The University Information Technology (UIT) department began a new project at William Woods this summer – making a Wi-Fi connection more accessible in every residence hall on campus.
UIT has begun installing routers in every room, including basements, in each residence hall. Comparatively, each floor used to share the same access point to connect wirelessly. As a result of this project, everyone will now have a personal access point. Each unit being placed in rooms is using current and efficient technology to keep students connected. Additionally, each router will have four spots available to hardwire in a device.
“There will be 409 access points added to residence halls on campus,” said Steve Goodson, Infrastructure Manager at William Woods. “We are working feverishly to get these installed, but a few rooms may need to be finished up after move-in day.”
When the university’s new sorority houses were built in 2014, similar technology was installed with an access point in every room. This upgrade will now be available everywhere students are living on campus.
In addition to more reliable access to Wi-Fi, another advantage of the new system will be the increased ability to hard port into the system. Goodson says this is most often used with TV and gaming systems. Wired-in devices will have access to 1 GB of speed.
“As always, students, faculty, and staff can call us if there is any problem with any technology on campus,” Goodson said. “We are here to help and the best way we can help is if we are informed of any issues.”
Goodson also added that if there is an issue with an individual router, a student should still have no issues connecting to Wi-Fi, since there will be a router in each room next to them as well. Along with the large Wi-Fi access upgrade, UIT has also increased their internet speed package. Overall, the wireless experience will be getting a large refresh for all students on campus.
“Today’s students need and demand access to reliable and fast Wi-Fi,” said Venita Mitchell, Vice President and Dean of Student Life at William Woods. “Most students are connected through multiple devices and platforms at the same time so we knew we needed to commit the resources to meet their needs. Fast and efficient Wi-Fi supports student academic success and satisfaction – it can be really frustrating when you lose access in the middle of research for a project or even a game with a friend.”
In just three short weeks, students will begin returning for fall semester classes, which begin on Monday, August 19. If they live on campus, they will find something new – technology updates to provide more resources at top speeds in the comfort of their own room.