Do I need a library card?
Why does the system disconnect me every 10 minutes?
Will the information on my laptop be safe from hackers?
How do I know if my laptop is compatible with your network?
I don't have a laptop! Does OCLS provide laptops?
How much do you charge to use your network?
Can my child bring in their laptop?
How long will my computer stay registered with your network?
I'm on vacation - can I pop into the library and use your wireless network?
If my card is delinquent, can I still use the wireless network?
How long does my connection last while I'm in one of your libraries?
Is the wireless network secure from someone "easedropping"?
What is DHCP?
Can I use WiFi at the branches?
Why can't I use my copy of Outlook/Outlook Express/Eudora/Pegasus Email/etc to send email from my laptop while I'm connected to the Library's WiFi network?
Will my Internet programs work (VPN software, Outlook, etc?)
Rangers 2k3) work from the library?
Will I be able to print a document while I'm connected to the network from my laptop?
Will my Instant messaging (AOL, MSN, etc) work?
I'm a reciprocal borrower. Can I use the network?
My computer can't connect to the Internet anymore when I'm at the office or at home, why?
No. If you are not a resident of Brevard County, Florida you do not need a library card to access the libraries resources but you are limited as to what you can access! You can access the Brevard County Library Web site, the Brevard County Library Electronic Online Card Catalog system, the libraries databases along with Internet Websites. You do not have access to Instant Messaging services on the Internet, you can not send and receive email using an email client and you can not send or receive files. You have the same capabilities (minus printing) you would have using any one of our Public Access computers. You may obtain a Brevard County Library Card for a fee of $15 which is good for one year. For further information about obtaining a Brevard County Library Card see one of the friendly, helpful staff personnel at the Circulation desk in any of our library locations.
Why does the system disconnect me every 10 minutes?
If you are running pop-up blocking software or Windows XP with Service-Pak 2 you need to disable the pop-up blocker or allow pop-up windows from the following URL: http://highnoon.brev.org as the system opens a pop-up window on your system for the purpose of verification that you are still connected and using the system. If you experience disconnects every 10 minutes you have either blocked the pop-up window or closed the pop-up window accidently. You can minimize the pop-up window and continue to use the system but you need to keep the pop-up window open.
Will the information on my laptop be safe from hackers?
The security of your laptop will be your responsibility!
We recommend that you keep up to date with security patches that are released from various software vendors. www.windowsupdate.com is a good place to go to make sure your operating systems is secure (Microsoft Windows operation system only).
You may also wish to run one of the firewall packages obtainable from the internet - Zone Alarm Firewall is one such package (http://www.zonelabs.com) - There is a free version for private individual use). The Brevard County Library does not provide firewall software for anyone - this is your responsibility!
You may also wish to install an anti-virus software package to protect yourself from the many varied forms of computer virus. One such packege which is free for private individual use is called "AVG" and is available from Grisoft, s r o (www.grisoft.com) and they do keep their anti-virus signature files very current! The Brevard County Library does not provide anti-virus software for anyone - this is your responsibility!
How do I know if my laptop is compatible with your network?
As long as you purchased and installed a WiFi card that said 802.11b or 802.11g compatible, you'll be able to access our network. If your laptop came with built-in wireless capabilities most likely it is already compatable with our wireless system. While our wireless network, using 802.11b/g wireless routers, supports 802.11g (54-mbits/sec) the minimum requirement is 802.11b compatibility (11-mbits/sec).
The "connection speeds' listed here are "best" link speeds between the wireless Access Point equipment and your wireless network card - they do not reflect the actual connection speed to the Internet!
NOTE: Even though you may have a 802.11g wireless card in your laptop you may only get 802.11b connectivity - this is caused by other 802.11b devices being connected to our WiFi system at the same time. This is a function of the way WiFi works - it allows backward compatability with the 802.11b standard but can not work in both standards at the same time.
I don't have a laptop! Does BCLS provide laptops?
No, but you can sign up to use one of the Public Access computers available to the public in one of our 17 Library locations. Our Public Access computers are limited to some extent as we do not allow sending or receiving email using an email client, use of FTP to send or receive files and we do not allow Instant Messaging programs on our Public Access computers. We do, however, provide printing services from the Public Access computers.
How much do you charge to use your network?
The wireless hotspot access is free. There are some limitations on the access provided depending on if you are a resident of Brevard County, Florida or not - If you have a valid Brevard County Library Card, then all of the Brevard County Library wireless hotspot service are available. If you don't have a Brevard County Library card you are limited to the same access as the Public Access computers we maintain at the library locations. If you would like to have access to the full services provide you may obtain a Brevard County Library Card at the non-resident rate of $15 , and that will allow use of our WiFi network for one year.
Can my child bring in their laptop?
Yes - The system is setup to allow anyone to use the system - but there are restrictions based on if you have a valid Brevard County Library Card or not (see above).
How long will my computer stay registered with your network?
We do NOT "register" your wireless access device in our system. Guest access is limited to no more than 6 hours a day and may be accessed during normal library business hours. Brevard County Library card holders will have access as long as the account is in good standing or until the card expires. Access for card holders is 12 hours in any given day and may be accessed during normal library business hours. All times listed are cumulative across all library locations (total time per day).
I'm on vacation - can I pop into the library and use your wireless network?
