WSU Pullman may be one of the best wired campuses in the nation, but every day more faculty, staff and students are pulling the plug on their computers. And that trend is expected to grow rapidly in the future.
No, people are not tossing out their computers in frustration, they are simply going wireless.
Over the past two years, WSU Information Technology has been developing a broad wireless network. Today, computer users can access the Internet and the university’s network from numerous locations without plugging into a wall outlet. This new wireless technology makes campus computing more versatile in key locations, and more service is yet to come.
The advantage of the campus going wireless is that “it gives additional mobility and flexibility,” said Mary Doyle, WSU’s chief technology officer and vice president for information systems. “People can do their work where they want to do it without being tethered to the wall.”
Locations
Todd Hall was the first building on the Pullman campus to go wireless, about two years ago, because the College of Business and Economics was the first to adopt the technology, according to Dave Ostrom, assistant director for communications for Information Technology.
The centerpiece of CBE’s wireless effort is the new Boeing Wireless Classroom.
“This facility positions WSU to set the standard for the type of classroom that fosters innovative and effective teaching and relevant learning for its students, who are the business leaders of tomorrow,” said Len Jessup, CBE dean.
The Center for Undergraduate Education was equipped for wireless use as it was built. Next, the CUB was updated with wireless capability, from the basement to the hotel rooms, with funding from the Associated Students of WSU. In the last few months, the wireless trend has reached French Administration, Lighty, Hulbert, Holland Addition and Carpenter, with buildings containing general university classrooms also under consideration.
Several other buildings on campus have partial wireless availability, including Owen Science Library, Honors Hall, Fine Arts, Fulmer, Sloan, Dana, Electrical Mechanical Engineering, and an area outdoors between Todd and Fulmer.
“The cost of provisioning a building with wireless is in large part dependent on the status of the existing “wired” electronics,” Ostrom said. “In many cases we are required to upgrade the electronics in order to properly implement wireless. For the Holland Addition the cost of doing both ran about $21,000.
“On wireless capabilities alone, we have probably spent over $50,000 on the wireless rollout.”
A map of all locations in the wireless network is online at the IT website at http://infotech.wsu.edu/communications/Services/data/wirelessmap.htm.
Access and security
According to Ostrom, anyone with a network ID, password and the virtual private network program can access campus wireless capabilities. The VPN program, which helps provide security to the WSU system, can be downloaded from Information Technology’s website.
If users have a wireless device and try to access the network without VPN, they will be redirected to the IT site. Therefore, new users do not need to be at a wired station to be able to download VPN.
The advantage of employing VPN software, according to Ostrom, is that it is not proprietary, meaning someone can use the computer and operating system of their choice. VPN software is available for Windows, MacIntosh and Linux.
VPN security will be strengthened by the first of the year, when access will only be available to current students and employees. At that time, IT will begin checking enrollment and/or employment status and allowing only those who qualify to log on.
Equipment needs
In addition to the VPN program, users also need a wireless Network Interface Card to access the system. A NIC can be picked up at a local distributor such as Staples, Office Depot or Radio Shack, according to Ostrom. New purchasers should make sure they buy a NIC with 802.11g capabilities.
Guests on campus with a sponsoring department can apply for a guest wireless account, which provides a three-day ID and password. For example, these can be used by visiting lecturers who need wireless access. Those who are here for a semester or a year can get a regular account.
“Some people want the system to be wide open” Ostrom said. “However, this is not compliant with state law — we can’t provide free services to the public. Nor is it safe for security; we need to avoid the system getting hacked.”
Wireless vs. Wired
“The wireless network is part of the wired network,” said Doyle. “A building is wired to the network, and the wireless transmitters in that building allow users to access the wired system via radio waves. This new system is making it easier to access the wired network.
“However, wireless standards don’t provide the capacity that people have at their desktop. Some people may use a wireless for the majority of their work, but most staff, faculty and students will continue to use the connection in the wall,” she said.
Ostrom agreed: “The wireless system will not replace the wired system anytime soon because of connection speed. You can only get a tenth of the speed that you can achieve on the wired network. It will be upgraded to twice that next year, but it still won’t have the speed to run the whole campus on wireless.”
Priorities
A national survey, recently cited in The Chronicle of Higher Education, stated that wireless networking ranks among the top five most important information technology concerns on the agendas of higher education chief information officers. More than three-quarters, or 430 of the 559 institutions surveyed, reported having their own wireless networks, while 78, or 14 percent, said they had complete wireless coverage on their campuses.
As for WSU, Doyle said the wireless network is a “fairly high priority; however, the highest priority is maintaining system integrity and security, including blocking SPAM, worms and hackers.”
Part of the challenge stems from a decrease in funding. Since 1996, the Legislature has provided IT with about $2-$3 million per biennium to update and maintain the WSU network infrastructure. This biennium, WSU received nothing.
“The lack of additional funding prevents us from doing some of the things we would like to do,” Doyle said.
Future plans include establishing wireless technology in all general university classroom buildings, such as Avery, College, Wilson and Cleveland.
One big question remains — where is wireless availability needed the most? Ostrom anticipates it will be in areas where students frequently take breaks.
One of the challenges in determining the best target sites stems from the fact that many students have not yet adapted to wireless technology, so most of their input is vague at this point.
“We would like to do Rogers Hall when it is remodeled, if Student Housing finds the funding,” Ostrom said.
“We need to build up wireless enough that it becomes easily usable and nice to have. Once students really make use of it, they will discover where they need coverage. It’s a Catch 22: Until there is enough coverage to make it practical, we don’t know where we need it.”
Future applications will include pocket PCs to check class schedules and do messaging.
In short, wireless computers appear to be following the trend of wireless telephones — handheld tools that soon will become common across campus.
Leading the way is the College of Business and Economics, which is beginning to require wireless laptops in some of its majors. Students are also being attracted by the services offered through the new portal.
