Connecting Your Device to PittNet Wi-Fi

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Connecting Your Device to PittNet Wi-Fi

 

⚠  PittNet Wi-Fi Certificate Renewal – Action May Be Required

Pitt Digital renewed the University's PittNet Wi-Fi security certificate on June 20 as part of the annual renewal to maintain wireless security. Wi-Fi services remained uninterrupted during the renewal.

If you are having trouble connecting to PittNet Wi-Fi or GlobalProtect VPN, do one of the following:

For more information, see the security alert: Trust the new PittNet Wi-Fi certificate starting June 20.

ℹ  Updated Network Names in Wi-Fi 6 Areas

In areas upgraded to Wi-Fi 6 infrastructure as part of Pitt Digital's ongoing network modernization initiative, select these updated network names when connecting new devices:

  • PittNet (alternative to WIRELESS-PITTNET)
  • Pitt Guest (alternative to PITT GUEST WI-FI)

Both current and legacy network names will continue to function until Pitt Digital communicates retirement timelines with ample advance notice.

Overview

Pitt Digital supports general connectivity for Wi-Fi devices. You can connect to PittNet Wi-Fi by configuring your device using the settings and steps below. Select your operating system from the sections below for step-by-step instructions.

Network Configuration Settings

Use these settings when manually configuring any device to connect to PittNet Wi-Fi:

Table 1 – PittNet Wi-Fi Settings
Setting Value
Network SSID (standard) WIRELESS-PITTNET
Network SSID (Wi-Fi 6 areas) PittNet
Security Type WPA2-Enterprise
Encryption Type AES
Authentication Method PEAP / EAP-MSCHAPv2
Username / Password Your University Computing Account credentials
Authentication Server ias.cssd.pitt.edu
CA Certificate USERTrust RSA Certification Authority (select if available) or accept when prompted

Jump to your operating system specific instructions:

Windows 11 Instructions

Windows 11 can typically auto-configure the security settings for PittNet. Follow the steps below to set up and connect.

Step 1 – Enable the Wireless AutoConfig Service

  1. In the Windows 11 taskbar Search bar, type Services and press Enter.
  2. Scroll down to WLAN AutoConfig, right-click it, and select Properties.
  3. Set Startup type to Automatic, click Apply, then click OK.
  4. Restart your computer.

Step 2 – Add PittNet as a New Wireless Network

  1. In the taskbar Search bar, type Control Panel and press Enter.
  2. Click Network and Internet, then Network and Sharing Center.
  3. Click Set up a new connection or network.
  4. Select Manually connect to a wireless network, then click Next.
  5. Enter the following settings, then click Next:
    • Network Name: WIRELESS-PITTNET (or PittNet in Wi-Fi 6 areas)
    • Security Type: WPA2-Enterprise
    • Encryption Type: AES
  6. If prompted that the network already exists, select Use the existing network. If the existing network does not connect, see the Troubleshooting: Forget and Reconnect steps below.

Step 3 – Connect and Sign In

  1. In the taskbar, click the network/Wi-Fi area (near the clock), click the arrow next to the Wi-Fi symbol, select WIRELESS-PITTNET (or PittNet), and click Connect.
  2. When prompted, enter your University Computing Account username and password. Leave the domain field blank.
  3. If prompted to trust or accept a security certificate, confirm the server is ias.cssd.pitt.edu and click Connect or Trust.

Advanced Manual Settings (Older Systems or Third-Party Clients)

If the automatic configuration does not apply correctly, configure the Security tab manually:

  1. In Network and Sharing Center, click the WIRELESS-PITTNET connection, then click Wireless Properties → Security tab.
  2. Set Choose a network authentication method to Microsoft: Protected EAP (PEAP).
  3. Ensure Remember my credentials is unchecked.
  4. Click Settings next to PEAP and configure:
    • Verify the server's identity by validating the certificate – checked
    • Connect to these servers – checked, set to ias.cssd.pitt.edu
    • Trusted Root Certification Authorities – check USERTrust RSA Certification Authority
    • Notifications before connecting – set to Don't ask user to authorize new servers or trusted CAs
    • Authentication Method – set to Secured password (EAP-MSCHAP v2)
    • Enable fast reconnect – checked
  5. Click Configure next to EAP-MSCHAP v2 and uncheck "Automatically use my Windows logon name and password." Click OK through all dialogs.

Windows 11 Troubleshooting

Forget and reconnect (certificate issues or stale profile)

  1. Go to Start → Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi → Manage known networks.
  2. Select WIRELESS-PITTNET (or PittNet) and click Forget.
  3. Reconnect using the steps in Section 2 above.

Verify date and time

  1. Type time and date in the Windows search bar and select Change the date and time.
  2. Confirm your time zone is correct. An incorrect system clock will cause certificate validation to fail.

Restart Wi-Fi services

  1. Click the speaker/battery icon area in the taskbar, then click the Wi-Fi button to turn Wi-Fi off. Wait a few seconds, then click it again to turn Wi-Fi back on.

