Internet, Network & Phone

HuskyNet Secure

The HuskyNet Secure wireless network covers every building on campus, including residence halls.

Campus buildings are in the process of being upgraded from 802.11n to 802.11ac wireless connectivity. This upgrade will offer the campus community:

• faster speeds
• the ability for more devices to connect without impacting performance
• better connection reliability
• improved battery life of 802.11ac enable devices

To connect, you must:

• be in a wireless-enabled facility
• be a current student, faculty or staff member at St. Cloud State with a valid StarID and password
• have a compatible wireless network adapter supporting 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11n or 802.11ac

SCSU Gadgets

For devices that do not support the HuskyNet Secure network, they may be able to connect using the scsugadgets network.

A Network Device Registration needs to be completed to connect to this network.

eduroam

eduroam is a Wi-Fi network at St. Cloud State University and many other universities in the United States and abroad. St. Cloud State students, faculty and staff can use it on most other Minnesota State campuses and many campuses across the nation using their StarID and password. 

Visitors from other eduroam-participating colleges and universities can access eduroam at St. Cloud State using the usernames and passwords from their home institutions.

Before traveling to another eduroam-participating institution, we recommend signing onto eduroam at your home campus with each device you will be using, to be sure everything works.

St. Cloud State faculty, staff and students should continue to use HuskyNet Secure while on campus. If you have recently visited another institution, used eduroam, and are now having trouble accessing resources on our campus make sure that you are connected to HuskyNet Secure and not eduroam.

SCSU Public (Public WiFi)

The SCSU_Public network is available to all St. Cloud State visitors to access the Internet while on-campus, including St. Cloud State at Plymouth, Alnwick and the Minnesota Highway Safety Research Center. Visitors may use this network at no charge by entering their first and last name. This network is rate-limited and does not have access to campus resources.

Coverage and Interference

Other devices can cause interference that can affect your wireless signal. Common devices include:

• microwave ovens
• cordless phones
• bluetooth devices (cell phones, mice, etc.)
• other wireless networks and devices (video game controllers, keyboards, mice, etc.)
• fluorescent lights

Simply moving these items around a room could help improve your signal. If you find that your signal is still unsatisfactory, use the report weak coverage form.

St. Cloud State has several hundred wired access plug-ins, also called open data jacks, which provide campus laptop users with the ability to plug in and use SCSU network resources and the Internet.

To connect, you must:

• be a current student, faculty or staff member at SCSU
• have a valid StarID
• have your own laptop with an Ethernet card and an Ethernet cable (Windows XP or higher for PCs or OS X (with Open Transport) for Macintosh)

ResNet is an extension of the campus network, which provides residence halls with access to the Internet. Data jacks and wireless coverage are available in all individual rooms and common areas.

To connect, you must: 

• have a device with ethernet (wired) or WiFi (wireless)
• current Web browser
• have a valid StarID

Read the ResNet and Open Data Jack Acceptable Use policy.

VPN Access for Faculty and Staff

St. Cloud State offers faculty and staff secure access to campus files and resources while off-campus through VPN. You will be able to access internal St. Cloud State services however, you will not be able to access web sites that are outside the St. Cloud State domain.

To connect, you must:

• be on a state owned device
• be a faculty/staff member with a valid StarID and password
• have Windows 7 or greater or Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) or greater with critical updates installed
• have administrator access to install software (or contact College Technician)
• have a high speed Internet connection such as DSL or Cable
• have antivirus programs installed (if running Windows)

Responsible Use

By connecting your state computer to St. Cloud State’s network via VPN, you are responsible for reducing the risk of unauthorized access to St. Cloud State technology resources. The following security best practices must be followed:

• Have anti-virus software installed and updated. 
• Install critical software updates. On a Windows computer, go to the Control Panel and make sure Automatic Updates is turned on. On a Mac, go to System Preferences and make sure Software Update is checking for updates at least weekly.
• Use the VPN connection only on your state owned managed device that you trust and are familiar with.
• Do not allow your web browser to save the passwords of any internal St. Cloud State websites you are accessing.
• Do not allow others to use your computer while the VPN connection is active. Make sure you disconnect from the VPN when you are finished.
• Remember that you may be accessing private data. Avoid saving any private data locally, to your personal computer, where it could be accessed once your VPN connection is closed. Don’t leave sensitive printouts in easily accessible locations.