Learn how to use our WiFi networks.
 | This article explains how to get online with your devices at Riverdale. |
|---|---|
 | Intended for Employees and Students |
 | Categorized under Classroom Technology and Systems |
 | Maintained by Kristin Skelton |
 | in need of review. |
What WiFi networks are available, who can use them and what can I do?
| Access to: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| User Group | Network Name (SSID) | Authentication | Speed/ Bandwidth | Internet | RCS WebDAV |
RCS Printing |
| All RCS Guests | RCS-Guest | Captive Portal | Low | 
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| Employees and Students | RCS-Community | WPA2 Enterprise with Domain Credentials |
Medium |
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Which network should I use?
RCS-Community will provide the best experience and bandwidth. They require you to use your RCS domain username and passphrase to connect to a WPA2 Enterprise network.
The RCS-Guest network makes basic wireless access available to guests and members of our community whose devices do not support logins requiring a domain username and passphrase (this is quite rare these days) . The rate limit on these connections will allow checking email and basic web surfing, but other functions may feel very slow.
What does Internet access mean? Can I do ANYTHING I want?
In order to protect you, your computer, other computers, and our network from a variety of security issues, we do put some minor limitations on your access to the Internet. These limitations will not interfere with typical Internet usage, but if you do find that there is an RCS-related service you are unable to use successfully due to wireless network restrictions, please submit a tech support request.
In addition, the total speed that all users at RCS at one time combined is fixed. Sites like YouTube can be very useful for learning, but use up much of the bandwidth, or internet speed, available. Everyone in our community is urged to use their judgment and "think before you stream". If too many users access video at the same time on a wireless network, the internet will get slow for all.
Will I have to go through a proxy or web filter?
Proxy: We use silent proxy technology, so you don't need to configure your computer in any way to access the Internet. This also means that you MUST go through our web filter.
Web filter: All computers, whether a managed, wired computer, your own wireless laptop or other wireless device, have their Internet traffic passed through a web filter. We try to be as unobtrusive, and permissive, as possible, but it is likely that you will encounter a Warn or Block page at some point. If you believe that a web site is being improperly categorized:
- Warn Page: Please submit a tech support request.
- Block Page: Please submit a tech support request.
We review these requests quickly and will override the filter if warranted.
Where can I access these networks on the Hill and River campuses?
During the late summer of 2015 we completed full upgrade of the WiFi system on the Hill and River campuses in all school buildings. You may find a useful signal in nearby exterior locations, but there are few outdoor access points. If you find weak signal in an RCS building, please submit a tech support request to help us improve the availability of the wireless network.
Guest and visitor information for wireless access
I'm a guest/visitor to RCS, how can I access the wireless network?
Welcome to RCS! Select the RCS-Guest network from the list of available networks and fill out the web form to gain network access.
I have a guest/visitor coming to RCS, how can I arrange wireless access?
The RCS-Guest network is similar to going to Starbucks, just fill out the web form for 48 hours of access. If a longer time is required, please submit a tech request.
How do I connect to one of the RCS wireless networks?
It is generally easy to connect to our networks from any device that has wireless access. The Table below shows which devices we support and which networks they can use.
| Supported devices: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| User Group | Network Name (SSID) | Authentication | iOS | Mac OS X | Windows | Android |
| All RCS Users | RCS-Guest | Captive Portal |
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| Students | RCS-Community | Domain Credentials |
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Something isn't working...
Please see our troubleshooting section if you are having issues accessing the Internet through an RCS wireless network.
I'm interested in the technical details.
Awesome! Our wireless network is running on Aruba Mobility Master controllers with access points terminating on Managed Devices on each campus. If you connect to one of the WPA2-Enterprise networks, your credentials are passed to a cluster of ClearPass Policy Manager servers that handle RADUIS authentication. After connecting to the appropriate wireless network, all of your network traffic passes through two different firewalls: the Aruba controllers and a Palo Alto next generation firewall and web filter. This makes your computer very, very safe at Riverdale! All of your computer's network traffic passes through our Palo Alto firewall to monitor and filter your Internet access.
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