Overview: Managed Wireless Service

The Managed Wireless Service (MWS) service includes:

  • Delivering established services such as the eduroam and OWL SSIDs
  • Custom-built local SSIDs
  • Access to a range of diagnostic tools and data through the Mist Cloud management portal 
  • RF design and technical support from experienced WiFi engineers

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All Colleges, Departments and Organisations that are members of the Collegiate University of Oxford are eligible to join the Managed Wireless Service. Buildings that need to join will require a connection to the Odin network.

To discuss joining the service or to see if it fits your requirements, please contact the Managed Networks Services team: networks@it.ox.ac.uk. For more information about charging and SLAs, please see the Service Catalogue page for the Managed Wireless Service.

Briefly, the Managed Network Services (MNS) team will perform a short consultation to confirm your requirements. This will include an RF Survey of the site (chargeable at £620/day) or working with a survey by a 3rd party. This is a mandatory pre-requisite for joining the service. Afterwards, the following will be defined:

  • AP installation locations
  • Switchport configuration requirements
  • Juniper Mist kit list

Purchasing of equipment, licensing and installation services will need to be completed by your Organisation directly (see Ordering new equipment below).

All diagnostics and data about the WiFi is available from the Mist Cloud management portal using your Oxford username and Single Sign-On password.

 

MIST CLOUD MANAGEMENT PORTAL

 

Note: 

Your account needs to be fully activated for access

 

By default, all Administrators are given Helpdesk access. This is a read-only account with access to all diagnostic tools on the platform. Access is also restricted so that only the sites (buildings) relevant to you are available.

Some sites may be shared between different Organisations. All parties involved agree to be respectful and professional to their ITSS colleagues concerning data and operation in these instances.

Higher level access (Network Administrator) will be available in the future. This will allow for configuration of access points, creation of new SSIDs and editing of maps but all at a site level. A mandatory training course will be required to gain this access.

The following list of AP models have been thoroughly tested by Managed Network Services and are recommended for the service. 

 

Model Capability MIMO Ethernet Capacity Use Case
AP33 WiFi 6 5GHz: 4x4:4
2.4GHz: 2x2:2
100/1000Base-T, 2.5GBase-T The standard model for most scenarios
AP43 WiFi 6 4x4:4 100/1000Base-T, 2.5GBase-T Suitable for areas with high end user density such as lecture theatres
AP12 WiFi 6 2x2:2 100/1000Base-T

Wall plate AP convenient for installs where structured cabling is limited. Mounts securely to single or double Ethernet back boxes.

Additional switch ports are available on the front (deactivated in your default configuration), including a passthrough port joined to the port at the rear.

[Multiple caveats to using these. Please contact MNS for advice]

AP63 WiFi 6 4x4:4 100/1000Base-T, 2.5GBase-T Outdoor AP with IP67 rated design, making it suitable for covering car parks, quads and gardens

 

All APs require 802.3at (PoE+) as a minimum apart from the AP12 which can operate using 802.3af (PoE) but loses the ability to output power from a front port. If your switching infrastructure does not support the necessary power, POE+ injectors will need to be purchased.

 

Note: 

Juniper Mist have announced the next generation of AP hardware, which supports WiFi 6E and a new wireless band to use. These are being considered for the future use and will be tested by Managed Networks Services in due course

 

All APs on the service will have subscriptions that enable features, specifically to enable tunnelling to the Mist Edges and proactive diagnostics through Marvis.

You may see reference to additional services concerning client/asset tracking or integration with mobile apps for location services within the Mist Cloud management portal. These features all require additional licensing to be purchased. If you are interested in these, please contact networks@it.ox.ac.uk.

Details on how to place and order and the subsequent processes are detailed in our New Order Guide.

For a site or a particular group of sites, an alerts profile can be configured to trigger emails to specific email addresses. Which alerts trigger emails can also be defined. By default these are not set up but those teams that want to take advantage of this feature can be added by raising a ticket with networks@it.ox.ac.uk.