Wifi Troubleshooting Guide

Go to your device's Wifi settings and set each setting to the recommended list, as shown above, then try to connect and login again.
If that does not work, forget or delete any saved SBCC wifi networks on your device.  Restart your device.  Re-aquire the networks and try to connect and log in.  

If you had previously connected to the SBCC-Guest network, you'll need to go to your list of Wifi networks and "forget"  or delete it from the list.  Then let your device find the networks again, and connect and login to the desired network.

Make sure you are entering in the correct username and that your password is between 8 and 15 characters.  To verify your login information, find a device that is connected to the internet and use the "Find Account" form on the campus portal login page.

Apple devices prefer a trusted Certificate. The problem is that unless you have installed SBCC's certificate in the trusted certificates area, there is no way of checking the certificate before gaining access to the internet.  When prompted, choose "Trust" for the sbcc.edu and/or eduroam network to allow your device to continue.  If this step was missed the first time through then the wireless network must be forgotten and re added this time trusting our certificate.

You may be in an area which is not currently covered by the wireless network. It's also possible that you have connected to a non-SBCC wireless network by accident. Please check these items to determine if the connection to the wireless network is the source of the problem.  Is your antenna turned on? Some laptops with built in wireless cards include a switch to enable and disable the antenna. If your laptop has a built in wireless card and includes this feature, please be sure you have the antenna enabled. Such a switch will probably be labeled "wireless" or may have a small antenna logo. In some cases, this feature is activated by a hot key combination such as Fn-F1. This is usually indicated by a small antenna logo on one of the keys on the keyboard. If you are using a PCMCIA removable wireless card, this does not apply to you.   If your adapter is turned off the bottom of the client window will indicate this condition. If it is off, select the setting from the main menu that says 'Turn Radio On'.  How is the signal strength? Your system probably provides a signal strength meter somewhere in the task bar at the bottom of the screen, or in the menu bar at the top of the screen. The exact location varies depending on the operating system on the laptop. If your signal strength is low, you may be in an area with poor coverage. Try to get closer to the access point.

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Find out where the antennas are located for the location you are connecting to. Make sure that you are in range of one of the antennas. All operating systems will have facilities to check the wireless network signal strength. Make sure your signal strength is at an acceptable level. If the signal strength is weak, try pointing your card at one of the antennas.

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If you open the client configuration utility on your computer you should be able to tell whether or not you are able to 'see' a wireless Access Point.  This of course requires that you be in an area that has wireless coverage. At the bottom of the utility window it will either tell you that you are not associated or it will tell you that you’re associated and it will list the name of the Access Point you’re attached to. If you are associated to an Access Point then your wireless card is most likely operating correctly.

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Find out if other people in your area are also having networking problems. If they can't use the network either, the problem may not be limited to your computer.

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To be compatible with the systems we are using on campus your wireless card will need to be 'Wi-Fi' compatible. Compatible hardware will usually be branded with the 'Wi-Fi' logo. To see a list of current approved hardware you can go to the WECA website and look at the certified product listing. If your wireless adapter is not on this list then you will need to get one that is. If you have a wireless adaptor that is 802.11a and not compatible with 802.11b or 802.11g, you will not be able to associate with the wireless Access Point. Please note that we soon will have 802.11a compatibility as well, but 802.11a has less range than 802.11b or 802.11g.

All areas on Cliff Campus as well as Wake Continuing Education Center support wireless at least 802.11N Dual Band. Your wireless host should automatically select the most appropriate mode given your adapter's capabilities and what services are available. We offer higher wireless data rates for connections on the 5.2Ghz (A) band.

STEP SEVEN: If your operating system is Windows 10, You will need to navigate to the “Control Panel” and open the “Internet Options” applet. You will need to navigate to the “Network and Internet Settings” located in the bottom right of your screen. This opens a list of available networks for which you may be able to connect to. You are looking for eduroam. Windows knows what that network requires and so presents you with a form to fill in. Take your campus username <username>@pipeline.sbcc.edu ie <username> without the delimiting symbols, and add to that <username>@sbcc.edu (@sbcc.edu is our eduroam realm) check the other settings. If they are not already automatically chosen, pick the following.
ssid = eduroam
eap method = peap
Phase 2 Authentication = MSCHAPV2
CA Certificate = Use system certificates, Do not Validate, or Trust
User Name = <your campus email name only>@sbcc.edu
Password = your campus password. If asked for a domain name enter sbcc.edu

Once this is set up you will not have to reauthenticate to our network and will have wireless access to SBCC, Wake, Schott,CSUCI, and UCSB's eduroam network, plus any other campuses where eduroam is offered.

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The obvious way to check this is to look and make sure you have inserted your wireless adapter into your computer. If you try to open up the client configuration utility and the adapter is not inserted it will give you an error message indicating that the adapter is not present. If you have both a PCMCIA card for wired Ethernet and one for wireless Ethernet and they are both in the computer at the same time, they may conflict with one another. If you are using a Mac, you should disable the AirPort card to avoid conflicts.

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If you have not already used the Windows Internet Connection Wizard, you may need to. You will need to navigate to the “Control Panel” and open the “Internet Options” applet. You will need to navigate to the “Connections” menu tab, and click on the “Setup” button. This will launch the “New Connection Wizard” which will walk you through the connection process.  Once the wizard is launched, click on “Next” and you will be prompted with a list of network connection types. Select the “Connect to the Internet” option and click on “Next.” You will then be asked, “How do you want to connect to the Internet?”Select the “Set up my connection manually” option and click “Next.” When the next window appears, please select the “Connect using a broadband connection that is always on” option and click “Next.” At this point, you will be given the “Completing the New Connection Wizard” window. Please click on “Finish.” The connection wizard will close and your connection should be completed.

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You should have the TCP/IP v4 protocol installed, associated with your wireless adapter, and configured to obtain the IP address automatically with DHCP. Check the IP address that has been assigned to the NIC. It should be something in the range of 10.9.X.X. If you are given something like 0.0.0.0 or 169.254.X.X, then something is wrong either with the wireless adapter, its driver, or the settings on the card. Many issues are resolved with driver updates especially when using older hardware.

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Many wireless cards come with a diagnostic utility that checks the card to make sure it is in proper working condition. The procedures for accessing wireless cards' diagnostic utilities vary depending on the type of card and the operating system. Check your card’s documentation.

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If you are still having connection issues after following the previously mentioned steps, you will need to get assistance from a qualified technician. Chances are very good that if you followed the steps provided above and you are still unable to make a wireless connection, you may have software or hardware problems that exist on your laptop. Unfortunately, SBCC is unable to provide technical support for personal equipment that is owned by students, staff or faculty. You will need to take your laptop to a qualified repair technician in town, or contact the vendor that you originally purchased the laptop from.

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