RedRover

From CUWiki

RedRover access points - on the left is a newer access point currently being rolled out. On the right is an older access point found across much of the campus.

RedRover is the SSID for Cornell's wireless network. There is also an encrypted network with the SSID RedRover-Secure. Login to RedRover or RedRover-Secure is granted to anybody with a Cornell NetID login and password. The RedRover network is open to visitors to the University through visitor registration.

[edit] Account setup and use

RedRover accounts are set up for a period of one year. The system remembers a user's account by storing the MAC address of their computer. MAC addresses are unique identifying addresses found on most network hardware. Upon initial setup of RedRover access, users are directed to a webpage which links their NetID to their computer and lists the terms of use for the network. Cornell states that it "does not use this information to track your activities; it is gathered only to make using RedRover more convenient."[1] As of the 2008-2009 academic year, RedRover usage will count towards network usage based billing bandwidth allotments.

[edit] Technical information

The wireless network runs primarily using the 128.253.x.x series of Cornell IP addresses. IP address leases are granted via DHCP for 2 hours; continuing network activity continues renews the DHCP lease. Connections are typically over 802.11b or 802.11g protocols, allowing theoretical speeds up to 54 Mpbs. RedRover-Secure uses WPA security and requires the download of Thawte and Equifax security certificates.

Users of Little Snitch or other port monitoring software will note that using RedRover will eventually cause a dhcp request to 132.236.56.249, port 67. This is discussed inconclusively here. 132.236.56.249 is a DHCP server within Cornell's IP range.

[edit] External links

• RedRover: Cornell's Wireless Access