TF-MOBILITY/End Users Mobility
End Users Mobility
Responsible: Klaas Wierenga (SURFnet, the Netherlands)
This area focused on the use of tools to make it easier for end users to connect to an eduroam enabled wireless LAN.
Tasks undertaken in this area were:
- eduroam web site maintenance - A dedicated eduroam web site has been set up to provide eduroam specific information
- iPass for NRENs - iPass is commercial software that through a client installed on the users machine, gives Internet access for travelling users in about 150 countries via local phone calls, WiFi or wired Ethernet. Users need to be authenticated for security and usage billing purposes.
UNI-C explored the possibility to connect iPass to eduroam (for further information about the tests performed, please look at the information on the wiki).
The conclusion was that even if the integration of iPass and eduroam is technically doable, it is not recommended due to the security reasons (users would type their credentials in any iPass enabled client, which is considered bad practice). - Access point phone book - to facilitate users to find out where eduroam is available,
SURFnet proposed to use a database containing location information about eduroam Access
Points. A first draft of the database structure was circulated to the list in January 2005.
Compliance with the commercial operators' database model was also investigated. Issues to solve before using the database are the definition of the fields used to store the data, the way to populate the database and the way to keep it up-to-date.
The group could not commit to finalise this task, due to amount of work needed. - eduroam client - One of the possible ways to overcome the diversities of SSIDs and ciphers is to have a client that makes these details transparent to the users. Some preliminary analysis took place to define the functionalities of a possible 'eduroam client'. There are still plans to develop such a client (in particularly by UKERNA).