It’s that time. Daily emails of the exact same message. “You have 1 day left before your UF password expires.” You have to change your password for the umpteenth time while you’re at home trying to get some work done.
By the time you’re in the office the next day, you’re locked out of everything. What is going on? How can you prevent this from happening?
The main culprit for these password related lockouts is when a device is not updated with your new password and the proceeds to hammer the system with the wrong password. There are a few things that need some housekeeping when you change your password. These apply to any and all mobile devices that you may have.
Update Your Wi-Fi Settings
Be sure to disable or update your Wi-Fi settings of the UF internet on your mobile devices. This includes, but is not limited to, cell phones, tablets, and laptops.
Why: Devices that are connected to UF Wi-Fi will keep trying to connect to the network even if it has a bad password. This acts as if someone is just sitting at a computer trying to log into your account with the same bad password over and over again for 15 minutes while you walk from the parking lot to your office. This sends a red flag up in the UF system and will lock your account down to prevent any potential damage from an unauthorized person or source.
How: In most devices, you will be able to change your Wi-Fi password by going to the Settings > Wi-Fi > UF > Edit/Forget. If you click forget, just go through the setup with your new credentials. For more specific instructions, please go to DHNet’s Page.
Update Your Email
Make sure your mobile devices (laptop, phone, tablet) have been updated so that your password matches the UF system. This acts similarly to the Wi-Fi issue.
Why: Devices that check email may have saved your old password. When those devices try to sync or receive your new emails, they will send a bad password in constantly until you manually stop it. This constant bad password will lock you out of the UF system.
How: On most laptops, Outlook is linked to your main profile. As long as you can log into the computer on the UF Network, Outlook will update itself. The process for phones and tablets depends on whether you are using iOS or Android. Please follow these instructions:
Check Your Password
It is possible that you may be entering in your new password incorrectly
Why: It is common to misspell or mistype a new password. If you find that your computer is popping up with a ‘incorrect password’ message, then you should look into retrieving your password. Remember, too many incorrect tries will lock you out of the whole UF system.
How: MyUFL has a menu on the right side of the credentials box that says “Forgot Password >”. You can follow through these prompts to reset your password.
Photo: “System Lock” by Yuri Samoilov licensed under CC BY 2.0