See also Wi-Fi services for information about the differences between eduroam and Berkeley-Visitor, campus Wi-Fi map, off-campus internet options, and planned Wi-Fi upgrade work for campus.
Wi-fi Services
Eduroam
Eduroam is the primary secure network available throughout campus, in campus residence halls and at University Village. Students must connect to eduroam in order to have a secure connection to the campus network which allows the use of campus resources (e.g. digital library resources).
If you are connecting to eduroam for the first (or the first time in a while), visit the Wi-Fi services webpage for step-by-step instructions.
In addition, eduroam(link is external) provides network access at over 2,400 participating institutions in the US and thousands more world-wide. When visiting a participating institution, UC Berkeley students who have configured their device to use eduroam can automatically connect to that institution's network.
Berkeley-IoT (Internet of Things)
While eduroam is the network of choice for phones, laptops, tablets, and desktops, Berkeley-IoT is the eduroam equivalent Wi-Fi network for devices that do not support the username and password-based authentication in use by eduroam.
This network will be used most commonly by residents in campus housing to connect entertainment devices (e.g. smart TVs, streaming hubs, and gaming consoles). See below for more information about options in our various campus housing locations.
If you are connecting to Berkeley-IoT for the first (or the first time in a while), visit the Wi-Fi services webpage for step-by-step instructions.
Berkeley-Visitor
Berkeley-Visitor provides basic internet access for visitors to campus who do not have a CalNet ID; it is not recommended for Cal students to rely upon. Some campus resources may not be accessible while connected with Berkeley-Visitor.
*Please note that devices that require inter-device communication (e.g. wireless printers, network attached storage, voice-activated assistants) are NOT supported by any of our on-campus Wi-fi networks.
Get Online in Campus Housing
Wi-fi connection via eduroam is available in most campus housing locations.
Some devices like gaming consoles and smart TVs/streaming hubs (like a Roku) will not work on eduroam. Instead, residents should connect these devices to the Berkeley-IoT Wifi network.
Note that to connect your device to the Berkeley-IoT Wifi network, you will need to identify your device's MAC Address, and then create a Berkeley-IoT Device Account in your Wifi Portal.
Detailed instructions for connecting a device to the Berkeley-IoT Network are provided here.
Residents who require a wired internet connection (i.e. via ethernet cable) can connect in various ways depending on which campus housing they are in. See below for more details.
University Village
Visit Technology at University Village for information about what services are offered, how to connect to the internet, common troubleshooting topics and getting non-student household members connected to Wi-Fi.
Intersection Apartments
For apartments with an access point device (router) installed on the wall, there are 4 ethernet ports available for you to use on the side or bottom of the access point device.
Residence Halls
Ethernet (wired) network ports are automatically disabled in the residence halls (except Clark Kerr Buildings 19 and 20). If you require access to an ethernet port, submit a request here(link is external)(link is external). Requests take approximately 5-10 business days to process, depending on volume and availability. Buildings eligible for port activation requests are:
- Channing-Bowditch
- Clark Kerr Campus
- Foothill (Hillside, La Loma)
- Jackson House
- Manville Hall
- Martinez Commons
- Stern Hall
- Unit 1 (Cheney, Christian, Deutsch, Freeborn, Putnam, Slottman)
- Unit 2 (Cunningham, Davidson, Ehrman, Griffiths, Towle, Wada)
- Unit 3 (Cleary, Ida Sproul, Norton, Priestley, Spens-Black)
If the residence you live in is not listed above, please check with your on-site staff for assistance.
Personal wireless routers are not permitted in the residence halls. Their signals cause interference for other users and degrade network connectivity.