Brown Computing and Information Services added a Brown-Guest network Sept. 2 geared toward visitors to the University who cannot access Brown-Secure and Brown-EZ.
Signing into the network is similar to the process of signing into Brown-EZ, but instead of providing a username and password, the user enters an email address. Those who log into the network for more than eight days or are found to be overusing it can be booted off the network.
The policy of limiting access after the eight-day period exists both to make sure the network is reserved for temporary guests and to prevent the network from becoming flooded with traffic, said Stephanie Obodda, CIS's assistant manager of communications and computer education.
"It's probably a big help during move-in when all of the parents are here," she said.
Obodda said CIS wants students to continue to connect to the internet through Brown-Secure, and if that does not work, then through Brown-EZ.
Brown-Secure is the only one of the three networks that is encrypted. The guest network does not allow students access to any keyed resources, notably library resources like JSTOR.
The speed of the three networks fluctuates depending on web traffic, but Brown-Secure is the fastest.
The new guest network is a part of CIS's efforts to keep up with the Brown community's demands for internet usage. In the past four years, wireless coverage has increased from 990 access points to 1365 access points, Obodda said.
