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You are here Wired and Wi-Fi Networks > Wired Network > Connect to the network > macOS

Connect and enrol your macOS computers onto the Trinity network

If you have a new macOS computer and would like to connect and enrol it onto the Trinity network, upon first start-up, there are two stages that you must complete:

  1. Apply to connect the new computer to the network

    • When applying to connect to the network, you will be asked to fill out a form. Submitting this form should be done from a device that is not your new computer - such as your mobile phone or a colleague's computer. The reason for this is when you power on your new computer for the first time, it will ask you to complete some initial start-up steps. These steps should only be done after the network application has been processed.
    • If you have been directed back to this webpage from the IT Services network request response email, then you have already completed the above step

  2. Connect and enrol your computer onto the network

    • This needs to be done from the new computer using the below steps

Connection and enrolment steps

Once you receive the email from IT Services in response to your network request application, you can now complete the below steps on your new computer.

As part of these steps you will enrol your computer with Microsoft Intune so that it can be managed by IT Services for a range of security settings including operating system updates, encryption and anti-virus.

Enrolling your computer with Microsoft Intune is a strict requirement for any device connecting to the main wired network, Staff Wi-Fi or Staff VPN.

  1. Power on your new computer for the first time
  2. You will be brought through two initial screens about setting your "Language" and "Country or Region"
    • At this point, if you have already connected an ethernet cable from your computer to a live wired network point in a Trinity office or lab, then you will automatically skip the next step (Step 3)
  3. Next you will be shown the "Select Your Wi-Fi Network" screen.



    Your options are to connect to one of the below networks:

Once you connect an ethernet cable from your computer to a live network point in an office or lab, the wired network will automatically connect.

If you also plan to use the Staff Wi-Fi service, you can configure this connection once you are logged into the desktop.

  1. Scroll to the bottom of the Wi-Fi networks list and select Other
  2. In the Find and join a Wi-Fi network box, fill in the following values and click Join:

    • Network Name: TCDwireless
    • Security: WPA2 Enterprise
    • Username: Enter your Trinity computer account username
    • Password: Enter your Trinity network login password
    • Tick the Remember this network check box

Note: You may receive several prompts after joining the TCDwireless network:

  • If you get a message referring to 802.1X Authentication - enter your College username and Network Login password and click OK.
  • You may get a further prompt to Verify Certificate - choose to Show Certificate and select the box beside Always trust "TCDwlan" before clicking Continue.
  • If a further prompt appears relating to eaptlstrust then enter the Administrative username and password for your Mac, before clicking OK.
  • If the 802.1X Authentication prompt appears again then enter your College username and network login password and click OK.

Connect to any personal Wi-Fi network such as your home Wi-Fi.

If you plan to come on campus at a later point and use the:

  • Staff Wi-Fi service, you will still need to configure this connection once you are on campus
  • Wired network, simply connect a network cable from your computer to a live network point and you will be connected to the wired network automatically

  1. After connecting to a network, the following window will appear. Click Enroll to proceed



  2. Sign in with your Trinity email address and password. You may be asked to complete a "Two Step Sign-In" challenge at this point



  3. Next, you will be asked to "Create a Computer Account". The password you create on this screen is also referred to as the "Mac administrator password". Keep a note of this password as you will need it later



  4. After creating the computer account, you will see the computer Desktop. When the following popup appears, click OK



  5. Wait a few minutes and log out of your computer account by clicking the Apple icon in the top left corner, then selecting Log Out



  6. FileVault disk encryption is now ready to be set up. When the window below appears, enter the "Mac administrator password" as mentioned in Point 6 and click OK



  7. After a moment, a window with a FileVault recovery key will appear. You can make a note of this now and/or take a photo of it. Do not share this recovery key with anyone
  8. Once logged back into the desktop, Microsoft Defender anti-virus will be installed and FileVault encryption will be enabled

Next steps

Now that your computer is connected and enrolled on the Trinity network, IT Services will manage and deploy:

You can install Microsoft 365 software such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint by following the steps on our How to install Microsoft 365 Apps webpage.

You may also want to install popular internet browsers such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

If you are a Staff member and plan to work off-campus, you can now apply for a VPN connection. This will allow you to remotely access Trinity network services which are usually restricted to those who are situated in their office on campus.

Should you need any further advice around installing software, please contact the IT Service Desk.

Signing in to Apple devices with an Apple ID

When using an Apple device, you may be prompted to sign in with an Apple ID to access certain services such as device syncing, iCloud or the App Store. An Apple ID account has no connection to your Trinity computer account.

If you are setting up an Apple ID account, IT Services strongly recommend linking that Apple account to a personal email address you own rather than your Trinity email address, as once you finish your time in Trinity and your Trinity email address is no longer active this will ultimately result in the Apple ID being unusable and can lead to devices being locked out permanently.

If the Apple device is College-owned, users must 'Sign out' of that Apple ID before handing the device back.