Houston Baptist University Putting New Wireless APs in Every Dorm Room

Houston Baptist University is revamping its residential network to ensure students can connect to their online classes as they follow social distancing requirements in their dorms. The institution partnered with Apogee, a provider of managed ResNet services, to replace its aging infrastructure with high-speed wireless.

"With the pandemic in mind, we knew we needed to upgrade our residential network to enable the social distancing and online aspects of how HBU will be delivering classes," explained Dee Thompson, HBU technical director, in a statement. "And we wanted to be able to give students options on how and where they can attend class."

The university is rolling out the new WiFi network in all 11 residence halls, as well as in many older buildings and one six-story structure on campus. Each dorm room will have its own access point, allowing students to attend online classes, videoconference with family and friends, stream movies and TV shows, and more. In addition, Apogee will provide 24/7/365 tech support via phone, chat, text or e-mail.

"The residential life experience will become more like the student's experience at home. Not only will they be able to access their school-related resources, but the entertainment aspect cannot be downplayed," said Thompson. "With this level of service, students will be able to work and socialize via technology in the ways they are accustomed to while away from campus. I believe our new ResNet service will be a differentiator for HBU."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • glowing crystal ball with a simplified university building inside, surrounded by seamlessly blended holographic symbols of binary code, a bar graph, database icons, and a cloud, against a gradient blue and white background with softly merging circuit patterns

    3 Areas Where AI Will Impact Higher Ed Most in 2025

    What should colleges and universities expect from the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in the coming year? Here's what the experts told us.

  • Two figures, one male and one female, stand beside a transparent digital interface displaying AI symbols like neural networks, code, and a shield, against a clean blue gradient background.

    Report Makes Business Case for Responsible AI

    A new report commissioned by Microsoft and published last month by research firm IDC notes that 91% of organizations use AI tech and expect more than a 24% improvement in customer experience, business resilience, sustainability, and operational efficiency due to AI in 2024.

  • stylized illustration of a portfolio divided into sections for career training

    St. Cloud State University Adds Four Tech Bootcamps via Upright Partnership

    To meet the growing demand for tech professionals in the state, Minnesota's St. Cloud State University is partnering with Upright to launch four career-focused bootcamps that will provide in-demand skills in software development, UX/UI design, data analytics, and digital marketing.

  • group of college students looking at large screen of data visualizations

    Scalable Cloud Strategies: Values for Higher Education

    From a massive, 23-campus cloud-and-security transformation, to a small college's "lift and shift" entry into the public cloud, Unisys Higher Education Strategist Christopher Wessells knows how higher education leverages the cloud. Here, he examines some of the values scalable cloud strategies offer our institutions.