Wireless internet access will soon be campus wide

USU is currently in the process of implementing wireless Internet campuswide. With the exception of several dead spots, all academic buildings on campus are completed. Housing and outdoor coverage is expected to be completed by the end of the semester.

Marty Emrick, project engineer and team coordinator for Information Technology Physical Infrastructure, said IT is working as quickly as possible to complete full implementation.

“We are moving through as quickly as we can,” he said. “By the end of the semester the inside, outside, everything will be done.”

At this point, half of Aggie Village is completed. Housing is expected to be done in October, Emrick said.

There are still dead spots in some buildings, but Emrick said IT is working diligently to find those spots and improve the coverage.

Eric Hawley, associate vice president for IT, said they conduct surveys themselves to find dead spots. Students also report poor coverage to them.

“We may identify spots that have weak coverage and add more. Weak coverage is typically reported through the service desk, but we have done surveys and walked around. We’ve done surveys ourselves,” he said.

Initially, USU had only 160 wireless hubs. Emrick said they have added 394 more so far.

Hawley said a survey was conducted in the spring of 2006 of students, faculty and staff members. Most who participated said wireless Internet service on campus was inefficient. Since then, IT has been working to increase service.

Hawley said this project’s completion is important because more and more things are becoming available online, increasing necessity and demand.

“Two years ago, a survey was conducted that showed wireless access was important and that coverage was not sufficient,” Hawley said. “More and more is available online, and we want students to have access available wherever they are.”

-arie.k@aggiemail.usu.edu