Once your mobile device is configured and can connect to an eduroam network at Bilkent, it will also connect to eduroam member networks available at institutions where you will be visiting. All you will need to do is find an eduroam network (SSID=eduroam), hit the connect button and enter your eduroam username and password.
If you need to use a device which was not pre-configured at Bilkent; you will have to go though setup procedures specific to your device type. In order to complete these procedures, you will need a working network connection. It can become a chicken-egg problem.
When you are visiting an eduroam member institution and establish a connection using their WiFi connection, your device will become part of the host institution’s network.
eduroam connections are NOT VPN connections. eduroam only functions as an authentication mechanism. Once a connection is established, networking rules/terms of use of the host institution become effective. e.g. Their firewall will limit/allow traffic from/to your device.
eduroam depends on security certificates which have a certain period of validity. When Bilkent’s or eduroam’s certificate expires and/or we need to change it, users will need to setup their devices again. (See “Setting Up Your Device“). Therefore it is a very good idea to test your device’s eduroam connectivity before leaving Bilkent.
In order to be able to use eduroam services at places you will be visiting, your mobile device has to be configured with “not so common” parameters. The highly secure authentication mechanisms used in eduroam requires modern protocols to be supported by the mobile devices’ operating systems and configured with some advanced options. Once you successfully configure your device(s) while youe at Bilkent, it will also connect to eduroam networks available at institutions where you will be visiting. With exactly the same settings.
We strongly recommend that you install/set up and test eduroam connectivity on your mobile devices while you are still at Bilkent. You will need to go to location within Bilkent campus where an eduroam WiFi service is available.
Not all operating systems and devices support the protocols needed for eduroam to work. Windows XP, for instance, does not support these protocols as is and therefore cannot be used unless a commercial software is installed.
Every eduroam user needs an eduroam ID and a password associated to it. At Bilkent; we have chosen an ID format which is same for everybody; i.e. all undergrad and grad students as well as faculty and the administrative staff. There is no need to open an eduroam account; it is already predefined for all Bilkenters.
The format of an eduroam account (userID) is:
nnnnn@bilkent.edu.tr
where “nnnnn” is the student or personel ID number. The password associated with this account is the users’ STARS/BAIS password. That is; a student with ID number, say, 21499999 should use 21499999@bilkent.edu.tr as the ID and his/her STARS password.
When a student’s or personnel’s Bilkent affiliation ends, these accounts will be automatically disabled. One cannot continue using these accounts after graduating from Bilkent or quitting Bilkent for any reason.