Resources

To set up eduroam on your device, please see the eduroam Wireless Network setup instructions.

In some clinical locations, eduroam operates on a separate network range (5GHz) to prevent interference with important wireless clinical equipment. Most newer mobile devices will connect to eduroam (e.g. iPhone 5+, iPad 1+, Samsung S3+, and BlackBerry 10), and all compatible devices will automatically display eduroam as a WiFi option.

eduroam is available to UBC learners, staff and faculty as well as members of eduroam partner institutions. In British Columbia, all institutions belonging to BCNET are part of the eduroam community. Once learners, staff and faculty have eduroam access, they can use it from anywhere in the world that eduroam is found.

If you are a first time user and have difficulty accessing eduroam, please contact your institution’s IT service desk. For all other issues, please contact the UBC IT Service Centre for assistance.

eduroam is a secure, international wireless service developed for the international research and education community that allows members of participating educational institutions to log in securely to their campus network from anywhere in the world where eduroam is found.

eduroam is based on the most secure encryption and authentication standards in existence today. Its security by far exceeds typical commercial wireless internet hotspots. Be aware that whatever security settings have been applied locally where you are accessing eduroam will apply to you as well. For example, you may have access to fewer services on the internet than you have at your home.

Learners require the internet in order to access online reference and study materials. The accreditation standards outlined by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) include student assessments of the “adequacy of the wireless network in classrooms and study spaces at the medical school”. This is measured through satisfactions levels with ease and pervasiveness of access. MD and Health Professions learners frequently access medical and health resources provided in the UBC library, including clinical reference information while on rounds and working with patients.

eduroam simplifies online wireless access for everyone involved: UBC staff and faculty, as well as Health Authority IT departments. UBC MD and Health Professions students, faculty and staff often move from clinic to clinic throughout the province. Without eduroam, users need to go through the sometimes lengthy process via the onsite IT department for account setup and configuration. With eduroam, after a one-time setup via their home institution’s IT Service Desk, users are set up and have wireless access the moment they are onsite. Using eduroam UBC staff, faculty and learners can access the UBC network from anywhere in the world.

Wireless is essential for improving health outcomes. Doctors are expected to have evidence-based research to back up treatment decisions and this is most easily accessed via wireless while working with patients. While there are typically touchdown computer spaces available in emergency and on the floor, space in the hospitals is at a premium. It is not uncommon for learners and doctors to step around the corner from a patient and look up drug and dosing information, look for the latest information to assist in differential diagnosis, access treatments options, or access a variety of clinical reference tools.

UBC MD and Health Professions learners can access UBC education resources as if they were on UBC campus, including library resources, e-journals and administrative tools – as well as resources accessible via general internet access.

Stakeholder consultations were conducted with UBC Faculty of Medicine users from across the province to gather functional requirements for wireless network usage. Based on these requirements, the Faculty of Medicine worked with the Health Authorities and chose eduroam as the solution that would meet both UBC’s wireless needs and the Health Authorities’ infrastructure in clinical sites.

The first clinical site to receive ubiquitous eduroam was Surrey Memorial Hospital in 2014. For a complete list of sites, please see Connecting.

The Faculty of Medicine implements eduroam at clinical sites only. Because eduroam runs on existing wireless infrastructure, enabling the service in clinical sites requires planning and coordination between the UBC Faculty of Medicine, UBC IT and the Health Authorities. Please check Connecting to see if your site is currently slated for eduroam implementation or contact the eduroam team at ubc.eduroam@ubc.ca for further information.

Eventually. The team is prioritizing all clinical sites across the province, including ones that currently have ubcsecure wireless internet access.

ubcsecure is a UBC-only service and does not allow eduroam partners and some program staff to access wireless.