The number of wireless access points (WAPs) on campus reached 2,500 during the installation of a batch of the devices in the Flawn Academic Center on April 24. The ITS Networking group celebrated the milestone last week with hazelnut chocolate cake and coconut bounty gelato.
The Networking group's achievement marks a ten-fold increase in the number of WAPs on campus since the spring semester of 2003. The number of simultaneous users on the university’s wireless network has grown from less than 1,000 to over 7,000 during the same period.
WAPs require pre-surveys; installation of cable, the WAP, and antennas; and a post-installation survey to tune the access point for maximum effectiveness. This averages to about five hours per access point. Approximately 12,500 hours were spent on this project over the course of the last five years on WAP deployment alone; additional time is spent maintaining the WAPs once they are installed.
Access points are paid for by individual departments and are deployed whenever a department needs more coverage. If your department is experiencing weak wireless connectivity and needs more coverage, contact ITS about having extra access points installed.