Yes - If you are a "Guest" then you are limited to the same capabilities (minus printing) you would have using one of our Public Access computers. If you have a Brevard County Library Card you can access email through an email client installed on your machine, use Instant Messaging services, send and receive files using FTP and other services afforded Patrons (minus printing). If you need to use VPN or PPTP for access to your corporate network you will need a Brevard County Library Card as this capability is not allowed with the Guest Account (nor is it allowed through the Public Access computers).
Please NOTE:
VPN Links will only work for about 10 minutes because the pop-up window used to communicate with
the control server can no long talk to the server while the VPN or PPTP link is active. When the
control server loses communications with the pop-up window for 10 minutes or longer the control
system will drop the connection.
If my card is delinquent, can I still use the wireless network?
Yes - But you really should clear your account of any overdue fines! Accounts should be in good standing in order to access the network. Overdue materials, outstanding fees and fines can affect the status of your account.
How long does my connection last while I'm in one of your libraries?
If you are using our Guest Access then you are limited to 6 hours total per day at all Brevard County Library locations (cumulative), 128-kbits/second downlink/ 64-kbits/sec uplink speeds and 200 Megabytes total download per day. If you have a Brevard County Library Card you have 12 hours total per day, 256-Kbits/second downlink, 128-kbits/sec uplink and 300 Megabytes total download.
Is the wireless network secure from someone "easedropping"?
The security of your laptop will be your responsibility!
We run the wireless network in what is referred to as "Open Mode". We do not use any encryption between the wireless Access Point and your wireless device. Anyone using "wireless packet sniffing" software may be able to "see" what you are viewing or sending. What this means is if you are working on a web-based email client or even client based email (such as Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express) and you don't want someone to see the content you either need some form of encryption for your client based email or use SSL when connected to a web-based email server. We do not provide any form of encryption software for your use.
It is your responsibility to protect any "sensitive" information you may send or receive thorugh our system.
Think of the wireless system as being similar to a "party line" where someone could "listen in" on the conversation. If you are accessing online banking services make sure it is running in encrypted mode (the padlock at the bottom of the browser is in the "locked" position!)... Most all online banking services run SSL encryption as the default but it is better to be safe than to find out your information was compromised because of a lack of security by a financial institution or otherwise.
Use "Common Sense" when using the wireless system - if it is something you would not want someone to see - don't do it!!!
It stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, and it's a way of automating the configuration of computers that use TCP/IP (a set of protocols that allow computers to talk to each other). We use DHCP in the wireless system to pass information to your device which allows your device to use the wireless system - including DNS (Dynamic Name Services) information.
Can I use WiFi at the different Brevard County library branches?
Yes! You can take your wireless device to any of our branches and be able to connect to our WiFi network!
I am using the Guest Access - Why can't I use my copy of Outlook/Outlook Express/Eudora/Pegasus Email/etc to send email from my laptop while I'm connected to the Library's WiFi network?
Guest access does not allow any form of POP3 (receiving email) or SMTP (sending email) by the wireless connection - this is the same restrictions we have on our wired Public Access PC Workstations. Brevard County Library Card holders CAN use their email clients to send and receive email - of course if we receive reports of abuse we can and will deny access to the wireless system for anyone abusing the privilege! Please see our Patron Wireless Connectivity Policy for further information on the ramifications of abusing the services provided!
We use network traffic monitoring hardware to watch for email abuse. This hardware will flag excessive outgoing SMTP email and alert us to the event. By using the IP address of the wireless access system we are able to determine which library the abuse is coming from and we can then determine which active session is/was causing the abuse. From this information we can determine the actual MAC address of the offending machine and place the MAC address in our "Ban MAC address list" to preclude any further use of the wireless system from that machine at all Brevard County Library locations.
Will my Internet programs work (VPN software, Outlook, etc?)
Guest access
does not have the capability to use these services. Brevard County Library
card holders may use such services. Due to the many different configuration
possibilities of different types of software, we can't guarantee that
everything will work. However, we do know that standard web sites, and
our Intranet, along with our online reference databases will be accessible
to you while on our wireless network. If you are a Brevard County Library
card holder and attempting to use VPN or other form of encryption and
it is not working please send an email to Wifi
Services with any detailed information about what client you are using and any
error message you are getting from the software - we may be able to determine
what the cause is for the failure and correct it within the wireless system.
Please NOTE: VPN links will only work for about 10 minutes because the pop-up
window can no longer communicate with the wireless system controller while the
VPN link is active by the nature of the way VPN works. This will cause the system to
drop the connection after ten minutes.
Will I be able to print a document while I'm connected to the network from my laptop?
We do not have any printing services connected to the wireless system. If you are using the Guest access you should be able to email them to a web based email account and you can then print them out at a later date. A Brevard County Library Card holder can either use a web-based email account or email the documents using their email client.
Will my Instant messaging (AOL, MSN, etc) work?
If you are using the Guest access then you will not be able to use any of the Instant Messaging systems. A Brevard County Library Card holder has access to Instant Messaging services such as AIM and MSN Messenger. A comparison between the guest account and the patron login can be found here - Comparisons.
I'm a reciprocal borrower. Can I use the network?
Reciprocal Borrowers are able to use the BCLS WiFi network if they have a Brevard County Library Card otherwise you will have to either obtain a Brevard County Library card or use the Guest access (with the limitations of that account).
My computer can't connect to the Internet anymore when I'm at the office or at home, why?
Remember to check/change your settings back when you're not on the BCLS network. This could include adding a proxy setting and/or configuring a static IP if you have one.