This article covers the devices that are supported and prohibited on the campus network.
Many networked devices are designed for home use, as opposed to enterprise networks. As a result, they will either need advanced configuration, simply will not work with our network, or they will actually cause interference with our wireless network. We leverage multiple technologies and tools to block these devices from connecting to our network. So any of these devices may be blocked at any given time. If you have one of these devices, we ask that you remove it from the network or configure it properly, by contacting ResNET via 919-962-HELP or by submitting a Service Request.
Information
Please note that almost all of these devices must use our annual PSK network (i.e., 23-24-UNC-PSK). This network requires that you register the device’s MAC address for DHCP on the Onyen Services page. More specific configuration information can be found at the Network Setup site.
| Device Type |
Supported at UNC |
Details |
| Nintendo Switch |
✓
|
These are supported on the PSK and wired networks. |
| Wireless router |
❌
|
This is a wide-range of devices, commonly made by Cisco-Linksys, D-Link, Belkin, Netgear, etc. Any device that broadcasts a wireless network that you can see with your laptop or mobile device is prohibited from connecting to the UNC network. However you may operate a router as a hub to simply provide more Ethernet ports. |
| Cell phone or mobile hotspots |
❌ |
The ability to share your cellular data plan with your laptop or other devices will work great for you, but cause immediate interference for others. We’ve seen multiple cases where one hotspot blocks the entire wireless network for all users in a classroom or floor. The use of this technology is highly discouraged. |
| Wireless printers |
✓ |
By default most wireless printers are setup to broadcast their own wireless network called Wi-Fi Direct, which is similar to a router and is prohibited. Your best option is to use USB to eliminate interference and to ensure that others can’t print to your printer. If your printer has Ethernet, then that’s a viable solution as well. Finally, if you must use wireless, connect your printer to UNC-PSK and be prepared that your computer may have trouble finding your printer because the IP address may change on a daily basis. The success of this feature varies widely depending on the brand/model of printer. |
| Apple Time Capsule or Airport |
✓ |
The Time Capsule uses the Airport wireless router technology to communicate with devices. By default, this device will interfere with our network, however you may disable the wireless interface and use it by plugging devices directly into the Time Capsule. We also recommend disabling DHCP or NAT on the device so that your devices will be connected directly to our UNC Network. |
| Apple TV |
✓ |
This device can be setup to work with our network. We recommend that you set a passcode for the interface so that access to it will be limited to the owner. We also recommend you name the device after your location (e.g. Morrison 213) so that it will be easier to find among the list of all Apple TVs on campus. |
| Google Home & Chromecast |
❌ |
This device is banned because it will interfere with our network immediately and it will never work on campus. The success of this device relies on UPnP, which does not work on our network. See this Chromecast Help article. |
| Roku |
✓ |
Only the Roku 3 is known to cause problems with our network because the remote control uses Wi-Fi to communicate with the media player directly. Roku provides a remote control app for mobile devices. This service will not work on our network because it’s designed for small networks, although it may work in the future. Please note that most Roku devices do not support all of the 5 GHz channels in use on the UNC campus. |
| VoIP phones |
✓ |
This is unknown at this time, but these devices should work successfully with our network, however there is a strong possibility that they will interfere with our Wi-Fi network as well. These devices are mostly contained to the Baity Hill Family Housing region, so we are addressing those on a case-by-case basis. |
| Sony PlayStation 3 & 4 |
✓ |
These devices work fine, however one setting must be disabled to prevent it from broadcasting a wireless network. Please see this article from Sony to disable Remote Play Broadcasting. |
| Amazon Fire TV & Echo |
✓ |
This device works fine with our network. Be aware that you may have to call Amazon to figure out the MAC address, which you will need to register with UNC for network access. |
| Sonos |
❌ |
These devices are designed to use a technology called Spanning Tree, which we explicitly block on campus. As a result, it will never work and is really designed for home networks only. |
| Smart home devices (ex. Hue lighting) |
❌ |
These devices rely on multicast, which is disabled on our network for security reasons. |