Remote Access

Penn faculty, staff or students who need to access the Internet from off-campus must sign up with a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Today's Internet service consists of high-speed or broadband options such as DSL or cable modem Internet service, and slower options such as 56K dial-up service. Choosing the right kind of service depends on local availability, price considerations, and your bandwidth needs.

Below are the names and contact information for popular Philadelphia area ISPs.

DSL

Verizon (800) 567-6789
SpeakEasy (800) 556-5829

Cable Modem

Comcast (800) 266-2278
Time Warner (Road Runner) (866) 829-7772

Dial-up

DCANet (888) 432-2638
NavPoint (215) 836-4600
Quadnet (215) 322-2300

Accessing Applications and Services Remotely

Some systems will require minor configuration changes when accessing Penn resources remotely.

• Email: Users will continue to be able to access their campus-based email accounts just as they always have. Email clients may need slight reconfiguration in order to send outgoing mail.
• Administrative Systems: Remote access to some of the University's administrative systems, such as BEN Financials and the DataWarehouse is available but will require some client configuration changes.
• Library Resources: Remote users of the Library's restricted databases will continue to need to use the Library's proxy server - instructions on using the Library Proxy Service are available on the Library proxy pages.
• Other Restricted Resources: Many web sites across the University that are restricted to Penn users will require that you enter your PennNet ID and password. These pages have been set up to use Penn's authentication system (PAS) to ensure that only Penn users can access them. This is the preferred method for handling resource restriction on campus.

Getting Assistance

The remote access FAQ contains answers to questions Penn faculty, staff and students frequently ask about remote access. You may find the information you're looking for here. There is also a Glossary of terms specific to Penn users which you may find helpful.

If you are experiencing difficulty signing up with or connecting to a commercial Internet Service Provider, please contact their technical support or help desk first.

If you are having trouble accessing any Penn resources or need help obtaining or installing supported clients and products, please contact your Local Support Provider (LSP).

Additional Information

Contact your LSP to assist with questions and concerns regarding remote access to various Penn applications and web-based services. There is also a newsgroup devoted to further discussion about experiences with various ISPs which you are welcome to read and/or participate in at upenn.talk.isp