Rhodes University Wifi, Rhodes has an extensive wireless network covering more than thirty-five different locations on campus. Our wireless network is built on WiFi technology, and supports the 802.11 a/b/g standards.
University Wireless Networks
There are two wireless networks in general use at Rhodes, each serving a different segment of the University population. These networks are identified by the name (or SSID) that displays on your PC when you’re trying to connect. They are:
- The eduroam wireless network. This network is intended for staff & students from Rhodes as well as from other eduroam participating organisations. The type of network access you get when connecting to this network depends on who you are: Rhodes staff have access as if they’d connected from a building on the campus network; Rhodes students connect to the Student Network; visitors connect to a guest network that only provides Internet access. Please see our eduroam page for more details of this service.
- The Events@Rhodes wireless network. This network provides Internet access for delegates or participants at academic conferences and other University events, by prior arrangement with the Conferences Office; it does not have access to the University’s internal network.
Public Internet Access
The University has partnered with AlwaysOn, one of South Africa’s leading hotspot providers, to make public Internet access available on our campus. This service is available to conference delegates, festival visitors, and the public in general. There are no special requirements for using AlwaysOn’s service, and no paperwork to complete. You simply need to connect to AlwaysOn’s wireless network, which at Rhodes is called AlwaysOn.
More information on AlwaysOn’s service, including their tarrifs, roaming agreements, terms and conditions and instructions for connecting, can be found on their web site (http://www.alwayson.co.za/).
Should you need help connecting to AlwaysOn’s wireless network, please contact their dedicated helpdesk on 0861 HOTSPOT (4687768).
Every Rhodes wireless hotspot is also an AlwaysOn hotspot.
Campus Hotspots
Rhodes’ wireless network does not cover the whole of the University’s campus. Instead, there are a number of wireless hotspots in various locations on campus, such as the larger lecture venues, the main & Cory libraries, some academic departments, the day kaif, and public or exhibition spaces. Coverage has and is greatly increasing as part of our wireless renewal project.
The location of the various wireless hotspots on campus is shown on our interactive coverage map. On the map, buildings containing hotspots are marked with a purple wireless icon like the one on the right. More information is available on the map’s page.
Public areas that have wireless access available for general use by staff and students typically indicate this by means of the purple antenna symbol shown on the right. You should be able to pick up any of the University’s wireless networks within the immediate vicinity (usually 20–30 metres) of the sign.
Any of these hotspots are also an AlwaysOn hotspots.