The guides
Guides to college and university connectivity
From how Janet and Jisc work to Wi-Fi, eduroam, student accommodation, security, resilience and buying through a framework. Every guide lists its sources and shows when it was last checked.
Janet, Jisc and the basics
How colleges and universities get online: the Janet network, Jisc membership and how the pieces fit together.
- What is Janet, and what does a Janet IP connection include?Janet is the UK’s national research and education network, run by Jisc. Many colleges and universities reach the internet through it. Here is what a Janet IP connection includes, what costs extra, and how Jisc’s managed router fits in.
- Jisc membership for colleges and universities: what it costs and what’s includedHow the Jisc subscription is worked out for FE colleges and universities, why colleges in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland don’t pay one, whether you need to tender for it, and which connectivity and security services come with it.
- Who can connect to Janet: the connection policy explainedThe Janet connection policy sorts organisations into three categories, sets the rules for giving partner organisations access, and explains why public users — conference guests, out-of-term hall residents, event Wi-Fi — must reach the internet another way.
- Which standards apply to colleges, universities and training providers?Colleges in England fall under the DfE’s digital and technology standards — broadband, backup line, Wi-Fi, switching, cyber security, filtering and monitoring. Universities aren’t named in them, and we found no Office for Students rules on connectivity. KCSIE covers colleges and training providers for under-18s.
On campus
Campus networks, Wi-Fi, eduroam and broadband in student accommodation.
- Campus networks: Wi-Fi and switchingWhat the DfE’s wireless and switching standards ask of colleges in England, what applies to universities (no government standard, but Jisc frameworks and eduroam’s own rules), and how you can buy network kit and services.
- eduroam and govroam: roaming Wi-Fi for education and the public sectoreduroam lets students, staff and visitors log on to Wi-Fi at any participating organisation with one profile and one set of credentials. Here is how it works, what it costs Jisc members, and where govroam fits in.
- Broadband in student accommodationUniversities can generally connect their own halls to the campus network, but out-of-term lettings and conferences turn residents into “members of the public” whose traffic must go to a public ISP. Third-party halls are a different matter. There is no official speed standard for student rooms.
Security & resilience
Cyber security, DDoS protection, backup links and keeping teaching online.
- Resilience: backup lines, failover and powerOne connection is a single point of failure. The DfE standard asks colleges in England for a second connection of a different type, automatic failover and redundant power. Here is what that means, and what Janet and Jisc’s managed router offer.
- DDoS protection and Jisc’s CSIRTEvery Janet-connected organisation gets Jisc’s Foundation DDoS mitigation and access to the Jisc CSIRT. Here is what they do, their support hours, and the optional upgrades for 24/7 cover and for protecting DNS, websites and VPNs.
- Cyber security for colleges and universitiesColleges in England must hold Cyber Essentials under their funding agreement, and the DfE cyber security standard sets out patching, backup and MFA guidance and who to report incidents to. For universities, the NCSC’s threat assessment is the main official reference we found.
- Filtering and monitoring in colleges and training providersKCSIE 2026 applies to colleges, 16–19 academies, special post-16 institutions and independent training providers for learners under 18. It asks for appropriate filtering and monitoring, reviewed every year. Here is what the DfE filtering and monitoring standard expects.
- The phone line switch-off: what colleges and universities need to checkOpenreach says traditional phone lines go digital on 31 January 2027. Alarms, lift lines, door entry, card machines and backup broadband on copper all need checking. The DfE’s estate guidance gives a practical audit list.
Buying & procurement
Frameworks, tenders, contracts, and how the rules differ around the UK.
- Buying connectivity and network services through frameworksThe main routes for colleges and universities: Jisc membership itself, Jisc’s network solutions and telecommunications frameworks, the Government Commercial Agency’s Network Services 3, and the university purchasing consortia. What each covers, who can use it, and what we couldn’t confirm.
- Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandColleges in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland don’t pay a Jisc subscription, and the DfE standards don’t apply. Here is what we could confirm about SWAN, PSBA, Medr and the funding bodies — and what we couldn’t.
- Replacing old network kitWhen switches, access points, routers and firewalls reach the end of their support, here is what the DfE switching standard says about lifespan, where you can buy replacements, and how to deal with the old equipment.