However, some of the infrastructure is incomplete; thus, the points may not be fully functional until the beginning of next year.
“There is going to be a lot of testing and configuring going on all through the summer,” Denis Murphy, media specialist, said. “So even though they might be on, they may not be functioning perfectly until we figure out all the idiosyncrasies.”
The wireless access points will be able to handle up to 80 devices each, using a dual-frequency system. Each of the two frequencies will support 40 individual devices. Murphy said one frequency will be used for cell phones and the other for laptops.
However, some students have concerns about possible interference resulting from having so many access points too close together.
“Unless they do it right, it won’t work. The way wireless works is that each access point has to operate on its own channel, and each channel has to be spread far enough so there’s no overlap. If there’s an overlap, it won’t work right,” senior Zane Kullman, said. “They have something similar in the Career Center, with very mixed results. Some places have really good coverage, and some places aren’t covered at all. It’s a good thing [to have more wireless] but they have to implement it right and make it right before it’s useable.”
By Walter Wang
