Joining or Renewing Wireless Networks Using Boxer Connect

Summary

Student, faculty and staff devices should generally connect to the BowerWireless wifi network at Pacific campuses and locations. To set up a device to connect to this network, open a web browser on that device and go to https://boxerconnect.pacificu.edu and follow the instructions there. You can do this from anywhere you have internet access. If you are on campus and need temporary (and limited) internet access to be able to connect to the Boxer Connect webpage, use the "Boxer Connect" wireless

Body

In Brief

Student, faculty and staff devices should generally connect to the Boxer Wireless WiFi network at Pacific campuses and locations. To set up a device to connect to this network, open a web browser on that device and go to https://boxerconnect.pacificu.edu and follow the instructions there. You can do this from anywhere you have Internet access. If you are on campus and need temporary (and limited) Internet access to be able to connect to the Boxer Connect webpage, use the "Boxer Guest" or "Boxer Connect" wireless network.

The current wireless networks are:

Boxer Connect - This is the open network for network registration. The registration portal can also be accessed by going to https://boxerconnect.pacificu.edu.

Boxer Wireless - This is the primary wireless network for student, faculty, and staff use.

Boxer Legacy - This is for devices that do not support EAP-TLS (certificate-based) authentication (game consoles, Chromecast, etc.). This uses a WPA2-PSK password with MAC registration.

Boxer Guest - This is for guest users.  The registration portal (https://boxerconnect.pacificu.edu) can be accessed via the login page on this network without needing to sign in.

eduroam - This is for guest users who are members of the edurom consortium.  See https://eduroam.org for details.

For users with an active PUNetID:

Users with an active PUNetID account (students, staff, faculty) should use the following steps:

1) Start by joining the Boxer Connect SSID or have a connection to the Internet.
2) Go to https://boxerconnect.pacificu.edu (you will be automatically directed to this site on Boxer Connect or follow the link on the Boxer Guest login page)
3) Click the start button, then the link for a Pacific University Account.
4) Enter your PUNetID and password.
5) Select "This Device" to configure the computer you are on. Use the "Another Device" option for game consoles, consumer devices, or anything that does not work with EAP-TLS authntication.
6a) For "This Device" you will be directed to download and run the configuration wizard. This will set up and configure your computer to connect to Boxer Wireless.
6b) For "Another Device," you will need to enter the hardware MAC address of your wireless network adapter to register the device. After registering the MAC address, you will see a prompt for the SSID to connect to (Boxer Legacy) and the password for that network.

Wireless registrations are valid for 4 years from the date of registration on Boxer Wireless and 1 year from the date of registration on Boxer Legacy. Email reminders will be sent when the registration for a device is about to expire. You do not have to renew the wireless registration when you change your PUNetID password.

If your wireless credentials are about to expire or have expired, simply repeat the registration process to renew your access.

Instructions for Guests:

For information on logging on to Guest Wireless, see our article Connecting and Using Boxer Guest.  The eduroam network is available for eduroam members.  See our article on eduroam for more information.

OS and platform specific notes:

Android - Configuration is handled by the "Ruckus Cloudpath, an Arris Company" App for Android. This can be downloaded from the Google Play store or from a link on the BoxerConnect site during registration. Once the "Ruckus Cloudpath" app is installed, proceed with the link to Step 2 which will install the certificates and configure the wireless connection. As of Android 4, certificate installation requires activation of PIN code access control to all Android devices.

iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) - Be sure to use Safari as your web browser. The certificate install process will fail when using other browsers. During the setup process, you will be prompted to download a profile which contains the authenticaiton certificates.  After downloading the profile, you will need to switch to the iOS settings and install the profile before you are able to join Boxer Wireless.  If you use Boxer Legacy on iOS, be sure to disable the Private Wi-Fi Address setting for this SSID.  This is a privacy feature in iOS that creates a random MAC address for each SSID the device joins.  Since Boxer Legacy uses the device's MAC address as part of the authentication process, this mismatch can cause the device to fail to connect.  To disable this in iOS, click on the "i" icon next to the Boxer Legacy SSID in the list of Wi-Fi networks under Settings and turn off the option for Private Wi-Fi Address.

MacOS -
Configuration is typically performed via a wizard application (older MacOS versions) or via a downloable profile.  If neither option works, you can download the individual certificates from the "Other Operating Systems" link (see instructions in Installing Certificates Manully section).

Game Consoles -
Instructions specific to game consoles can be found in the following article: Adding Game Consoles to Wireless using Boxer Connect

Troubleshooting:

If you are unable to connect after running the installation wizard, verify that your system clock is displaying the correct time. The certificates used for authentication are date sensitive so if the date is incorrect on your device (ex. clock shows year as 1904, 1981, or 2000), this may cause an authentication error and your device will not connect.

If there was an error installing the certificate, simply go through the registration process again to install a new certificate.

If your certificate has expired, go through the registration process to install a new certificate.

For Android users: If you're installing the XpressConnect App downloaded directly from BoxerConnect (not Google Play), you may need to adjust your security settings to allow an app to be installed from an untrusted source. Go to Settings -> Security to temporarily disable this option to allow the app to be installed and then re-enable it when finished.

If you find your device defaulting to Boxer Connect or Boxer Guest after installing Boxer Wireless, go in to your wireless settings and remove Boxer Connect and/or Boxer Guest. This option is sometimes labeled "forget" or "forget this network."