Dell or IBM computers with manufacturer Wi-Fi software

If you see an error that "other software is managing the connection," disable or uninstall the manufacturer's wireless utility (e.g., Dell Wireless Utility or Dell Unified Wireless Suite via Settings → Apps) before reconnecting.

macOS Instructions

macOS auto-configures most WPA2-Enterprise settings when you connect. Follow these steps:

Connecting to PittNet Wi-Fi on macOS

  1. Click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar (top-right of screen).
  2. Select WIRELESS-PITTNET (or PittNet in Wi-Fi 6 areas) from the list of available networks.
  3. When prompted, enter your University Computing Account username and password.
  4. If a certificate verification dialog appears, confirm the certificate is issued for ias.cssd.pitt.edu by USERTrust RSA Certification Authority, then click Trust or Continue.
  5. You may be asked to enter your Mac login password to save the network credentials to your keychain. Enter your Mac password and click Update Settings.
  6. The Wi-Fi icon will fill in when connected successfully.

macOS Troubleshooting

Forget and reconnect (certificate issues or stale profile)

  1. Go to System Settings → Wi-Fi.
  2. Click the Details button next to WIRELESS-PITTNET (or PittNet).
  3. Click Forget This Network, then confirm.
  4. Reconnect using the steps above, accepting the certificate when prompted.

Remove saved keychain entries

  1. Open Keychain Access (Finder → Applications → Utilities).
  2. Search for WIRELESS-PITTNET or PittNet.
  3. Delete any matching entries, then reconnect to PittNet Wi-Fi and re-enter your credentials.

Linux Instructions

Linux configuration varies by distribution and network manager, but the underlying settings are the same. Most distributions using NetworkManager (GNOME, KDE, Ubuntu, Fedora) can be configured with these steps. A restart may be required after making changes.

Connecting Using NetworkManager (GNOME / Ubuntu / Fedora)

  1. Click the network icon in your system tray or top bar and select WIRELESS-PITTNET (or PittNet) from the list of available networks.
  2. A Wi-Fi Security dialog will open. Enter the following settings:
    • Security: WPA & WPA2 Enterprise
    • Authentication: Protected EAP (PEAP)
    • Anonymous Identity: (leave blank)
    • CA Certificate: No CA certificate (or select system certificates if your distribution supports it)
    • PEAP Version: Automatic (if shown; set to Version 0 only if Automatic fails)
    • Inner Authentication: MSCHAPv2
    • Username: Your Pitt username
    • Password: Your Pitt password
  3. Click Connect. If prompted about an untrusted certificate, confirm the server name is ias.cssd.pitt.edu and accept or trust the certificate.
  4. If the connection does not establish, restart your network manager or reboot, then try again.

Connecting via Command Line (nmcli)

For systems managed via the command line, use the following nmcli command (replace pittusername and pittpassword with your credentials):

nmcli con add type wifi ssid "WIRELESS-PITTNET" \
  wifi-sec.key-mgmt wpa-eap \
  802-1x.eap peap \
  802-1x.phase2-auth mschapv2 \
  802-1x.identity "pittusername" \
  802-1x.password "pittpassword" \
  802-1x.ca-cert "" \
nmcli con up "WIRELESS-PITTNET"

Note: Storing credentials in plain text in scripts is a security risk. Consider using nmcli con edit for interactive setup or a secrets agent to handle credential storage securely.

Connecting via wpa_supplicant

For systems without NetworkManager, add the following block to your /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf file:

network={
  ssid="WIRELESS-PITTNET"
  key_mgmt=WPA-EAP
  eap=PEAP
  phase2="auth=MSCHAPV2"
  identity="pittusername"
  password="pittpassword"
  ca_cert="/etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt"
}

Linux Notes and Troubleshooting

  • PEAPLABEL: Some Linux distributions require an additional PEAPLABEL option. The default setting of Automatic works for most devices. If you cannot connect, try explicitly setting PEAP Version 0.
  • Certificate trust: If your distribution prompts to validate the server certificate, accept the USERTrust RSA Certification Authority certificate for ias.cssd.pitt.edu. If no CA certificate option is available, select "No CA certificate" or leave the field blank.
  • Restart required: After making configuration changes, some Linux distributions require a restart of the network service or a full system reboot before settings take effect.
  • Third-party wireless clients: Laptop computers using a third-party wireless client (Intel, Gateway, etc.) may need that client's settings updated or the client disabled in favor of the OS-native network manager.
  • Older drivers: Wireless cards, drivers, or network managers that do not support WPA2-Enterprise are not compatible with PittNet Wi-Fi. WPA2-Personal (WPA2-PSK) and WEP will not work.

Incompatible Devices

The following devices or configurations are not compatible with PittNet Wi-Fi:

  • Bluetooth equipment – Bluetooth uses a different wireless protocol than PittNet Wi-Fi. Using Bluetooth devices in the same location as PittNet Wi-Fi may negatively affect wireless performance.
  • Devices with outdated wireless hardware or drivers that do not support WPA2-Enterprise networking. WPA2-Personal and WEP will not work on PittNet Wi-Fi.
  • Gaming consoles, smart TVs, and IoT devices that do not support enterprise (802.1x) authentication — these devices may connect to Pitt Guest Wi-Fi instead.

Need Help Connecting?

The Technology Help Desk is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Maintained by: Pitt Digital – Network Operations  |  Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliant

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