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Getting Your Device Online
eduroam is the main wireless network on campus. Connect laptops, desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones to the eduroam network.
Some devices do not support the security requirements for eduroam. Examples include game consoles, smart TVs, e-book readers, and streaming media devices. If your device does not show the eduroam network in the list of available Wi-Fi networks or otherwise cannot connect to eduroam, use the NP Hawks Devices wireless network.
Follow the instructions in this article to register your device and connect it to the campus network and the Internet using NP Hawks Devices.
For information about device compatibility, shared devices, Apple TVs, and wireless printers, see NP Hawks Devices - Shared and Unsupported Devices.
Registering Your Device
To connect a device to NP Hawks Devices you must first register its wireless MAC address. As part of registering the device you will receive the Wi-Fi password to enter on the device.
Step 1. Find your device's wireless MAC Address
Every Wi-Fi-capable device has a unique identifier called a MAC address. You must provide this address when registering the device.
A MAC address contains 12 characters. It uses the numbers 0 through 9 and the letters A through F. It may appear with separators such as colons, hyphens, or spaces. Uppercase vs lowercase letters does not matter For example:
A1:B2:C3:D4:E5:F6
When entering the MAC address during registration, include only the letters and numbers:
A1B2C3D4E5F6
MAC addresses are not case-sensitive, so you may enter the letters in uppercase or lowercase. Copy the address carefully. Each letter and number must be correct.
Where to find the Wi-Fi MAC address varies by device. Search online using the device's name and the phrase "find wireless MAC address". As an example "Roku find wireless mac address". You may also find this wikiHow article helpful: wikiHow: How to Find the MAC Address of Your Computer
Important: You must register the device's wireless or Wi-Fi MAC address to use it with NP Hawks Devices. If the device supports both wired and wireless network connections, do not use its wired MAC address.
Step 2. Register your device to obtain your Wi-Fi Password
The registration website is not available directly from off campus. To access it, use a device connected to the campus network through eduroam, NP Hawks Guest, or a wired connection in a campus lab or office. You may also visit the Service Desk in HUM 103 for assistance.
- Open the registration website: https://access.newpaltz.edu/guest/mac_list.php
- If needed sign in with your New Paltz email address and password.
- On the left hand side of the screen select Create Device or look for the button Create New Device.
- In the Device Name field, enter a name that will help you identify the device.
- In the MAC Address field, enter the device's wireless MAC address. Enter only the letters and numbers. Do not include colons, hyphens, spaces, or other separators.
- Click the Create Device button at the bottom.
You should now see a FINISHED CREATING DEVICE screen. The Wi-Fi password for your device appears in the Device Details box.
Step 3. Connecting Your Device To NP Hawks Devices
Open your device's Wi-Fi or wireless network settings and display the list of available networks. Select NP Hawks Devices.
When prompted for a password or Pre-shared Key (PSK), enter the Wi-Fi password provided by the registration website. Your device should then connect to the NP Hawks Devices wireless network and the Internet.
Device registrations expire after one year. To renew a registration, delete the expired registration and register the device again.
Important: Wi-Fi (PSK) passwords are case-sensitive. Enter the password exactly as shown on the registration site, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and spaces. A space may appear between groups of letters, numbers, or punctuations. Do not add a space before the first item or after the last item in the password.
Common Problems
If your device does not connect to NP Hawks Devices, check the following:
1. The registered MAC address is incorrect
Confirm that you registered the device's wireless MAC address, not its wired or Ethernet MAC address. Check the address for missing or incorrect letters and numbers. If necessary, sign into the NP Hawks Devices registration website and remove and recreate the device's registration with the corrected MAC address.
2. The Wi-Fi password belongs to a different device
Each Wi-Fi password works only with the MAC address for which it was provided. A password issued for one registered device will not work with another device or MAC address.
Confirm you are using the password shown for the correct device on the registration website.
3. The Wi-Fi password was entered incorrectly
Wi-Fi passwords are case-sensitive. Enter the password exactly as shown on the registration website, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and spaces.
Spaces may appear between groups of letters, numbers, or punctuation marks. Do not add a space before the first item or after the last item in the password.
4. The device is using a private or randomized MAC address
The registration system uses the device's MAC address to identify it. If the device uses Apple's Private Wi-Fi Address feature, Android's Randomized MAC feature, or similar Wi-Fi privacy feature, the MAC address used by the device may not match the address you registered. For this system your MAC address acts like a username. Any device that attempts to randomize what MAC address it uses will create problems. Devices with this feature are devices capable of being connected to eduroam which side steps this issue.
To use these devices on NP Hawks Devices you must configure the device to use it's actual Wi-FI MAC address.
On newer Android devices: Make sure "Use device MAC" or "Use Phone/Device MAC" is ON for the NP Hawks Devices network. The following third party guides may be of help:
Android Q randomizes MAC addresses by default, with per-network customization
Boingo: How to Disable MAC Randomization in Android 13
On iOS 14 and later (iPhone/iPad devices): Make sure "Use Private Address" is turned OFF in the Wi-Fi settings for the NP Hawks Devices network.
Use private Wi-Fi addresses on Apple Devices
5. The device is not obtaining its network settings automatically
Configure the device to use DHCP or to obtain its network settings automatically. The device should automatically obtain its IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS server addresses. Remove any manually entered or static network settings, and then try connecting again. IPv4 and IPv6 should be both be enabled.
6. The device registration has expired
Device registrations expire after one year. After a registration has expired, the device can no longer connect to NP Hawks Devices. To reconnect the device, delete the expired registration and register the device again. Then, use the new Wi-Fi password on the device.
7. The Registration Website Won't Let Me Use The Device's MAC address
A wireless MAC address containing only zeros is not valid and cannot be registered. Restart the device and check the wireless MAC address again. Also confirm you are viewing the wireless MAC address, not another network identifier. If the device continues to show an address containing only zeros, its Wi-Fi hardware or software may not be working correctly. Contact the device manufacturer for assistance.
If the registration website reports that the MAC address is already registered, you may have already registered it or another user may have registered the device. Check whether the device appears in your list of registered devices. If you don't see it then it may have already been registered by another user. If you know who it might be ask them to remove their existing registration. Otherwise, submit a ticket to the Service Desk and request assistance with removing the existing registration.
Managing Your Registered Devices
To view a Wi-Fi password, update device details, or remove a registered device, open the NP Hawks Devices registration website.
Select Manage Devices. At the bottom of the page, select the device you want to manage. The Remove, Edit, and Print options will appear.
Remove: To delete a device registration, select Remove. On the next screen, select Delete account, and then select Make Changes. The device registration will be deleted. (On this screen, the device registration is referred to as an "account". This action does not delete your New Paltz account or any other device registrations.)
Edit: View the device's Wi-Fi password, correct its MAC address, or change its device name.
Print: View a printable page containing the device's Wi-Fi password.