Wireless: CASecure or CAGuest?

Fall 2014 Update: Since this article was written services like Dropbox and Skype have changed their ports to primarily use ports 80 and 443.  Printing, email, and server access still require CASecure.

CalArts' wireless network is deployed throughout nearly all corners of campus.  Our expansion and refinement of the wireless network has made access easier than ever, but if you're not on the right network you may not be getting all the access you expect!  We have two networks that you will see throughout campus: CASecure and CAGuest.  Here's what they mean, what they do, and which one is best for you to use!

CAGuest

This network is completely open to the public.  Although this is the most easily accessed wireless network, it is primarily intended for visitors and only works for web browsing through ports 80 and 443.  This means that while websites like YouTube, Google, Facebook, etc will work without issue, whereas programs like Apple Mail, Outlook, Dropbox, Skype, and similar programs that use different ports to operate will likely not function as you would expect.  Printing wirelessly or connecting to any on-campus servers will also not work using CAGuest.

CASecure

All students, faculty, staff, and alumni should be using CASecure.  If you need to use services like Dropbox, Skype, or even FTP to upload files to a website, you're going to want to use CASecure.  You will need to reset your CalArts Credentials if you haven't already done so, however, since access is based upon an individual account, not a shared password.  While you will always get the fastest network connection by plugging in directly through ethernet, utilizing CASecure is the next best thing.  This network has none of the access restrictions CAGuest has and will generally be the fastest of the two.  

CASecure is not intended for shared or lab computers.  It is contrary to CalArts IT policy for users to share accounts.  Your CalArts Credentials are used for more than just wireless activity, so sharing your password will impart access to your personal information so we urge you to avoid doing so. Faculty and Staff accounts, if shared or setup on lab computers, will potentially have sensitive information that may be inappropriately accessed.  Lab computers need to be directly connected to the CalArts network through an ethernet connection for security, speed, and reliability.

CAConnect -- Retired as of Fall 2014

The sole purpose of CAConnect is to get users on CASecure without IT assistance using the XpressConnect tool. The only address this network is able to connect to is http://wifi.calarts.edu/CAConnect, where you can use or download XpressConnect. When IT was deploying the new wireless network during the spring 2012 semester, we initially called it CAConnect and it was the primary way for students, faculty, and staff to access the internet. As we refined the necessary wireless security we created CASecure, and XpressConnect was utilized to provide a simple and efficient way of authentication, providing users had set their MyCalArts password.

If you have any problems with the CalArts wireless network, or want to report non-coverage or an outage, please submit a ticket and we'll get right on it!