Networking & Wireless
Ithaca College Updates Wi-Fi
Ithaca College in New York is upgrading
to an 802.11ac wireless network to provide improved bandwidth, density and
coverage campus-wide, including 29 academic and administrative buildings.
The college has had reliable Wi-Fi coverage in its residence halls through
on-campus residential networks (ResNet) for some time now, and students have
been asking for that same level of coverage on the campus networks. Frustration
with spotty connectivity in academic and administrative areas, coupled with the
dramatic increase in Wi-Fi usage and the number of wireless devices being used
by students, faculty and staff, lead to the college's decision to upgrade its
Wi-Fi network.
The college's ResNet service provider is
Apogee, a company that specializes in networking services for higher
education, and the college opted to expand its partnership with the company for
this campus-wide deployment rather than asking Ithaca's IT staff to manage the
upgrade themselves.
"By tapping into Apogee's higher education wireless expertise, instead of
handling this major overhaul in-house, we estimate saving three years of staff
time," said Gerald Hector, vice president for Finance and Administration at
Ithaca, in a prepared statement. "Additionally, we can now deliver the best
Wi-Fi in higher education while providing an efficient solution at a reasonable
price."
According to Apogee, the upgraded wireless network will provide "seamless and
reliable wireless coverage" across campus, including high-density areas such as
lecture halls, auditoriums and dining facilities. The new wireless network is
intended to support full roaming to prevent service interruptions when moving
around campus, and to provide higher bandwidth to support more simultaneous
device connections.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].
