When considering working from home, choosing an internet service provider that offers fiber, cable internet, or DSL service are the best options when accessing university resources. Satellite service or a cellular hot spot may not work well, and you may see a degradation of service.

Internet Speeds

The speed of your internet connection will be determined by the size of your household and how you use the internet. The FCC provides a Broadband Speed Guide so you can compare average download speeds per comparable online activities.

DoIT recommends the below minimum internet speeds when working remotely. If you have multiple people working from home or family members engaged in distance learning, then this situation may require a faster service from your internet service provider. For best results

• One person – 25Mb Download/5Mb Upload: Video meetings, uploading/downloading large documents.
• Two or more people – 50MB Download/10Mb Upload: Video meetings, streaming services at the same time.

Be sure to test your current internet service speed to determine if your existing service is adequate for working remotely. If you have a Wi-Fi router, always try to work as close to the router as possible or connect to the router via an ethernet connection. This will ensure that you will obtain the highest speed possible without degrading your connection speed.

If you are unable to purchase the above minimum recommended internet speeds and the requirements of your job are not being met due to lost productivity, then the University may require you to work onsite. Please consult with your manager/supervisor.

Public Wi-Fi/Hot Spots

When working remotely, there may be times you may need to connect to a public Wi-Fi such as at a coffee shop. If this situation arises, please consider the following:

• Any public network should be considered insecure. This would include any network that you may use at a family or friend’s home, libraries, coffee shops, or hotels.
• Do not access data that is considered sensitive or restricted while using public networks.
• Do not download and install software updates when connected to public Wi-Fi.
• Use the University provided Cisco VPN client when using public networks. A VPN will encrypt your data and is the most secure option for digital privacy.

Here are a few knowledge base articles for connecting to the VPN using both Windows and Mac workstations and National Security Agency’s best practices when using public Wi-Fi networks.