The Daily Orange

Posted: 4/26/07, 11:35 PM EST Section: News

When Andrew Powers moved into his apartment on Syracuse University's South Campus in fall 2006, he decided to take his Internet service into his own hands.

Powers, sophomore chemistry, physics and mathematics major, planned with his roommate to set up a personal wireless router.

"We planned on bringing the router before we moved in," Powers said. "It definitely makes things easier."

This technique, which is against university network policy for its Ethernet service, could make AirOrange, the official wireless service, unnecessary.

But by next fall, South Campus and all residence halls will be 100 percent wireless, said James Pampinella, information technology manager for SU's Network Communications Services.

"Not having wireless was a drag. It's good the school's finally installing it," said David Schatz, sophomore in the school of Information Studies and resident of Lambreth Lane on South.

Incoming freshmen helped Information Technology and Services realize more drastic measures needed to be taken, Pampinella said.

"When we were helping students move in the fall, people came without a wire," Pampinella said. "It was really obvious to us that we had to accelerate the expansion of the wireless initiative."

Many South Campus residents are frustrated by the lack of wireless and don't know why the service has not yet arrived to the apartment complexes, though it is available in the Goldstein Student Center and the SkyHalls.

"I don't understand why they don't just install it," said Carey Walker, sophomore architecture major living on Lambreth Lane. "What's the hold up?"

Though wireless is in demand, the university is struggling to provide it quickly and effectively on South Campus.

"South Campus is a real challenge for us," said Paul Gandel, vice president for information technology and chief information officer for ITS. "The signal is interfered with by the actual construction of the buildings."

The steel and concrete framework of the apartments is not conducive to easy wiring, Gandel said.

"Even though it's called wireless, you need wires to get to the access points that send out the signal," Gandel said.

Concrete does not make that task simple. Neither does the vastness of South Campus, Gandel said.

There are hundreds of buildings and a large population - about 1,500 to 1,800 students, Pampinella said. This expansive population and the physical vastness of South Campus affect the wireless signals' strength, adding a dimension of difficulty for ITS. "Signal strength deteriorates the more people who use an access point," Gandel said.

The university tested wireless system possibilities for South Campus at the end of last semester and made real headway during the winter vacation when apartments were unoccupied, Pampinella said.

"There are a couple different apartment designs that require different criteria," Pampinella said. "We need to go through and do wireless surveys, but it's hard to do when people live there."

During testing, ITS employees discovered the system they had been planning on using, a grid-access system, failed to perform to expectations.

"It worked, but it would never support 1,800 students," Pampinella said.

This grid-access system worked as an overlap of signals. A main access point, between buildings, for example, sends an Internet signal to another access point, this time within the building. The signal was therefore transmitted several times before it reached a user, Gandel said.

Because this method wasn't able to handle the volume of users on the wireless network, which can reach up 3,000 users at peak hours, ITS specialists decided on a traditional approach to installing wireless on South Campus with two access points per building, Pampinella said.

A total of 250 access points will be installed during the summer by hired contractors. "We couldn't possibly do all that on our own," Pampinella said.

Plans to finish installing wireless for North Campus residential buildings have also changed during the course of this academic year.

Wireless in residence halls is configured with a computer program. Floor plans are entered in, and the program responds with directions for wiring and locations for access points, Pampinella said.

"Usually it is fairly accurate," Pampinella said.

Pampinella said the university is working on the residence halls year-round to make them wireless ready. Contractors do a lot of the work in the summer and put in pathways and cables, he said.

"During the semester, my staff is fully active in installing the live components, like access points," Pampinella said.

So far, Kimmel Hall, Marion Hall, Booth Hall, floors five to eight of Boland Hall, the International Living Center, Washington Arms, Watson Hall, Shaw Hall, DellPlain Hall and Sadler Hall have full wireless capabilities.

"I like having (wireless) and it's pretty reliable," said Amy Ryan, sophomore chemistry major living in Kimmel. "I like sitting on my bed without being attached to the wall."

North Campus residence halls such as Walnut Hall, Lawrinson Hall, Day Hall, and Haven Hall do not yet have wireless. They are all due to be finished by the start of next semester, according to the ITS Web site.

Day Hall and Haven Hall will require substantial work because the wiring is "sub-acceptable," Pampinella said. "Wires don't support the speed of what most computers are capable of doing today," Pampinella said.

Though wireless continues to appear in different areas of campus, there are well-established public wireless hotspots. These hotspots include Bird Library, Hendricks Chapel and Schine Student Center, according to the ITS Web site.

"It's nice to go anywhere on campus and have access to the Internet," Ryan said. Other public hotspots are new buildings like the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and The Warehouse downtown, which get 100 percent connectivity to AirOrange.

ITS and NCS work with designers and builders on these sites to integrate wireless technology into the construction. The two organizations are currently working with architects on new campus projects, such as Newhouse III, Pampinella said.

Though wireless seems like a simple concept, attainable with a wall outlet and a router like Powers has set up, the reality is different. Wiring, access points, volume of traffic: all this jargon is part of the complexity that surrounds the service.

"I think we're maybe a step ahead in some cases," Pampinella said of SU's progress compared to other schools. "The wireless network on campus is really growing."

Article Tools