Log on to school network from personal laptop

Question

My school has a wireless guest network, but it is insanely slow and doesn't work in half the school. There's also a personal drive for everyone that I would like to access. They have a "Protected" wireless network for school computers to use.

Every student gets a username and password to log on from any school computer. Is there a way I can use the same login credentials, but on my personal laptop? I am running Arch Linux, with the WICD network manager.

Solution 1

To answer the connecting to the wireless network part, it depends how the school's security is set up. If they're using a RADIUS server, you should be able to use your login credentials to access the network (if you try connecting to their wifi SSID, it should ask for a username and password). If they're trying to limit access to school-owned computers only, with a WPA2-personal password, you'll have to ask an administrator for the network key. (There are ways to break WPA2 but SU doesn't cover those.)

Solution 2

If you can get your laptop onto their non-guest network, you should be able to connect to your drive by using the \\server\share address. It will ask for credentials, which you then supply your school user/pass.

If you cannot get onto their non-guest network, your next attempt should be at getting VPN access to that network.

If that doesn't work, I believe that you cannot access your drive.

Comments

[Ramhound]

Ask the IT Administrator how to do this. We have no way of answering this question since its specific to the school's network.

[Wolfizen]

So many good answers :O

[vonbrand]

Please do not try to bypass "security provisions" at your school, that is a sure way of landing in deep dodo.

[Wolfizen]

Let's say I do get the WPA2 password, would it still ask for a username and password? Because to use a school computer, it asks for a network login (not network password). Would that be te RADIUS server?

[Wolfizen]

When the computer starts up, it asks for the username and password as a login

[Marcus Chan]

See Kruug's answer, then. If you can get onto the school wireless network, you should be able to use your credentials to access your network drive (if your school allows that kind of thing).

[Wolfizen]

Yep. I got on the non-guest network and found my drive. Wish i could pick 2 answers as correct

[Marcus Chan]

Just upvote helpful ones :)