A year after the implementation of a campus-wide wireless network, there has been major improvements in reception though students are still frustrated by the network's inconsistency.
The greatest progress has been better cell phone service in the residence halls. As junior Brandon Baker-Rice said, "Last year, we couldn't make cell phone calls from our rooms, but now we can."
Though some students may take alternative measures in getting reception, the overall improvement of cell phone reception may justify the University's financial investment in the wireless network. In fact, the system will reduce costs, said Carl Whitman, Executive Director of e-operations.
"Savings associated with AU's wireless project are projected to occur during future years as more students living in the residence halls use cell phones instead of the university's own telephone system as their primary telephone service, [enabling] AU to avoid many capital costs associated with future telephone system investment," Whitman said.
However, the improvement in the wireless data network has been less ample. Officially, every building on campus including residence halls is now wired, but students have experienced erratic reception.
"The wireless network did not work for me last year, and as of right now, it's still not working," sophomore Elliot Smilowitz said.
For some, the wireless network is a hollow promise.
"AU promoted the wireless network a lot, but when I got here, it did not meet my expectations and it's disappointing," freshman Ashley Ferrell said.
AU is addressing such concerns through e-operations, which has been assisting students on the Quad over the past two weeks.
"We have been fixing fifty to a hundred computers a day, most of which were repaired in about two minutes, as most of the problems are caused by software that is not properly configured," said Director of Customer Services and Support Terry Fernandez.
According to Whitman, one common problem is when a computer is simultaneously enabled for use on both the wired and wireless networks.
Some students who have both Ethernet and wireless capabilities prefer to use Ethernet, since the connection is faster and more reliable. However, wireless capabilities have opened opportunities for students who do not have to bring cords.
Most students recognize that wireless networking is still an imperfect science but more do not want to deal with the hassle of entering a 26-letter network key or asking e-operations for help, while others wished that wireless was more reliable.
With wireless access more available, professors no longer have to carry cables to connect with the Ethernet port.
School of International Service Professor John Richardson proved the network's value when, seeing a student in the SIS Building looking for what he thought was his 8:10 morning class, used his wireless device to check the student's schedule, finding that the student was 12 hours early to his evening class.
The ways that the wireless network is helping the faculty are endless, but the technology is still, "experimental and might take some time before the faculty take full advantage of it," said Assistant Director for Technical Services and Training Jim Lee.
AU's wireless project is by no means complete as the school plans to be fully upgraded to the new 802.11g standard by spring 2005. Currently, the school is operating on the 802.11b standard.
Already, some students are questioning AU's financial investment in a new standard that, though providing a faster data transfer rate, it does not strengthen the signal's reception or increase its reliability, the main obstacle to the mass proliferation of wireless Internet use on campus.
