Residential Computing, with the help of IT Services' Networking Systems group, continues to add wireless access for computers to the campus residences. This year, with no specific funding available (using Networking System's existing equipment budget for the residence networks), we've managed to gradually add some wireless access to three major areas: Manzanita Park, Escondido Village, and the Row.
A major obstacle to installing wireless in a residence is the need for data jacks for the wireless access points. These data jacks are best installed high on the walls of the hallways, where the signal can reach rooms on all sides. Unfortunately, jacks do not exist in those locations, and there is a high cost to adding them.
Manzanita Park
Manzanita Park provides an interesting alternative, since it has a large number of wiring closets. One closet for every 100 students is pretty standard in the residences, but Manzanita has 20 closets instead of 4. That means that we have well distributed hiding places where we can install wireless access points without any additional wiring, and since the closets are out of public view we can attach larger antennae. The work was done over the summer and the installation seems to be working well. It may become the permanent solution.
Escondido Village
The LowRises in Escondido Village are also well-equipped with locations for wireless access. Most of the 136 buildings have their own wiring closet. The closet is generally close to the center of the building, and the light construction means pretty good penetration to the apartments in both directions. Residential Computing and Networking Systems staff started with the Oasis (the buildings behind Mirrielees and Studio 1) and have been moving around counter-clockwise. Currently we've completed the east side. We will try to add more traditional wireless to the Studios soon. (Studios 5 & 6 already have some coverage.) Unfortunately, the giant concrete monoliths that are the MidRises and HighRises will be more challenging.
The Row
On the Row, we took a different tack. Since the houses are student managed, and many row houses already provide their own wireless coverage, we decided to have the students find homes for our wireless access points. Over the summer, three access points were configured for each each house, and during RCC training in September they were distributed to the RCCs for placement. The RCCs took them home and located them where they thought appropriate, adjusting the locations to improve coverage throughout the house. The access points are managed remotely by Networking Systems. This isn't a permanent solution, and it provides no coverage to conferences that use the Row (and other residence buildings) in the summer, but it allowed 1600 students to get pretty good wireless access very quickly. In the future, we can add a permanent infrastructure, as time and funding permit.
Current Wireless Access in the Residences
At this point 75 percent of the undergraduate residences have wireless coverage, and, with the Escondido Village LowRises, institutional wireless has finally reached the graduate residences. Virtually all of the credit goes to Gene Yep and Drew Norris of Networking Systems, who have been driving the process and installing the access points.
