Aus Eduroam service information page

What is eduroam?

eduroam is short for “education roaming.”

eduroam is a global service enabling staff and students of educational, research and related institutions to visit another eduroam participating institution and connect to the visited institution’s wireless network automatically, i.e., with minimal effort for both user and visited institution.

Access to eduroam infrastructure is available through essensys, AARNet (Australia’s Academic and Research Network) and global NRENs (National Research and Education Network organisations) and enables a visitor’s “home institution” to authenticate the visitor remotely. Upon successful authentication, wireless network access is granted to visitors authenticated via eduroam.

If configured correctly, an eduroam user will be able to get a network connection at essensys just by opening their laptop or activating their phone or tablet device.

More about eduroam is available from AARNet, the eduroam AU “national roaming operator.”

eduroam Policy

Trust in eduroam authentication is underpinned by use of a proven secure technical infrastructure and protocol, and a set of policies to which all eduroam participants are required to comply.

In participating in eduroam AU, essensys agrees to conform to the Global eduroam Policy and the eduroam AU policy maintained by AARNet.

What is the users’ responsibility in using eduroam?

The eduroam AU policy states that users must conform to their home institution’s network Acceptable Use Policy. (AUP).

However, visitors must also read and comply with the acceptable se policy of each visited institution. Visiting eduroam users should refer to the essensys AUP.

What about user privacy?

When using eduroam, the eduroam protocol is intended to prevent your institutional password from being revealed to any eduroam server other than your home institution’s eduroam server. Your login password is protected and remains secret between your connecting device and your home institution.

However, your username is visible to the essensys RADIUS server, and other eduroam infrastructure servers involved in routing your authentication request from your device to your home institution and will be captured in RADIUS logs. Such logs are protected from unauthorised access by essensys and other eduroam AU national infrastructure.

essensys’ Wireless Settings

SSID (Network Name) eduroam (case-sensitive)
Wireless Network Connection Protocol WPA2 Enterprise
Data Encryption Method AES

Using eduroam at essensys

Who can use eduroam at essensys?

eduroam access to the essensys network is available to visitors who are configured to be remotely authenticated by their home institution via the eduroam global infrastructure.

Users are strongly advised to have confirmed their eduroam authentication at their home institution, prior to visiting essensys.

How do I use eduroam at essensys?

Note: as an eduroam user, you should have already configured access to eduroam while on your home campus, using the authentication parameters provided by your home institution local eduroam webpage.

The wireless encryption protocol required by eduroam, as used by essensys access points, is WPA2/AES (also called WPA2 Enterprise). Accessing eduroam successfully within essensys requires that your device’s configured wireless network connection and encryption protocol is WPA2/AES. Global eduroam policy requires use of WPA2/AES, hence your wireless connection will work correctly if you have already tested your eduroam authentication on your own campus.

Note: There is no need to change any of your authentication parameters. These are only relevant to your home institution. If you have successfully configured authentication to eduroam at your home institution, you should be able to access the essensys network via eduroam with no change to your setup.

Network Services Provided

essensys provides full outbound access with NAT’ed IP addresses. In other words, you can access any services you normally do e.g., the Internet, your institution via VPN etc. However, any servers running on your devices will not be accessible externally while connected to the essensys network.

How do I get support in using eduroam?

When you are on an essensys campus and connect to eduroam, due to relative complexity of wireless and eduroam infrastructures, you may have issues in getting a network connection due to several reasons e.g., recent change of password, changed device configuration, overlapping eduroam wireless network, essensys eduroam infrastructure operability or national/global eduroam infrastructure operability.

If network access issues occur, in the first instance eduroam users should contact their home institution’s IT helpdesk to seek support.

If this is not possible, or if the home institution cannot resolve the issue, visiting users may contact the essensys IT support ([email protected]).

If required, your home institution’s or essensys eduroam support staff will contact AARNet, the eduroam AU national roaming operator, for additional assistance.

What Usage Logs are kept by essensys and what are they used for?

The eduroam trust model (between institutions remotely authenticating their users, and other institutions providing network access, via eduroam) is supported by the ability to trace a particular network access event to an authentication of the user by their home institution.
Home institutions must take appropriate action on behalf of visited institutions in case a user does not comply with the home institution’s network AUP.

In order to provide this traceability, remote authentication, and network access transactions via eduroam are logged by essensys, with logs being retained for a period of six months. Access to usage logs is restricted to authorised personnel and authorities as required by the law.
Usage logs may also be used for purposes of service troubleshooting and user support.