Wi-Fi Tip: The Password Might Be the Problem

By Keith Allison | January 21, 2022

TLDR: When in doubt, forget and rejoin the nyu network.

NYU Wi-Fi is one of the most used services at the University. You can find a wide range of information and tutorials about NYU Wi-Fi on the NYU IT website and ServiceLink knowledge base. An important tip to remember is that if you're having trouble successfully connecting to the NYU Wi-Fi network, the problem might not be the network. 

The first thing to check is your password. Trying to authenticate with an NYU password that has expired, or that has a typo in it, is one of the most common causes of issues connecting to Wi-Fi. Luckily, it's also easy to fix:

Did you reset your password since the last time you connected to NYU Wi-Fi?

If you've reset your password for any reason, make sure your device is using the new password when it tries to connect. The way to do this varies by device. Some will prompt you to re-enter your password if authentication fails. Others will, unfortunately, fail to connect without warning you. The best way to make sure you're using your current password is to "forget" then rejoin the nyu network, using your new password.

Using your current password but still not able to connect? Check for typos.

Making a typo while entering your NYU password into your device's Wi-Fi settings is common. If your device doesn't have the option to display your password, it may still show you each character briefly so you can confirm it as you type.

In some rare cases, it may be a password syncing issue.

Although it's not common, it is possible for a password to get "out of sync" between NYU services. If you know you're using your current password and you've typed it in correctly, but you are still having trouble, you can set a new password on the NYU Start Page, then forget and rejoin the nyu Wi-Fi network, entering the password you just picked.

Still no luck? These articles may help.

If you've tried everything above, then there's a good chance your password isn't the problem. However, it might still be something other than an issue with NYU Wi-Fi. Below are some resources to help you pinpoint the cause. And remember: you can always search the ServiceLink knowledge base and contact the NYU IT Service Desk for help.