If you are renewing your wireless setup on an Apple iOS (mobile) device, you may need to delete the previous profile from Settings > General > Profile > Select the Employee or Student Wireless Profile and Delete profile. Then proceed to boxerconnect.pacificu.edu to renew your registration.

Installing Certificates Manually:

If you experience problems with the installtion wizard or profile for Boxer Wireless, you can install the authtication certificates individually and join Boxer Wireless manually.

MacOS Manual Certificate Installation

  • Follow the normal registration process, but when you reach the download for the wizard, choose the "Show All Operating Systems" link on the page. This will give a list of all available options.

  • At the bottom of the list will be links to "Other Operating Systems." This will allow you to download just the certificates. Be sure to get both certificates (user and root certificates).

  • For the Root Certificate, there are multiple download options, the .PEM file will work.

  • For the User Certificate, there is only a single link for the file (certificate.p12)

  • Launch Keychain Access (Found in Applications -> Utilities)

  • Under File, select Import Items...

  • Select the root file first (should be a string of characters ending in .pem). When prompted where to install the cert, use the login (user) keychain. If the import was successful, you should see two Pacific University certificates (one root, one intermediate).

  • Repeat the Import Items... step and select the user file (certificate.p12). You will be prompted for a password on this certificate. Use the PUNetID password that was signed in to Boxer Connect. Again, install in the login keychain.

  • If the certificate imported correctly, there should be a punetid@employee/student certificate in the login keychain.

  • With the Certificates installed, join Boxer Wireless with the following details:

    Network Name: Boxer Wireless
    Security: WPA2 Enterprise
    Mode: EAP-TLS
    Identity: (Use the punetid@employee/student certificate under the popup menu)
    Username: (Leave this blank)
    "Remember this network" should be checked.
  • Click Join.

You should be able to connect to Boxer Wireless.

As a final step, you can go to the System Preferences and remove Boxer Connect from the list of remembered WiFi networks.

Windows Manual Certificate Installation

  • Follow the normal registration process, but when you reach the download for the wizard, choose the "Show All Operating Systems" link on the page. This will give a list of all available options.
  • At the bottom of the list will be links to "Other Operating Systems." This will allow you to download just the certificates. Be sure to get both certificates (user and root certificates).
  • For the Root Certificate, there are multiple download options, the .PEM file will work.
  • For the User Certificate, there is only a single link for the file (certificate.p12)
  • Bring up the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) by going to Start and begin typing MMC.
  • With the MMC open, go to File -> Add/Remove Snap-In
  • For the list of available snap-ins, pick Certificates. It will prompt for which type to add (user/computer). Pick My User Account and select OK.
  • Expand the certificate store on the left pane.
  • Right click on Trusted roots and under "All Tasks," select Import...
  • Follow the wizard and select the root file (should be a string of characters ending in .pem). When complete, there should be two Pacific University certificates installed in the Trusted Roots folder (Root and Intermediate). You may need to copy these over from the Personal -> Certificates folder if they wound up in the wrong directory.
  • Right click on the Personal Certificates and under "All Tasks," select Import...
  • Follow the wizard and select the user file (certificate.p12). You will be prompted for a password on this certificate. Use the PUNetID password that was signed in to Boxer Connect.
  • If the certificate imported correctly, there should be a punetid@employee/student certificate in the personal certificate folder.
  • With the Certificates installed, join Boxer Wireless.
    If all the certificates were installed correctly, it should connect. If you are prompted for a user name and password, select the option to use a certificate or smart card.  If multiple user certificates are loaded, you will be prompted for which certificate to use.

If you get a validation error, make sure the Pacific University Root and Intermediate certificates are loaded in the Trusted Roots in the MMC.

Removing old Certificates:

The Installation Wizard does not remove old or expired certificates. While client computers tend to ignore outdated and expired certificates, it can cause authentication failures when connecting. If you think this is the issue, you can check the computer for multiple certificates and deleted any invalid ones.

Removing Certificates in Windows

Click on Start and type "MMC" to bring up the Microsoft Management Console (MMC)
Under the File menu, select Add/Remove Snap-in
From the list of available snap-ins, select Certificates
You will be prompted for which certificate store to look at. Select "User."
From the list at the left, open the personal directory.
Check the list for wireless certificates (should show up as punetid@student.pacificu.edu or punetid@employee.pacificu.edu).
Verify the expiration date of the certificate and deleted any expired duplicates.

Removing Certificates in MacOS

Launch Keychain Access (found in the Applications -> Utilities folder).
With the login keychain selected, check the list for wireless certificates (should show up as punetid@student.pacificu.edu or punetid@employee.pacificu.edu). You can use the search box if it's a long list.
Verify the expiration date of the certificate and deleted any expired duplicates.

Certificates across multiple users:

The XpressConnect wizard installs certificates in the user store on the computer. The one disadvantage of this method is the certificate is not available to other users on the computer. The workaround is to download the certificates and manually load them in the system certificate store so all users can access them. To start, follow the normal registration process, but instead of launching the wizard, scroll down to the all operating systems header where the individual certificates can be downloaded.

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Details

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Article ID: 134636
Created
Wed 7/21/21 11:57 AM
Modified
Thu 5/16/24 4:00 PM