Connecting to a Wired Port On-Campus Using a Mac Computer (How-to)

Below are instructions for connecting to a wired network port from on-campus.

For on-campus residents: Before you can connect your Mac computer to a wired port in your residence hall, you will need to have put in a request for a Wired Network Issue. Wired ports are not activated in residence halls by default.


Trust the Root Certificate

Keychain Access

  1. Open Keychain Access. In this example, Spotlight Search was used to find it quickly.

Keychain access screen

  1. In the left Keychains column, select System Roots.
  2. In the left Category column, select Certificates.
  3. In the right pane, find and double-click AAA Certificate Services. This is the root certificate that needs to be trusted.

  1. Click the triangle next to Trust to expand this section.
  2. Click the menu next to Extensible Authentication (EAP) and select Always Trust.

Certificate settings screen

  1. When you've chosen your settings, close Keychain Access.

NOTE: Faculty and staff will need to gain temporary administrative access to their computers by following the instructions at Obtaining Temporary Admin Access on a Mac (How-to).

Enable 802.1X Authentication in MacOS

Network System Settings

  1. Click the Apple menu icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
  2. Select System Settings.

Apple Menu System Settings

OR

  1. Click the System Settings icon in the dock.

Dock System Settings

  1. In the left pane, click Network.
  2. In the right pane, click the Ethernet, or the option that represents the wired network connection.
Network Ethernet
 

Ethernet 802.1x settings

  1. In the right pane, click Details.

Ethernet Details

  1. In the left pane, click 802.1X. ​​​​​
  2. In the right pane, ensure Enable automatic connection is enabled.
  3. In the lower right corner, click OK.

Ethernet 802.1X Settings

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Use this service to report any problems with wired, wireless, or remote access to the campus network.
Use this service to request wired, wireless, or remote access to the campus network.