OVERVIEW
Target audience: Entire McGill community.
By default, McGill's Wireless Network only allows devices that support Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) Enterprise protocol, including smartphones, laptops, and tablets. To connect these devices, you can simply choose wpa.mcgill.ca and enter your McGill username and password to connect.
However, suppose you need to connect a non-WPA2 Enterprise device (that does not support your McGill username and password). In that case, you can use the My WiFi Device service (formerly GPass) to "register" your device to be recognized and permitted to connect to McGill's wireless network.
My WiFi Device uses the WPA2-PSK protocol and supports non-WPA2 Enterprise devices such as smart TVs and other smart home media devices (Amazon Alexa), gaming consoles, temperature sensors, etc. NOTE: WPA2-PSK does not currently support Google Chromecast.
My WiFi Device is available in residences and campus buildings that have been upgraded via the Network Upgrade project.
Access to some McGill resources may be limited with this service.
In this article:
- Registering your device
- Connecting your device
- Managing your registered devices:
- Generating a new password
- Removing/disabling a device
- Devices that will not work with this service
Registering your device
To register your device:
- Go to https://mywifidevice.mcgill.ca.
- Click Device Registration, and sign in with your McGill username and password. Note: You must be on campus to register your device.
- In the New Device window, enter the following:
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- MAC Address: the unique address that identifies your device on the network and consists of 12 characters ranging from 0 to 9 and A to F.
- Device Name: a descriptive name, such as "Nintendo console"
- Terms of Use: review the terms and check the box to accept
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- Click Create Device
You will see a registration confirmation and be provided with a unique password for each device to connect to the wireless network. Enter the password on the device itself. Otherwise, you may receive an error like "invalid password" when you attempt to connect to the wireless network.
NOTE:
- Students can register up to four devices; registrations are valid for one year from the registration date.
- Staff and Faculty can register up to 10 devices; registrations expire after three months of inactivity on the network.
If you attempt to register more than the maximum allowable devices, you will receive the following error:
Connecting your device
Once your device is registered, you can connect to the wireless network mywifidevice.mcgill.ca
Managing your registered devices
Click Manage Devices to view a list of devices you have registered.
Generating a new password
To generate a new password:
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- Select the device you want to generate a new password for.
- Click Edit.
- In the Edit Device window, select Generate a new device Wi-Fi password.
- Click Update Device.
Your new, randomly generated password will be displayed in the Current Password field. This method can be used to generate new passwords for all registered devices but cannot be customized.
IMPORTANT:
- Take note of the Wi-Fi password, as this is the only time it will be displayed.
- Update the password on the device itself. Otherwise, you may receive an error like "invalid password" when you attempt to connect to the wireless network.
- Connect to the Wi-Fi network mywifidevice.mcgill.ca
Removing or disabling a device
To remove or disable a registered device:
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- Click on a device name, then select Remove.
- Select Disable account to disable your device temporarily (it can be re-activated) or Delete account to remove it entirely.
- Click Make changes
You should now see the message The device was successfully updated. You will also see the update in the Device Status field.
Click the Refresh button at the bottom of the window to view the updated list of devices.
Devices that will not work with this service
- Google Home Devices
- Phone or tablet control of Chromecast device (Chromecast with Google TV should work)
- Wireless printers
- mDNS devices
