To connect to the campus network and resources from home, you'll need to obtain a connection through a local ISP. A local ISP will either provide you with a local phone number for your modem to dial, or connect you directly (at a higher speed) through your cable or phone lines via DSL. You can still use your telephone while online with cable or DSL, but not if you use a modem.
ISP connections through cable or DSL are much faster than dial-up (although probably slower than your network connection on campus).
Ithaca-area ISPs:
While connected through an ISP your computer is not part of the campus "network space," and there is no campus-wide standard for connecting to your unit's file server or web server. You can often get around this limitation using VPN.
Important note about VPN: VPN traffic between your home computer and the Cornell network WILL affect your Network Usage Based Billing (NUBB) charges. See the CIT Network Rates page for more information about NUBB. If your VPN traffic is not destined for Cornell, then NUBB charges are not incurred because the traffic does not go into Cornell and then on to its destination; it goes around Cornell.
Please discuss your server access needs with your local technical support provider and see the Security page in this guide for more information on VPN.
