What is eduroam?

eduroam is the secure, global roaming access service developed for the international research and education community and now supported by NSHE System Computing Services (SCS). eduroam allows students, researchers, and staff to connect to the Internet on campus and at participating locations simply by opening their laptop or pulling out their smart device. Nevada K-12, library, museum, municipal, and other education-adjacent organizations in Nevada are eligible to register for the eduroam secure wireless roaming service via SCS free of charge.

The eduroam experience

When students, teachers, or researchers visit participating entities, at tens of thousands of locations around the world, wireless internet access will “just work” when they open their device, as their credentials are securely sent to their own IT system for authentication.

  • No more searching for an open network and password to connect.
  • Less risk of unintentionally connecting to an illicit network.
  • Less risk of unintentionally exposing information across an unsecured network.

See all the places you can eduroam in the U.S.

For SCS and System Administration Staff

Getting started with Nevada eduroam? Check out our eduroam connection guide

The eduroam value

Why should you subscribe to eduroam? Here are some examples of the value eduroam provides your organization and users of the service.

For K-12 schools and school districts

Enabling the eduroam service in your K-12 district provides many benefits to your school district’s students, teachers, and administrators, that were previously only available to the higher education and research community.

See how eduroam adds value for K-12 schools and school districts

Benefits of eduroam for K-12 Schools and School Districts

  • When your students and teachers visit participating school districts, college/university campuses, and tens of thousands of locations around the world, wireless internet access will “just work” as their credentials are securely sent to your own IT system.
  • Students who regularly visit other schools for sibling/neighbor drop-off and pickup, extracurricular activities and competitions, before/after school programs, etc., will be able to continue digital coursework while waiting at those other schools.
  • Specialty teachers and staff/administrators who frequently travel between schools won’t need to switch wireless networks when travelling throughout the day.
  • Students are automatically online and welcome as members of Nevada’s K-20+ community when they visit a college or university campus with their school device.
  • The coverage area and value of eduroam grows as more hotspots participate, opening additional avenues for K-12 engagement and partnership with learners’ communities.

For Libraries, museums, and municipalities

The students in your community rely on internet access to succeed in school, participate in the modern marketplace, and thrive in their future careers. Support your local schools and contribute to Nevada’s future digital workforce by offering eduroam at their favorite hangout spots.

See how eduroam adds value for Libraries, museums, and municipalities

Benefits of eduroam for Libraries, Museums, and Municipalities

  • Help bridge the digital divide: internet access is essential for students in the digital age. When you offer eduroam as a wireless guest network at your venue, it becomes a more attractive place to for the learners and educators in your community to gather and collaborate.
  • Expand access to the underserved: provide more places for the underserved populations in your community to securely connect to the internet for schoolwork and to participate in the digital economy.
  • Reduce guest wireless support costs: there’s no need for guest registration or access tokens for your eduroam visitors; they’ll connect securely and automatically just like at their school or college/university.
  • Do it with minimal IT resources: most modern wireless equipment is already compatible with eduroam (we can help you find out). Once eduroam is enabled at your facilities, IT support is minimal. Visitors know to ask their own IT support team for help.

For Other community partners

Many of your visitors already are, or will be, part of Nevada’s growing eduroaming K-20 community. But it’s not just Nevada; a growing number of out-of-state K-20 and international visitors are subscribed to eduroam. Whereever they’re from, they’ll appreciate being able to seamlessly and securely connect at your venue.

See how eduroam adds value for our community partners

Benefits of eduroam for Community Partners

  • Help bridge the digital divide: internet access is essential for students in the digital age. When you offer eduroam as a wireless guest network at your venue, it becomes a more attractive place to for the learners and educators in your community to gather and collaborate.
  • Get on the map: becoming an eduroam hotspot puts your venue on the eduroam map.
  • Reduce guest wireless support costs: there’s no need for guest registration or access tokens for your eduroam visitors; they’ll connect securely and automatically just like at their school or college/university.
  • Do it with minimal IT resources: most modern wireless equipment is already compatible with eduroam (we can help you find out). Once eduroam is enabled at your facilities, IT support is minimal. Visitors know to ask their own IT support team for help.

Getting Started with eduroam

Whether you are interested in deploying eduroam as a Service Provider (adding eduroam to your wifi hotspots), as an Identity Provider (allowing your staff/students to connect to eduroam), or both, you must first register with SCS and complete the standard Nevada eduroam Participation Agreement.

If you represent a multi-state or commercial entity (e.g. ISP, airport), please contact us so we can discuss and help coordinate between your organization and Internet2.

  • Existing wireless network hardware that supports WPA2 Enterprise and 802.1x.
  • If you need to distinguish between visitors and internal users of the eduroam SSID, VLAN support is also required.
  • If you’re not sure whether your wireless network meets the requirements, check with your vendor or IT support first.
  • We may also be able to help you find an existing Service Provider with similar hardware to compare notes.

Same requirements as a Service Provider so staff and students can connect to eduroam at your facilities. RADIUS server with policies to:

  • handle your own users’ authentication requests locally;
  • handle your own users’ remote authentication requests from the national eduroam RADIUS servers; and
  • forward visiting eduroam users’ authentication requests to the national eduroam RADIUS servers. Ability to configure school/district-issued devices with a wireless profile.

Optional

If you are concerned about CIPA/E-Rate when users roam outside your school/district, use device-based filtering software.

Getting technical support

End-user support for eduroam is the responsibility of the user’s home organization’s IT support, as most eduroam connection issues tend to be due to expired credentials or misconfigured client wireless settings. Support for the eduroam service itself is generally community-driven, with a variety of public resources and mailing lists made available to eduroam administrators throughout the global eduroam community. SCS also provides best-effort technical support and consultation to Nevada eduroam administrators, including coordination and match-making among other eduroam Support Organizations and subscribers with similar wireless infrastructure and needs.

Who is SCS?

System Computing Services (SCS), a division of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), is the Internet2 connector for Nevada. SCS is authorized to deliver eduroam and other services to select organizations: state agencies; municipalities; or any entity with a component of education or research in their mission, such as K-12s, libraries, healthcare, museums, etc. SCS also provides eduroam advocacy and support to Nevada’s K-20 community.