What computer specification recommendations do you have for students?
Most modern computers, laptops, tablets, or mobile devices will work on our network. Below are guidelines to help with purchasing a device to bring to campus. In addition to the below specifications, students should check with the program they are enrolled in to be sure they do not have any other specific computing requirements.
Desktop computers and laptops
Hardware
To ensure a better experience with the EIU network, we recommend the following, regardless of which operating system you are using:
- i5 Processor or higher
- Memory(RAM) : 8GB or more
- 128GB SSD Hard Drive minimum
Operating System
Our wireless network uses a network access management software called SafeConnect. This helps to ensure our student computers are meeting some recommended standards to prevent campus-wide virus outbreaks. SafeConnect supports the following Operating Systems:
- Window 10 or higher
- Mac OS X 12 or higher
- Any beta versions of operating systems are not supported (example: Windows Technical Preview or Mac OS X Public Beta). As operating systems are updated, FortiNAC is updated to support them. Occasionally, there will be a delay between operating system updates and FortiNAC Support.
Although devices running iOS, Android, Chrome OS, and Windows RT are recognized on the network and will work, EIU Online's lockdown browser will not work on the operating system. If you are bringing a tablet to EIU, you will need to plan on taking some online quizzes in an EIU Lab or on a full-fledged computer or laptop.
Antivirus Software
ITS requires all computers, Windows and Mac, to be running an up-to-date Antivirus software in order to connect to EIUWifi.
If you do not already have a FortiNAC compatible antivirus product installed on your computer, the following antivirus software is free for personal use, provided by third-party vendors:
Internet Browsers
We recommend having at least 2 web browsers installed on your computer. Occasionally, some web services provided do not offer the best experience between each browser. If you are using one browser and running into an issue, we suggest trying a different browser first, as a troubleshooting tip. Most EIU web based services support using the following browsers:
- Internet Explorer (most current)
- Firefox (most current)
- Chrome (most current)
- Safari (most current)
Additional Software
Many courses require students to write papers, create spreadsheets, update websites, and more. You can find some additional recommended software, freely available for personal use at our Software Download page.
As a precaution, please check with your College or course Professor for any additional software that may be required.
Printers
There are many printers in labs on campus that students have access to print to, for a fee. Some can even be printed to from your residence hall. However, if you choose to bring your own printer to campus be aware that EIU’s wireless and residence hall network do not support personal printers. If you bring your own printer, be sure that it can be plugged into your desktop or laptop via USB or other compatible printer cable.
Mobile Devices
EIU's wireless network is capable of recognizing a variety of mobile devices and their corresponding operating system. Use the information below to help ensure your mobile device will work on EIU’s wireless.
Mobile Phones and Smaller Handheld Devices
- iPhone
- iPod touch
- Android Phone (most of them)
- Galaxy Note
- Windows Phone 8*
Tablet Devices
- iPad
- Galaxy Tab
- Kindle Fire*
- Nook Color*
- Surface Pro
- Chrome OS devices*
*Windows Phone, Chrome OS, Kindle Fire, and Nook Color devices are able to connect through FortiNAC. However, there is limited knowledge and support of the operating system by EIU technical staff.