Support for Consumer Networked Devices

Consumer networked devices are designed for use on small, private home networks, and will not work correctly with the enterprise networks available at UNC Asheville. Our campus networks support many thousands of simultaneous connections, and these consumer devices may interfere with those networks, degrading service for everyone.

Devices not permitted on UNC Asheville networks

The following types of devices are not supported on campus networks and not permitted for use:

Device	Details
Wireless Routers	Devices that broadcast wireless networks (SSIDs) cause interference with official campus wireless networks, degrading service for everyone.
Wireless Printers	Wireless printers broadcast their own wireless network (SSID) and cause interference with official campus wireless networks.
Google Home & Google Chromecast	Google products require a service called UPnP, which is disabled on official campus networks as a security consideration.
Sonos	Sonos devices require a service called Spanning Tree, which is disabled on official campus networks as a security consideration.
Smart Home Devices (Hue Lights, etc)	Most "Smart Home" devices require a service called multicast, which is disabled on official campus networks as a security consideration.

Devices with limited or intermittent issues

Device

Details

Amazon Echo / Alexa Devices

Amazon devices can be connected to the UNCA_PSK network, but ITS cannot guarantee full functionality or connectivity to other devices including mobile phones, networked TVs, etc.

Sony PlayStation 4

PlayStation 4 cannot connect to campus wireless networks. Online functions require plugging into a hardwired Ethernet connection.

Multiplayer gaming should work but ITS cannot guarantee full functionality for all games. Support for some features (live chat, messaging, etc.) will differ on a per-game basis.

Apple HomePod and HomePod mini

HomePod devices can be connected to the UNCA_PSK network, but ITS cannot guarantee full functionality or connectivity to other devices including mobile phones, networked TVs, etc. Setup requires your phone and the HomePod device to be on the same network, and may not work reliably.