-down list.
- You should now see the box pictured to the bottom right. In this box, please type engarde in the "Network Name" box, and ensure that None is selected for "Wireless Security". Once you ensure that the window on your computer looks the same as this one, please click on the "OK" button to save your configuration settings for "engarde".
Step 4: Confirm settings
In the same box noted in Step 3 - Item 3, a small message will appear in the bottom left-hand corner of the window that says "Starting Connection."
This is what you'll see if your connection to engarde was successful. If you see this, please close the window by clicking on the red button in the top left-hand corner of the window, and proceed to Step 5.
This is what you'll see if your connection was not successful. If you see this box, first try clicking "Try Again", as the network could go down for a few seconds at any time. If after a few times it still doesn't work, please click "OK" and then go back to Step 3.
If you're still unable to connect, please stop by Technology Research & Implementation for further assistance. The problem may be as simple as the network not being available in a certain part of campus.
Step 5: Logon to the engarde wireless network!
Assuming all is well and all steps were followed, you should see the AirPort Status icon in the state shown above. Of course, the signal strength will depend on where you are on campus.
To finish, please open your favorite browser's window (IE Mac, Safari, etc). You might see a warning box appear, stating that you're either entering a secure website or the site's certificate has expired. If you see such a dialog box, please click "Close" or "OK" to proceed to the GCC Wireless Logon page. Type in your eGCC Username and Password, and click the "Logon" button. Upon authentication, you should now be able to surf the web.
Are you using Firefox 2.0?
If so, you must allow Firefox 2.0 access to our wireless network's logon page. Please do the following:
- Type about:config in the location (or address) bar of a Firefox 2.0 browser window. You should now see the configuration file for Firefox.
- In the "Filter" box, which has just appeared below the location bar, type ssl2 (that is, SSL2, just in lowercase).
- You should see various items with the text ssl2. Please
enable at least the following options by double-clicking their names:
- security.enable_ssl2
- security.ssl2.rc4_128
- Now, the two items you just activated should now appear in a bold font, and should have their values set to True. Please refresh the browser by pressing the F5 key on your keyboard; and you should now find yourself at the login page.
- Once you reach the login screen, please type in your eGCC Username and Password, and click the "Logon" button. Upon authentication, you should now be able to surf the web.
