University WiFi not listed
eduroam should show up in a WiFi network list in most University of Oxford and college spaces including accommodation, teaching and research spaces, function rooms and open spaces adjacent to University buildings.
OWL (Oxford Wireless LAN) should show up in a WiFi network list in most University of Oxford spaces and some college spaces including accommodation, teaching and research spaces, function rooms and open spaces adjacent to University buildings.
Sky WiFi (public WiFi) is only available in selected areas, mainly colleges.
If these networks are not showing up then the following steps may help:
- Check that you have WiFi enabled on your device
- Try switching flight mode on and then off
- Restart your device
- Contact local IT support for the department, college or building that you are in
Our WiFi networks will not normally be available in privately rented accommodation, and may not be available in some annexe buildings or larger open spaces away from buildings.
Problems connecting to eduroam
If you’re having trouble setting up eduroam on your device, the following may help:
- On Android devices we strongly recommend using the geteduroam app to connect. If you have previously used another method then please forget the network and follow our eduroam for Android guide
- The geteduroam app is also available for iPhone / iPad and is worth a try if other methods are not working for you
- Check that your username is formatted as abcd1234@OX.AC.UK
- Check that you are using your Remote Access password, not your Single Sign-On (SSO) password. If you forget your Remote Access password you can reset it on our Self-Registration page
- If you have unsuccessfully tried to set up eduroam, then you should forget the network before trying again
- Look for errors in the settings, such as OX.AX.UK rather than OX.AC.UK
- The date and time on your device needs to be correct - set this to automatically update
Amazon Alexa / Google Assistant / gaming consoles
Many Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as Alexa / Google Assistant and gaming consoles still do not support the security protocols required on our networks (IEEE 802.1x / WPA2-Enterprise). An increasing number of colleges have alternative ways for you to connect these: please contact your local IT support team for advice.
Other issues
Language conversion software can stop you from being able to log in, as these can change the username or password that gets used for logins, and some extended character sets don't work reliably with eduroam in some institutions. Turn off any language conversion software you have installed before entering your username and password
If you are a Mac user and receive an error message saying ‘Authentication failed on network “eduroam”: The identity of the authentication server could not be established’ then your computer may not have automatically updated eduroam’s security certificate. Open System Preferences from the Apple menu and search for Profile, then delete any profile named eduroam. You should be prompted to accept the updated certificate when you next connect.
If you can’t connect to WiFi on an iPhone or iPad, resetting your network settings can help. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This will forget any WiFi networks and passwords, cellular settings and VPN settings you have saved on your device