Life in the 21st century is increasingly dependent on Internet access. Whether checking e-mail, doing research, looking up directions or just searching YouTube for the latest “Family Guy” clips, the Internet has become a natural part of daily life in contemporary society. Increased use means the need for increased access, and wireless technology is becoming more prevalent as cafes, libraries and even some cities offer wireless networks for public use.
In keeping with this technological trend, UMass Boston is expanding its own wireless service to ensure that students and faculty alike can tap into the world wide web from practically anywhere across campus.
Wireless Internet was introduced to UMass Boston in 2004, with coverage limited to select areas of the Quinn Building, Healey Library and the Campus Center. Additionally, there was no roaming between access points, meaning if crossing from one network range to another, the connection would be lost and the computer would have to reconnect.
Daryl Ford, Director of Communication and Infrastructure Services for the IT department, said that although there were student complaints, there wasn’t much that could be done, and “that was simply the function available” at the time.
But as anyone who’s bought a new computer only to have it become obsolete a few years later knows, a lot can change in a short amount of time in the world of computer technology. In a major overhaul of the front and backend systems that’s taken many months, U. Mass. is expanding coverage and overlapping network access.
“The ultimate goal,” Raymond Tse of IT Client Services said, “is to have seamless coverage between access points.”
A recent tour across campus with a wireless-enabled laptop shows that the coverage is not quite there yet. Although access was available in the public spaces of most buildings, with very weak signals in parts of the McCormick and Science buildings, a second login is required for the Healey network. According to Tse, this issue is being addressed and should be fixed soon.
This semester, students will start seeing WiFi zone signs in areas across campus where wireless access is available. Access outside in the campus courtyards should also be available in the coming months, after some delays in setting up the hardware. The administration is currently debating the possibility of putting wireless access in the classrooms.
“There’s some concern that it might be distracting and encourage inappropriate behavior from students,” Ford said. However, he acknowledged that “this is the direction technology is moving. We have to stay up-to-date with the technology [and] expand wireless to be ubiquitous.”