Service overview
Wireless connectivity on McGill's inter-campus shuttle bus:
While riding the shuttle buses between the downtown and Macdonald campuses, you can connect to McGill's wireless network to access the Internet, restricted sites, and resources provided by the Library. The connection is encrypted and secured.
To set up a wireless network connection, you will need the following:
- McGill Username and McGill Password.
- Wireless-enabled mobile device, netbook, or laptop computer.
- Wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) supporting Wi-Fi 2, Wi-Fi 3, Wi-Fi 4, and Wi-Fi 5 protocols (IEEE 802.11 a/g/n/ac), with the latest drivers.
Note: Wi-Fi is available on four permanent shuttle buses (buses #279, 280, 281, and 282) and is indicated on posters. Replacement buses without Wi-Fi may occasionally operate this route.
Who can use it
McGill students, faculty, staff, affiliates (non-McGill staff work in association with McGill, such as hospital affiliates), and visitors (such as visiting faculty) can use the service. Users must have a McGill Username and Password to authenticate on the network.
How to request & access the service
The wireless service is available from any of the permanent McGill shuttle buses. The SSID of the wireless network is wpa.bus.mcgill.ca.
To configure a wireless connection, follow the appropriate instructions for your operating system:
Cost
There is no cost associated with this service.
Availability
The service is available on all regular McGill inter-campus shuttle buses while the bus is in transit. The wireless service may be turned off while the bus is idling on campus between trips.
The service will not be available on buses replacing out-of-service regular buses.
Frequently asked questions
What data transfer protocols are supported?
FTP, HTTP/HTTPS, IMAP/IMAPS, NTP, POP3/POP3S, SMTP, SSH, TELNET
Are there any limitations in terms of bandwidth usage?
Yes. The maximum bandwidth per user is 1 MB per second when uploading/downloading content.
For security reasons, peer-to-peer filesharing using BitTorrent is not allowed.
Best practices & policies
- Do not use this wireless connection for critical work. Beware that the wireless connection may be dropped when the bus starts its route. In such circumstances, you may lose your work if you are in the middle of saving data on the network.
- Do not ask the bus driver to troubleshoot or restart the server while the bus is in transit.
- While using this service, you are bound by the Policy on the Responsible Use of McGill Information Technology Resources.
Training & documentation
None available.
Support
The bus driver can reset the service if it disconnects, but only when the bus is not in transit. For all other issues, please Contact the IT Service Desk.