Couch potatoes, be warned. Thanks to a trial run of wireless Internet in Schurz Hall, wasting hours on Netflix in bed has become exponentially easier.
As the result of collaboration between Residential Life and the Division of Information Technology, Schurz will serve as the guinea pig for the first Wi-Fi trial in a residence hall since 2001. The pilot project is predicted to take the entire academic year.
“We had tested this years ago in an older residence hall, and we really had terrible problems with the propagation,” DoIT Director Terry Robb said. “We wanted to combine that knowledge with the knowledge of another, older residence hall to see if it would propagate well in there. That’s why we selected Schurz.”
The project, which cost $30,000 and took more than two months to complete, has proven to be more successful than its predecessor, Donnelly Hall, thus far. The building once stood in the current location of North Hall and was the site of the last Wi-Fi trial.
“We put in a lot more access points to get better coverage and we’re using some different wireless technology,” Robb said. “So far, so good. We have gotten pretty good coverage and not too many complaints. I would think it would continue to run smoothly.”
The number of students connected to the network has been steadily rising. During the past weekend, there were 250 to 260 simultaneous users on wireless at one time, Robb said.
Tech staff members have reported no major problems thus far.
“I think having Wi-Fi throughout Schurz is a good thing,” freshman Alyson Bean said. “Though the lounge is no different, having it in the rooms is a definite bonus. Multiple people can now work or hang out in a room without having to worry about who has access to the Internet and who does not. It makes working on things like projects and research easier.”
Although Wi-Fi was previously available in each of the floor lounges, the added option of connecting to wireless in each room has added greater mobility for the students.
The goal of DoIT has been to determine whether Wi-FI is plausible and functional in every room in Schurz throughout the year. Plans for the installation of Wi-Fi in other residence halls have not yet been made.
“While we will discuss the results of the pilot project during the summer, there is no established timeline for any eventual or possible installation in other halls,” Residential Life Director Frankie Minor said in an email. “It certainly could not be achieved in all of the other halls during summer break, as the installation in Schurz alone took about two months.”
Schurz students have applauded the wireless treatment as a success thus far.
“I think this is something that should be implanted in all the buildings because it allows students more flexibility,” freshman Colleen Hoofard said. “I feel lucky to be living in the dorm that got chosen to have wireless first.”