Dorm renovations and added equipment are being phased in to increase wireless Internet coverage on Virginia Tech’s campus.
Kenneth Belcher, associate director for occupancy management, said there would be renovations of all dorms built before 1983 within the next 15 to 20 years. This will include expansions in regards to wireless connectivity.
East Ambler-Johnston Hall is currently under renovation and will reopen in fall 2011.
“Before we started the renovation, Ambler-Johnston only had one location that had a wireless port in it,” Belcher said. “But when we finish this renovation, we’re going to have about 1,200 beds that will have wireless coverage. It’ll be a big boost for us.”
Most residence halls lack wireless coverage, but the newly opened New Hall West is breaking that pattern.
“New Hall West was designed as wireless pretty much throughout. That’s really our first building that has that kind of structure,” Belcher said.
Belcher stated that the goal is to attempt to have at least one wireless spot in each of the facilities, and afterwards to try to expand coverage.
“Hokie Stone and cinderblock walls and everything are wonderful, but they also block a lot of the signal,” Belcher said.
According to Belcher, Housing and Dining Services are working very closely with Communications Network Services. He said that the number of wireless points has probably been tripled over the past year.
“(CNS) really gave us a pretty big boost this past year,” Belcher said. “We’ve got some more coming as money and equipment and personnel that can install them are available.”
The equipment will not be a major expense, according to Belcher.
“It’s really the design and having the time and capability to do it when you’re pulled in a thousand different directions,” Belcher said. “Everybody needs something right away and we’re one of the groups that needs something.”
“We’re constrained by physics,” said Steven Lee, a communications research engineer. “We use the unlicensed spectrum for wireless connectivity, and that’s limited. So we can theoretically only put in so many access points in a given location before interference kicks in and it’s turned into a negative effect. So we kind of hit that limit, and then performance will drop.”
Although it may not be entirely resolved in the near future, Lee confirmed that there would be changes.
“What you will see happening is that the access points are getting more intelligent so that they can reduce their power to help minimize the effects of other access points,” Lee said.
He also said more advanced equipment would help alleviate the high traffic in the campus airwaves.
Tech offers two main wireless connections: VT-WLAN, which has a login screen, and VT-Wireless, its encrypted equivalent.
“As far as performance goes, either one is just as good as the other,” Lee said. “VT-Wireless is preferred just because it provides another layer of encryption for your data between yourself and the access point. ... It takes a data packet and encapsulates it so that it’s difficult for others to read that data.”
VT-Wireless might also be preferable because there is no need to open a browser and log in every time.
“It’ll log in for you automatically,” Lee said.
However, Lee said many complain that it is difficult to install the personal network access certificate, decreasing VT-Wireless usage. The Network Access Certificate for the network has been available since the summer of 2008.
There are no plans to merge both networks into VT-Wireless, Lee said, because it uses a technology not all devices support.
“Guest users inversely have to log in through VT-WLAN, so we’ll keep VT-WLAN or something that will replace VT-WLAN, but it will still be a Web browser access, functionally the same,” Lee said. “We may decide to change the name.”
For students who are sitting in class and complaining about the time it takes to log in, Lee and Kidd suggest to call 4HELP (campus extension 1-4357), as there are no tips in getting around that issue. “It’s probably demand-based. It shouldn’t take that long to log in, even if the room is loaded. So, open up the trouble ticket and someone will take a look.”
Jeffrey Kidd, a spokesman for Communications Network Services, said those experiencing trouble can either call the 4HELP number or if they can log on, they can submit a request for assistance at the 4help.vt.edu site.
The more that students provide feedback to technicians behind the scenes, the more attention can be called to it and the more deeply the problem can be looked into.
“So if you have trouble, I encourage you to report them,” Lee said. “If you get online go to the Web site or send an e-mail.”
Kidd said there would not be any change in the wireless networks in the foreseeable future.
“Technology changes, but based on what we know now and things of that sort, they’re both going to continue to cooperate.”