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Alert COVID-19 Update

Harvard University and Harvard Law School shifted to remote teaching and learning, as of Monday, March 23. For more information and the latest updates, please visit the HLS coronavirus information page.

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Students Network Access

To protect HLS network resources and ensure the availability of network services to the entire HLS community, your access is conditioned upon your agreeing to and complying with the terms of the Harvard Law School Computer and Network Resources Usage Agreement. Failure to comply with the terms of the usage agreement may result in the suspension or termination of network privileges.

Hardware Requirements

Type of connection: Location: Hardware required: Available:
Wired Ethernet All Dorms On-campus only
Wireless Ethernet Campus-Wide On-campus only

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Registering on the Harvard University Network

There are two available, open wireless networks at Harvard Law School: “Harvard University” and “Harvard Guest.”  As a part of the Harvard Community, with a HUID and PIN, you will want to use the Harvard University wireless; its speed is greater than the Harvard Guest wireless network. If you have guests to the campus who need wireless access, you can have them connect to the Guest wireless using the instructions on the Guest Wireless webpage, which explains these differences further.

You must register each wireless device before you can use it on the Harvard University network. If you are using a wired connection in your dorm, you will need to register your wired (ethernet) card. For wireless access on the HLS campus, you will also need to register your wireless card as a separate event, even if you have already registered your ethernet card from the same computer. Registration on the Harvard University network will take place when you choose the Harvard University wireless network, and then open a browser. A website will load which will guide you through the registration process.

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Wireless Networking: Technical Details and Guidelines

BANDWIDTH

Wireless networks use shared bandwidth. This means the total available bandwidth is divided amongst all the users connected to an access point. Users should avoid bandwidth intensive activities over wireless (downloading large files, playing online games, etc). Please be considerate of your fellow wireless users and use the wired network for these activities.

RELIABILITY

Wireless networks at HLS support 802.11: A, B, G, N, and AC* standards.

(AC wireless speeds are not available in all areas.)

SECURITY

Data transmitted via wireless is easily intercepted. Confidential information should not be transmitted. You can secure your wireless connection with HLS’s VPN Software (see below).

Securing your Wireless Network with VPN

VPN (Virtual Private Network) VPN is software for establishing secure connections to HLS network services. It is used to allow members of the HLS community to encrypt their wireless connection. To encrypt their connection, students should first install the appropriate VPN Client software on their system. VPN is automatically installed (if allowed by you or your browser) when you log into the Harvard SSL VPN Service.

  • Information for Installing and Configuring the VPN

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Configuring Your Computer for HLS Wireless

When configuring wireless for use on the Harvard University network, make sure that Internet Connection Sharing is not enabled. If you have Internet Connection Sharing enabled and your computer is found to be interfering with the ability of others to connect to the HLS network, your network connection will be disabled until you turn off Internet Connection Sharing.

Please follow the instructions below to be sure you are correctly configured.

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