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CU Guest Wi-Fi

 New Wi-Fi Now Available Campuswide

As of Dec. 17, 2025, the new CU Secure and CU Guest Wi-Fi networks are live in all campus buildings. eduroam is still available, but UCB Wireless and UCB Guest were discontinued. Learn how to connect to campus Wi-Fi.

Overview​Features​Cost​Get Started​Event Attendees​Specialty Devices​Re-register​Accessibility​Policies
 

Overview

The CU Guest Wi-Fi network is intended for:

  • temporary use by campus visitors who don't have an IdentiKey
  • daily use by specialty Wi-Fi devices (e.g., gaming systems, smart TVs)
 

Features

Guest Access

  • Provides visitors with general internet access while protecting internal resources.
    • Available: Library eResources (if guests are located within Nolin Library's wireless bubble)
    • Unavailable: Internal CU Boulder resources, including protected servers and services provided strictly to CU Boulder-affiliated students, faculty and staff members
  • Requires daily login (resets occur at 3 a.m. MT).
  • Allows guests to log in with the same credentials for seven consecutive days.

Please note: CU Guest is not encrypted. When sending sensitive information over a wireless connection, use a VPN to transmit the data securely.

Device & Event Access

  • Device portal allows self-enrollment of gaming consoles, smart TVs and other specialty Wi-Fi devices
  • Event portal allows organizers to pre-assign guest Wi-Fi credentials to attendees
 

Cost

CU Guest Wi-Fi is provided as a common good to the campus, which means there is no direct cost to anyone.

 

Who Can Get It

Anyone who's in range of CU Guest Wi-Fi can request guest login credentials and use them to connect to the network.

How to Get It

Once on campus, visitors may submit a brief form to request that guest Wi-Fi credentials be sent to their email account.

Note: Guests who received pre-assigned guest Wi-Fi credentials from an event organizer should skip to step 2.

Step 1: Request Guest Wi-Fi Credentials

To register for CU Guest Wi-Fi credentials:

  1. Open your device's Wi-Fi networks and select CU Guest.
  2. On the CU Guest login page, click Register for CU Guest.
  3. On the registration page, enter your contact information, accept the terms of service, and click Register.
  4. A confirmation page will indicate that your guest Wi-Fi credentials were sent to the email account you provided.
  5. Check your email for a new message from CU Boulder Campus Wi-Fi (wifi_noreply@colorado.edu) with your temporary guest Wi-Fi credentials.
Step 2: Log in to CU Guest Wi-Fi

To log in to CU Guest Wi-Fi:

  1. On the CU Guest login page, enter the guest username and password provided to you, then click Log in to CU Guest.
  2. On first login only: For security purposes, guests are required to change their password upon first login. New passwords must be at least eight characters long and use a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters and numbers. Record the password in a secure location, then click Change Password.
  3. A confirmation page will indicate that you've logged in successfully and recommend checking your connection to CU Guest Wi-Fi. If your device isn't connected, follow the troubleshooting steps on the page.

Guests are required to log in daily. Guest credentials remain active for seven days and can be used on up to three different devices.

 

Event-Based Guest Credentials

If you're visiting the CU Boulder campus to attend a large event, your event organizer may choose to establish event-specific login credentials or pre-assign unique Wi-Fi credentials for each attendee.

  • Guests: If the event organizer pre-assigns guest credentials, you'll receive them via email at the account you entered during registration. If you don't receive any credentials before you get to campus, follow the steps above (How to get it) to request your credentials and sign in to CU Guest Wi-Fi.
  • Event organizers: CU Boulder faculty or staff members who manage an on-campus event can choose to pre-assign guest Wi-Fi credentials to attendees who aren't affiliated with CU Boulder. Check back in 2026 to learn more.
 

Register a Specialty Wi-Fi Device

Also known as headless or Internet of Things (IoT) devices, these are personal consumer devices that don't have an integrated screen or keyboard, so they use Wi-Fi to communicate with something that does (e.g., your smartphone).

At CU Boulder, the most common specialty Wi-Fi devices are gaming systems and smart devices, including smart TVs, speakers, plugs and light bulbs.

How to Register a Specialty Wi-Fi Device

To connect a specialty device to CU Guest Wi-Fi:

  1. Use any CU Boulder internet connection other than CU Guest (i.e., CU Secure, eduroam, campus VPN or the wired internet).
  2. Log in to the Specialty Wi-Fi Devices Portal with your IdentiKey credentials.
  3. Click Add.
  4. Enter a device nickname and the device's Wi-Fi MAC address. (Learn how to find a Wi-Fi MAC address.)
    • Note: If you choose to enter a device description (optional), avoid using punctuation or special characters. This is one potential cause for an "Error Loading Page" notification.
  5. Click Submit.
  6. On the Your Specialty Wi-Fi Devices page, click Refresh to view your device.

You may need to restart your specialty device for it to join CU Guest Wi-Fi.

 

What to Do When Your Credentials Expire

One day before your guest credentials expire, you'll receive an automated email from CU Boulder Campus Wi-Fi (wifi_noreply@colorado.edu) with the subject "Guest Account Expiration Notice."

If you're still on campus and need to use the CU Guest Wi-Fi network, follow the steps above (How to get it) to request new guest Wi-Fi credentials.

 

Accessibility Notification

CU Boulder is committed to making information and resources available in the digital environment accessible to all users.

The CU Guest Wi-Fi process has accessibility issues that may negatively affect users of assistive technologies or those using alternative access methods. We are addressing the issues and working with the supplier to make this experience accessible to all.

If you have trouble accessing or using CU Guest Wi-Fi, you can get help by:

 

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