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GENERAL INFORMATION
What is AirBears?
It is a free wireless service that enables connections to the campus network using a computer equipped with a wireless ethernet adapter. To visit the official AirBears website, click here.
Who can use AirBears?
AirBears is available to anyone on the UC Berkeley campus community who has a valid CalNet ID and passphrase.
Where is AirBears available?
AirBears is available in several locations on or near the UC Berkeley campus. To see the AirBears coverage map, click here.
Where can I purchase a wireless ethernet card?
AirBears runs on the 802.11b wireless ethernet standard. The UC Berkeley Scholar's Workstation offers wireless network adapters that support AirBears. To visit their website, click here.
HOW TO SET IT UP
The following are general instructions to set up AirBears. For more specific instructions, you may view our OS-specific instructions.
Hardware setup:
If you do not have 802.11b wireless internet built in to your computer, then you will need a wireless ethernet adapter. The UC Berkeley Scholar's Workstation offers wireless network adapters that support AirBears. To visit their website, click here. Once you have a card, set it up to support wireless internet using the instructions provided with it. For best performance with AirBears, make sure your drivers are up to date. You can usually visit the vendor's website to download and install new and updated drivers.
Network setup:
In your network settings, set your computer to "Obtain an IP address automatically". For specific instructions on how to do this, click here. If your wireless card has automatically detected any wireless networks, make sure you connect to AirBears. Otherwise, you will have to manually connect: you can set the network name (also known as SSID) to AirBears (case-sensitive) in your wireless configuration wizard, and your computer should automatically pick up the signal. Make sure that you have turned off all encryption (WEP) because AirBears does not use any encryption.
Using AirBears:
You will need an SSL-enabled web browser on your computer (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape, Safari, etc.) You must also be within an Airbears coverage zone. To see the AirBears coverage map, click here. Once you have met these requirements, open up your web browser and visit any website. You should be redirected to the AirBears login page. Sign in using your CalNet ID & Passphrase. You should now be directed back to the website you originally visited. You are now connected to AirBears!