Understanding the Default VLAN

When a student connects the network adapter of a computer to a Colgate network wall jack, the computer starts on the part of the network known as the "Default Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN)" if that computer has not previously been set up for the Colgate network

• The computer lease a private range IP address, which means that many incoming connections from outside of the Default VLAN cannot be established. This can be a problem for gaming, peer to peer application, and any other sort of client/server hosting. It is essentially "firewalled"
• The Default VLAN is more limited in bandwidth than the other possible VLANs a computer can reside in. This is directly visible in terms of maximum download/upload speeds and the general responsiveness of the connection
• The Default VLAN is the second most vulnerable VLAN because all computers are able to access it without being screened for malware and because it is usually the most populated VLAN.
• Users on the Default VLAN are subject to automated blocking for generating irregular traffic (users on the trusted Class VLANs are alerted and the traffic is checked by an Administrator before quarantining except in the cases of highly disruptive traffic.