Wireless: CMICH-PSK, CMICH, and CMICH-GUEST

Overview

As of July 2025, CMU offers four wireless network options, or Service Set Identifiers, also known as SSIDs:

• CMICH-PSK
  • PSK stands for "pre-shared key", which is essentially a password generated and provided by CMU to connect to the network
  • Preferred network for personal devices located across campus in administrative, academic, and residential buildings
  • Does NOT require MAC address registration
     
• CMICH
  • Preferred network for CMU-managed devices. Can be accessed by some personal devices (phones, computers, tablets)
  • Does NOT require MAC address registration for most devices and situations. MAC address registration may be required for specific uses and roles (e.g. HIPAA)
     
• CMICH-GUEST
  • Intended for use by guests to CMU - visiting parents, friends, etc. Not recommended for current students or employees
     
• eduroam
  • Functions similarly to CMICH. Intended for use by CMU students and employees visiting other institutions that offer the eduroam wireless network
     
• CMICH-DEVICE
  • Older wireless network, deprecated in July 2025. Used previously to connect game consoles, smart TVs, etc. Listed here for reference.
  • Requires device MAC address to be registered before connecting

Connecting to CMICH-PSK

The CMICH-PSK network is recommended for all personal devices and does NOT require you to look up or register device MAC addresses, making it a particularly-convenient option for students. It functions very similarly to a home wireless network, but instead of you choosing a password and entering it to connect, CMU generates a unique pre-shared key (PSK) for you.

1. Visit wifi.cmich.edu (or scan the QR code found across campus) and sign in with your Global ID and password
   
   
    
2. Click on the button that best corresponds to your status at CMU (Student or Faculty/Staff)
    
3. Click the Get PSK button. Your pre-shared key (PSK) will display as a four-word phrase
    
4. The exact steps will vary by device, but generally, from whatever device(s) you wish to connect to the network (computer, phone, smart TV, console, etc.), navigate to the device's network settings and connect to the CMICH-PSK wireless network. When prompted, enter the four-word phrase PSK associated with your account that you generated at wifi.cmich.edu
5. That's it! Once you have the PSK associated with your account, you will use that to connect any other network devices

Registering and Connecting to CMICH

The CMICH network is primarily intended for CMU-managed devices, but can be accessed by some personal devices like a phone or laptop. For most devices, you simply need to select the CMICH network and enter your Global ID and password to connect. 

Some devices need to operate on the CMICH network with a special role or be used in a specific capacity. For these devices, you will first need to locate the device MAC address, and then register it before connecting to the CMICH network.

Locating the MAC Address

All network devices have a MAC address that is unique to the network card of that device, and in some cases, a single device may have multiple MAC addresses if they have multiple network connection methods. For instance, a game console might have a MAC address specific to the wired/ethernet connection as well as a separate MAC address specific to the wireless connection. You will need the appropriate MAC address depending on how you plan on connecting to the network to register your device. It contains twelve hexadecimal (0 - 9 and A - F) characters, split into six chunks of two characters in this format:

• XX-XX-XX-XX-XX-XX

Unfortunately, finding the MAC address is different for every device. While it is usually found in the device's network settings, you may need to consult the manufacturer's documentation (or consult Google) to find out how to locate the MAC address. In some cases, the MAC address can be found printed on a sticker affixed to the device. To prevent any potential disruption to future network connection attempts, it is recommended that all MAC addresses associated with a network device are registered on the network.

Registering the Device

1. Visit https://register.cmich.edu on a device connected to CMU's network
2. Log in with your Global ID and password
3. Click Create Device on the left
4. Name the device and enter the MAC address for it
   NOTE: it is recommended the MAC address be entered using dashes ( - ) to separate each octet
5. Check the box to affirm that you abide by CMU's Responsible Use of Computing Policy
6. Click the Create Device button

Connecting to CMICH

Most devices are able to connect to CMICH using these settings if you need to are asked to specify them manually. Some devices may not ask you for all of these, as they are automatically selected.

• Security: WPA2 Enterprise (or any option that includes it)
• EAP method: PEAP
  • Some devices may need to leave this blank, set to default, or set to automatic
• Phase 2 authentication: MSCHAPv2
  • Some devices may need to leave this blank, set to default, or set to automatic
• Certificate: Accept system certificate (Apple) or specify none or Do not validate (Android)
  • NOTE: if the Do not validate option displays when attempting to configure an Android device, additional steps may need to be taken. See the Wireless: Android 11+ device cannot connect to CMICH related article
• Domain (if present, may require other settings enabled to be revealed, see above): cmich.edu
• Identity: Your full CMU email address (GlobalID@cmich.edu)
  • If this doesn't work, try entering CENTRAL\GlobalID
• Anonymous identity: Blank
• Password: Your Global ID password

NOTE: On mobile devices, when first logging into register.cmich.edu, you need to click the More Options button before you can click Create Device.

eduroam

The eduroam network allows students, faculty, and staff from participating institutions, including CMU, to obtain Internet connectivity when visiting other participating institutions. For more information, see related article eduroam: Wi-Fi Access for Travelling Students, Faculty, and Staff.

Connecting Your Friends and Family to CMICH-GUEST

The CMICH-GUEST network is for people visiting campus. If you are a current student, faculty, or staff member, you should connect to the CMICH network. The CMICH-GUEST network has a few limitations that do not apply to the other networks:

• Lower security to increase compatibility
• 10Mb / sec speed cap to limit bandwidth impact to primary networks

NOTE: This is 10 megabits per second. This equates to a roughly 1.125 megabytes per second download speed maximum.

To connect to CMICH-GUEST, follow the steps below:

1. Connect to CMICH-GUEST in the device's network settings
2. Your device web browser should automatically redirect to a Guest Registration page below

 

4. If not redirected, try to browse to a website. If you are still not redirected, browse to https://it.cmich.edu/reg to call up the registration page
5. From this point, there are two separate access modes for the CMICH-GUEST network as detailed below

Authenticated Guest Access

Authenticated guests have full network access, rather than receiving internet access only through a web browser (ports 80 and 443). The 10Mb / s cap still applies.

1. Picking up from the previous section, complete the Guest Registration page
2. Read and accept the terms of use and click Register
3. You will be presented with a landing screen while you wait to receive your login information via text message

 

4. Once you receive your login information, click Click here shown on the Registration Page above
5. Enter your login details
6. Read and accept terms of use and click Login

 

7. Guests device will be directed to the CMU website upon successful login and internet access