Aerial shot of SMU students walking to class on the quad.

Wireless Networking at SMU

Campus Wi-Fi

SMU hosts several wireless networks for campus use, which are centrally managed by OIT.

There are multiple Wi-Fi networks on campus. These wireless networks are centrally managed by OIT.

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SMU Wi-Fi Networks

PerunaNet

PerunaNet is the preferred secure wireless network available only to SMU faculty, staff, and students, with an active SMU ID and password.

  • In order to connect to PerunaNet, your device must be configured properly. Even if the device detects PerunaNet, it may not connect automatically without changes to the default configuration.
  • PerunaNet is available throughout campus and is the secured wireless network. This is the recommended network for all mobile devices on campus.
  • PerunaNet connections have access to a wide range of resources restricted to SMU. 
  • Mobile devices may connect to PerunaNet provided they are configured with the appropriate security type.

SMU_Guest

SMU_Guest offers both long-term accounts as well as short-term, self-provisioned accounts.

  • This network is broadcast in all buildings on the main campus. It is not available at this time on East Campus.
  • Devices can connect automatically to the SMU_Guest network. They will be redirected to a portal page to either log in with the appropriate credentials or create an account using their email address. The system then sends the password to the email address. The customer can then authenticate to the wireless network using that information. The self-provisioned account is valid for 72 hours.
  • Individuals with an SMU ID and password cannot authenticate to this network using those credentials. We strongly encourage anyone with SMU credentials to connect to PerunaNet.
  • For individuals needing to connect for longer than 72 hours, the IT Help Desk can create a sponsored wireless account. Once authenticated, the device should remain authorized on the network until the account expiration date is reached.
  • This network is also available for devices that can not support the PerunaNet security configuration. These devices include Smart TVs, Paperwhite Kindles, and more. Such devices must be registered first in order to connect to SMU_Guest. Please visit smu.edu/GameConsole for more information.

eduroam

eduroam is available in all locations on campus.

eduroam is a secure worldwide federated wireless network for individuals in higher education or research environments. This large-scale collaboration between the hundreds of institutions allows individuals to authenticate to the “eduroam” network using their university account and password wherever this network is broadcasting.

For example, an SMU faculty, staff, or student could access the eduroam network at another university by authenticating using their SMU credentials. This collaboration also allows visiting scholars and researchers to connect to our eduroam Wi-Fi using their university credentials. To authenticate, a user should use their primary email address, such as cuser@smu.edu, for the username.

eduroam is a secured guest wireless network that has limited access to recourses on the SMU Campus. To have full access to campus resources while on campus, SMU Faculty, Staff, and students are encouraged to use PerunaNet.

To see the map of locations where eduroam is available, please visit eduroam.org/where.

AdobeNet

AdobeNet is the wireless network available only on the SMU-in-Taos campus. Individuals with an SMU ID and password cannot authenticate to this network using those credentials. Account provisioning is done by Taos IT Support Personnel.

Outdoor Wi-Fi Locations

The University takes every available opportunity to expand Wi-Fi coverage in outdoor spaces. We currently have over hundred outdoor Wi-Fi hotspots deployed across the Main Campus and Expressway Towers area. For the current locations of outdoor Wi-Fi availability, please review the SMU Interactive Map with Hotspots.

SMU Interactive Map with Wi-Fi Hotspots


Best Practices for WiFi Connectivity at SMU

  1. One Wi-Fi to rule them all

    Only have one of the SMU wireless networks set up on your device at a time, such as PerunaNet, eduroam, or SMU_Guest.

    • Forget all of the other SMU wireless networks, as
      • Your device chooses which wireless network to connect to and when, and
      • The device can "choose" to jump connections between networks, making it appear that the wireless connection is dropping and reconnecting.
    • Each of the SMU networks has different access capabilities, and this can cause you to lose access to specific resources (i.e., drive mappings)

  2. Make PerunaNet a priority

    Set the desired SMU wireless network to the top of the Wi-Fi connection priority list.

  3. There are limits

    Only set up the wireless networks you actively use on your device.

    • We recommend no more than 3 to 5 networks.
    • There is no hard number limit for where failure will occur, but the more networks, the higher the risk.
    • Side effects of too many configured Wi-Fi networks:
      • Your device will drain your battery faster because it keeps the Wi-Fi radio "awake" longer to scan for all configured networks.
      • Your device will scan for the availability of "other" networks, which can repeatedly freeze or drop your desired connection.

  4. Restricted? Use a VPN

    If you can use PerunaNet wireless, but choose to use one of the "Guest" wireless networks (i.e., eduroam, SMU_Guest), and you wish to access restricted resources that are "Campus-Only," you will need to enable a VPN connection with SMU before you can access those resources.

  5. This one you're going to want to share

    Disable "Private" or "Randomized" MAC address when using SMU's Wi-Fi.

    • Please note: This recommendation applies only to your SMU wireless connection and not to other (non-SMU) Wi-Fi networks.

Documentation and Training

Instructions for Connecting to the SMU Wireless Networks