There’s more than one way for visitors to get online at Oxford University. The vast majority of us will be eligible to use eduroam and should continue to do so. But what if you don’t have permission to use eduroam, what do you do then? Well, wireless access is available for academic or official visitors to the University using OWL Visitor and all other visitors can use Sky’s The Cloud, or other general guest networks where available. New contracts and upgrades are in progress to keep these services available and a short update on the two main services for visitors follows.
OWL Visitor service upgrade!
Education-related visitors to Oxford can use our OWL Visitor wireless service. This service is provided for eligible visitors who will need to request an account from local IT support officers in the first instance.
The OWL service is being upgraded to be compatible with more secure standards and will bring a number of other benefits such as users being able to log in with more than one device at a time. This updated service is currently scheduled to be available for use in March, but of course, the existing service still works until then. Contact local IT staff for more information about getting an account for your guests.
New contract for public Wi-Fi service
Did you know that a public Wi-Fi service is available here at Oxford University? Of course, staff and students should continue to use eduroam which is specifically for them, but guests and general visitors can register for a free Sky WiFi account (or log in with their existing The Cloud account) for wireless networking. This service is available in a variety of public locations.
There are currently more than 30 units (including four departments) offering Sky WiFi. With a new contract in place until November 2022, the service is now open for more units to join, creating a better experience for visitors across the organisation. More information about Oxford's public Wi-Fi service, including how your unit can join, can be found on the IT Help website.
