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September 03, 2008, 10:26 AM ET
Network Administrators Keep a Wary Eye on Increasing Demand for WiFi
How robust is your institution’s wireless network? Students, faculty members, and others now expect to be able to connect their laptops to the Internet anywhere, to say nothing of their iPods and other devices. And they’re not just checking e-mail, either—they want to listen to music, keep up with YouTube videos, and maybe even watch television online. But that kind of heavy demand, especially in areas that attract lots of simultaneous users, is a challenge for those who oversee campus networks, according to an article in PC World.
Carnegie Mellon University, for instance, is upgrading wireless networks in its residence halls to use the latest 802.11n technology, as well as connection points that each packs up to 16 WiFi radios, with antennae divided by sector to reduce interference. Other institutions are dealing with overloads on the servers that assign Internet addresses as machines connect to campus networks. Still others face developments like the Slingbox, a device that lets students stream cable-television programs over the campus network from their dorm rooms to their laptops—so they can watch TV wherever they happen to be.
John Turner, director of network and systems at Brandeis University, says that as recently as three years ago the university had comparative few wireless users. “Now everyone has a laptop,” he says. “These scaling issues are becoming more and more apparent where lots of folks show up and you need to make things happen.” —Lawrence Biemiller
Categories: Gadgets
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