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Overview
Connection Options
Assisting Remote Connection

Overview

Conferences, research activities, vacations, telecommuting, or just being at home take you off campus. Several options are available to help you connect to MITnet and the Internet when you are traveling or working away from MIT. Below are brief descriptions of four remote-connection options. Which option is best for you - in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness - will depend on your remote location.

Connection Options

Tether
Tether is MIT's free remote-access dialup service, providing Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connectivity to MITnet and the Internet. It supports PPP over analog lines at maximum speeds that can range from 28.8 to 56 kbps, depending on modem model and other conditions (ISDN access is not supported). A Tether connection gives you an IP address directly on MITnet. The Tether phone number is in the 617 area, so Tether calls from other area codes may incur a toll charge. For more information, see Tether Dial-up Internet Access Service at MIT.

ISP
Commercial ISPs (Internet Service Provider) provide a high-speed alternative to Tether for connecting from home or other locations from which you connect regularly. For basic information about ISPs in the greater Boston/Cambridge area, see High-Speed Remote Access to MITnet.

Free Wi-Fi
Free wireless service, or WiFi, is becoming more widely available around the world. In airports, convention centers, hotels, libraries, coffee shops, and other establishments, WiFi hotspots may be open to customers, guests, or the general public. Also, hotels may offer wired Ethernet connections from guest rooms (although a charge may be incurred).

iPassConnect
iPassConnect is a fee-based, remote connection service for MIT faculty and staff who need to connect to the Internet and to MITnet while traveling outside the Cambridge/Boston area. iPass operates by consolidating Internet service providers into a single global virtual network. With the iPassConnect client installed on your computer and an MIT iPass account, you can be just about anywhere in the world and connect to the Internet. In addition to standard modem dialup, high-speed wireless and wired broadband connections are available in many locations worldwide. For more information, see iPassConnect at MIT.

Assisting Remote Connection

Virtual Private Network (VPN)
MIT has deployed a Virtual Private Network to assist MIT clients with connectivity from off campus. If you are going to connect to MITnet from off campus via an ISP, iPass, or Wi-Fi service, IS&T recommends that you install and configure VPN.

The VPN provides a solution to work through the various port blocks and other methods which Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have implemented to protect their clients and prevent spam, virus outbreaks, and other network abuse. These preventative measures often interrupt or prevent legitimate work from happening. The MIT VPN, which gives you an IP address on MITnet, can help resolve a number of problems associated with email, Windows file sharing, and other network-based applications without needing to determine the particular preventative measures your ISP has implemented. The VPN uses Kerberos authentication, so no separate VPN password is needed.

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