Seattle Pacific offers both wired and wireless options for connecting personal computers to the campus network and Internet.   Regardless of whether you are connecting via wired or wireless connection, it is your responsibility to make sure your personal device does not compromise the resource or other's access. This page speaks to issues of device health and connectivity.

Wired Versus Wireless

Wireless networking is certainly the most convenient way to connect, but it is neither the fastest nor the most reliable. We recommend wireless for simple network usage, but if you are doing things that require high bandwidth (e.g., multimedia downloads (the legal ones)) or are time/latency sensitive (gaming, streaming, etc), connect to via a wired port.

Personally owned wireless access points are not allowed on campus.

Jump to:

System Health Requirements
Connecting to the Wired Network
Connecting to the Wireless Network
PDAs and WiFi-Capable Cell Phones
Gaming Devices

System Health Requirements
There are four requirements for system device health:

1. Make sure your computer's operating system is patched with the latest security updates provided by the vendor:

   • Windows users should go to the Microsoft Windows Update Site.
   • Apple Macintosh users choose 'Software Update' from the Apple Menu
   • Linux users, go to the distribution center for your specific Linux OS kernel.
2. Run spyware checking utilities to clean your computer of malicious programs.
   • Microsoft Defender is the software of choice for Windows machines.
   • Another popular spyware checker is available for download from LavaSoft Ad-Aware.
3. Ensure your anti-virus software is current with the latest virus definition files.
   • SPU provides McAfee anti-virus software suite to students and employees free-of-charge. Download a copy of McAfee from SPU's secure site: the SPU Download Center.
4. Run a firewall on your computer (again Vista Security Center is strongly recommended for Windows machines.)

Our recommendation: Windows computers should be running Vista Ultimate (available from CIS) with the full Windows Security Center Suite enabled. Windows XP is allowed if fully patched. Earlier versions of Windows are not permitted on the campus network.

Connecting to the Wired Network
To connect to the wired network you'll need an RJ-45 Ethernet patch cord. Phone cables will not work. RJ-45 Ethernet cables cost around $15 and are available in CIS (Lower Marston), at the campus bookstore, and at various computer and office supply stores.

Wired wall jacks may be found in all residence halls and in many commons areas and classrooms throughout campus.

Once your computer is connected, launch a web page via Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc., and go to an uncached site (one you don't commonly access). You will be redirected to a log in page to enter your SPU Username (your SPU email account name). Once you sign in, you will have access to the campus network and Internet provided your device remains free of malware and viruses.

Connecting to the Wireless Network

The "SPU-Wireless" network is available throughout campus and supports IEEE 802.11 a, b and g network adapters. Gaining access to the SPU-Wireless network is relatively straightforward:

• Connect to an "SPU-Wireless" access point. This is typically done automatically or via the control panel network connections utility.
• When prompted, enter the temporary pre-shared key SPU-Wireless (case sensitive), typed exactly the same as the SSID.

Personally owned access points are not allowed to be connected to the campus network. If you encounter a wireless access point other than "SPU-Wireless" or "SPU-Guest" there is a good chance it is compromising the university's wireless infrastructure and your access.

After connecting to SPU-Wireless and entering in the preshared key, launch a web page via Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc., and go to an uncached site (one you don't commonly access). You will be redirected to a log in site to enter your SPU Username. Once you sign in, you will have access to the campus network and Internet.

SPU-Business (Wireless)

Faculty and staff members with university-owned laptops can take advantage of the SPU-Business network, which provides heightened security and performance over the general use SPU-Wireless resource. Most SPU-managed laptops are configured to connect to the SPU-Business network automatically. Details are available from your area Micro Systems Team representative.

SPU-Guest (Wireless)

Officially sponsored campus visitors and guests may be granted temporary access to the SPU-Guest portion of the campus network. Details for requesting a guest account are provided on the SPU Guest policy page.

PDAs and WiFi-Capable Cell Phones
PDA/cellular devices may also connect to the SPU-Wireless network provided they support the WPA-PSK encryption standard and have web browser capabilities (for sign in).

Gaming Consoles (No Web Browser)

If you have a networking device that requires an IP address but does not employ a web browser interface, please use this form to request a manual Medial Access Control (MAC) address override.

Manual Configuration (Wireless)
If you are running proprietary (non-Windows) wireless connection software, you may need to configure the following parameters:

Encryption system:
Personal WPA-PSK (RC4 128-bit stream cypher)
with TKIP (integrity protocol).
SSID: SPU-Wireless
PSK: SPU-Wireless

After connecting to the "SPU-Wireless" SSID you will need to login to the SPU network as described above.

Wireless Signal Strength and Interference

Wireless connectivity can be a tricky thing since so many factors go into maintaining a strong and reliable connection. If you are experiencing weak or intermittent wireless performance, try

repositioning your laptop or sitting in a different location.

We are continually working to expand and enhance wireless network coverage. If you are in an area with seemingly bad wireless coverage, please report this to the CIS Help Desk (206-281-2982) so that we can make improvements.