MSU Information Technology provides the MSU community with network and wired and wireless Internet access on campus and in outlying MSU research centers. MSU IT also manages the MSUnet campus backbone and IP network resources.
Wired network connections are provided in offices, residence halls, lecture halls, and computer labs, as well as in common meeting areas such as libraries, study lounges, and athletic areas.
Wi-Fi network access is available in all residence halls, as well as academic buildings on much of campus (including the south campus farms) to support the mobility of faculty, staff, and students.
Network Partnerships
MSU partners in several external network and data connectivity projects with other universities and organizations.
The Michigan Innovation Network (MiNet, formerly MiLR) is a high-speed network built jointly by Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University. It is operated jointly by the Merit Network and its member universities. MiNet provides:
- 10-100 Gbps connections
- Dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) services allowing multiple light frequencies to share a single fiber path
- High-speed network connections between researchers at the three universities as well as national and international connection points in Chicago (connections are provided to various research, education, and government networks such as Energy Sciences Network and Internet2)
- Internet2 Peer Exchange and Cloud Connect services, providing connections to public and private cloud services including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle
MSU is also part of the BTAA OmniPoP, a fiber optic network collaboration between participating Big Ten Academic Alliance institutions. This network connects the institutions to each other, the Big Ten Network, and to research hubs worldwide with 10-100 Gbps connectivity.
Wi-Fi Details
MSUnet Wireless supports the current Wi-Fi standards – 802.11a, 802.11g and 802.11n. The 802.11n standard operates in both the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies.
To maintain Wi-Fi quality, MSU IT can constrain any wireless network devices with incorrect or conflicting configurations that could adversely impact the performance of MSUnet Wireless.
Wi-Fi in Residence Halls
All MSU residence halls have full Wi-Fi access.
Department Wi-Fi Networks
Any MSU unit wireless network not integrated with MSUnet Wireless should follow these guidelines:
- The SSID “MSUnet Wireless” and any SSID containing the words “MSUnet Wireless” are reserved for devices belonging to the MSUnet Wireless network.
- The transmitting power of access points should be limited to the minimum that is needed to cover a desired area.
