How to connect to Oxford Wireless LAN (OWL)

If you are visiting the University for academic purposes, or if you are attending a conference, then your host or event organiser may be able to provide you with a visitor network username and password. These are used to access the Oxford Wireless LAN.

To connect using visitor network credentials:

1. Open Wi-Fi settings on your device and select OWL from the list of Wi-Fi networks
2. If you are not prompted for login details then visit http://neverssl.com/ in your web browser. You will be redirected to the University’s secure login page
3. Login using your visitor network username and password

Service notes

OWL is an unencrypted service, so private information should only be communicated over a secure connection. You can access a secure connection by using a VPN or by connecting to https:// sites.

Your device will be disconnected from OWL after 15 minutes of inactivity, however it can automatically reconnect for up to 10 hours.

Any issues with OWL should be reported to local IT support staff for the department or college you are visiting. 

You must abide by the University’s full IT regulations. In particular:

• You must not share your username or password with any other person
• If you lose your account credentials you must notify your host or group organizer immediately
• You are not permitted to use the University IT or network facilities for any unlawful activity, including the unauthorised (re)distribution of copyrighted material
• The University may bar access at any time to devices that appear to consume an unreasonable amount of network resources

1. Open Wi-Fi settings on your device and select OWL from the list of Wi-Fi networks

2. Your device should connect automatically, but if you need to confirm settings manually or are setting this up remotely then you may need some or all of the following details:
    

   Setting	Value
   SSID / Name	OWL
   Security	None or Open
   Static WEP	Disabled
   WEP Authentication	Open (not Shared)
   Network Type	Infrastructure (not Ad-Hoc)

3. You will be able to access the IT Services help pages, Governance and Planning pages, Self-Registration pages and the eduroam CAT website
4. If you connect to the University VPN, you are also able to access external websites

If you need to request OWL access for a visitor and don’t know who can arrange this in your unit, then contact your local IT support staff.

Please note:

University members must not use visitor network accounts to access OWL