Wireless access for UCT guests

What is the Guest Sponsorship Portal?

Visiting academics, researchers, conferences attendees and other UCT visitors can get access to the Internet in three ways. They can use eduroam, obtain a Third Party account or be sponsored to use the Guest WiFi Access. The type of access they need, and whether or not their home institution uses eduroam, will determine which method is used. To determine which method to use, ask yourself:

• Does your visitor come from an eduroam-affiliated institution?
  If so, they just need to log on with their own username and password (from their home institution). Nothing else is required on the UCT network.
   
• Will your visitor be here for more than a month or two? Or do they require more than just Internet access – e.g. access to the library or the UCT network drives?
  If so, you need to apply for a Third party account.
   
• If the answer to the above is “no” and your visitor will be here for a relatively short time, then you can sponsor their access to the UCT Guest WiFi service.

This article describes how to sponsor a UCT Guest WiFi account. It is a simple process that you can carry out via a web interface without having to log a call with the IT Helpdesk. UCT guest accounts expire automatically after the specified period, so you won't have to decommission them or worry about unauthorised WiFi access after your conference is over and your visitors have gone home.

Who can sponsor guests? What are the rules?

Any UCT staff member may sponsor individual guests by filling in each visitor's information on the relevant forms. However, if you're expecting a large group or if you're a conference organiser, you may apply for special rights to create multiple accounts more quickly.

• You can sponsor any number of guests.
• The visitors are bound by an Acceptable Use Policy which ensures that they use the service reasonably and responsibly - without any adverse consequences to the university.
• Your guest may connect up to three devices to the UCT network.
• If your visitors violate any of the abovementioned terms and conditions, they will be held responsible. In addition, you - as the sponsor - will also be held accountable and will face the relevant disciplinary procedures established for staff at UCT.
• You may extend their access to the WiFi, but at any point, the period remaining may not exceed the limit for that account type (e.g. 3 days or 7 days).

Create guest accounts

Create multiple accounts for a conference

There are three steps to creating multiple accounts for a conference:

1. Apply to host a conference at UCT.
2. Apply for conference organiser rights.
3. Create conference WiFi accounts.

 

What do you need to do?	Instructions
I want to create personalised WiFi tokens for multiple conference attendees.	Ensure that you're on campus, working through a UCT wired or wireless connection. If you're off campus, work through the UCT VPN service to complete the next steps. Navigate to https://wifi.uct.ac.za and sign in using your UCT username and password. Select Create Accounts > Guest Information and select the Import tab. Click Download Template. Open the downloaded file. Fill out the details for up to 250 visitors, entering each visitor's details on a new line. Fields marked with a * are mandatory. Save the file in the same format (i.e. CSV). Go back to the Guest Sponsorship Portal: Click Browse... and upload the file you worked on in step 5. Enter a Group tag to identify this batch of guests. In the Access Information section, specify how long your guests will need access and when this access will be valid. Click Import. Close the notification dialog box. To send the login details to your visitors, select the Manage Accounts tab. Select which guests you'd like to notify. Click Resend. In the Resend dialog box: Choose the notification method(s). Note that the SMS and Email options will not work if you've entered invalid contact details in step 5. If you've selected the Email option and you want to receive a copy of the notification, select Copy me and enter your email address in the Sponsor's Email address text box. Click OK. Click Done. To create accounts for another batch of guests, select the Create Accounts tab then repeat steps 3 to 10.
I want to create generic WiFi tokens for multiple conference attendees.	Ensure that you're on campus, working through a UCT wired or wireless connection. If you're off campus, work through the UCT VPN service to complete the next steps. Navigate to https://wifi.uct.ac.za and sign in using your UCT username and password. Select Create Accounts > Guest Information and select the Random tab. Enter the Number of accounts (up to 250). Enter a Username prefix (e.g. abbreviated name of the conference). Enter a Group tag to identify this batch of guests. In the Access Information section, specify how long your guests will need access and when this access will be valid. Click Create. Click Print for a printout of the login tokens. Click Done. To create accounts for another batch of guests, select the Create Accounts tab then repeat steps 3 to 5. Distribute the tokens to your guests as they arrive.

Request additional ICTS conference services

Aside from WiFi, if you would like additional ICTS assistance for the conference:

1. Log on to the Service Portal using your UCT username and password.
2. Search for Conference IT services and select Request IT Services for a Conference.
   • Enter the required information and click Submit.

Get support

If, while using the Guest Sponsorship Portal, you find that accounts are not created, or something seems to have gone wrong, first check the Notices tab for information about any errors that may have occurred.

If you need help using the portal: