OVERVIEW
Target audience: Guests on campus and in McGill residences.
This article provides instructions for signing into McGill's guest WiFi network, guest.mcgill.ca, to access the Internet for up to 7 days. After this period, guests may reconnect using the same method.
In this article:
IMPORTANT: Guest WiFi is temporary access only
The guest.mcgill.ca network only provides internet access for up to 7 days and does not connect you to McGill resources (e.g., myCourses, Library databases, shared drives).
McGill students, faculty, and staff: Do not use Guest WiFi. Connect to wpa.mcgill.ca or see the About: Wireless Network Connectivity page for details on which WiFi network to use.
NOTE: Visitors members of eduroam
Visitors from educational institutions that are members of "eduroam" may sign into the eduroam wireless network on campus using their institutional username and password credentials.
If you require additional access, such as access to departmental shared drives, a McGill faculty or staff member must request an affiliate account for you.
How to connect to the guest WiFi network
Note: The screenshots below were taken from a laptop; however, the process is the same on all mobile devices.
- Go to your device's WiFi settings, select the guest.mcgill.ca network from the list of available networks, and click Connect.
NOTE:
If you are not automatically redirected to McGill's Guest WiFi page, shown below, open your browser and go to a non-McGill website. You should be automatically redirected to the Guest WiFi page.
- Read and accept the terms of use.
- Register for guest credentials
This method gives you a temporary username and password valid for up to 7 days of connectivity.See additional Steps to Register below.
Simply follow the prompts to enter the username and password for your selected account.
Steps to Register for guest credentials (valid for up to 7 days)
- After you click Register, you are prompted to enter your email address and select the number of days in the drop down box.
(Note: You cannot use a McGill email address.) - Enter the Security Code you see displayed on screen. If you can’t read it, click the refresh button to see a different code or the speaker button to hear the letters.
- Click Register to see the username and password needed to sign into the guest WiFi account. You will also receive this information by email.
- Click Login.
Note: You are not prompted to enter the username and password the first time you sign in. But if you disconnect, you may use these credentials to sign in anytime within the time you selected in the drop down box. However, after the time you selected, you must complete the Registration process again.
You should now be connected to the guest WiFi:
Signing in on an Android device
- Tap Settings
- Select Wireless & networks
- Select WiFi settings
- Select guest.mcgill.ca
- Enter the guest username and password you were given and tap Connect
Having issues connecting?
- If you are not automatically redirected to McGill's Guest WiFi page, open your browser and visit a non-McGill website (e.g., http://cbc.ca). Then, you should be automatically redirected to the Guest WiFi page.
- If you register successfully and are not logged in automatically, try switching to wpa.mcgill.ca by going to your WiFi settings and selecting one of these networks. Then, log in using the credentials and accept the certificate.
- We recommend creating your account using your mobile phone and, once you have your login information, use your credentials to log into a laptop or desktop computer. You can also connect to wpa.mcgill.ca as in the step above.
- Some browsers are more restricted and may block access, so you may also try browsing in private (e.g., incognito mode in Chrome). See this article from Computer World for detailed instructions on how to browse in private in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
- Some Android devices do not allow certificate validation. Choose the "Do not validate" certificate.
- Clear your browser's cache.
Flyer to print and distribute on campus
Guest WiFi flyer (English on one side, French on the other)
