By early spring of 2006, 95 percent of Southern University’s buildings and outdoor areas will be wired for wireless Internet service, according to the Office of Technology and Network Services.
TNS began the work on the wireless network service in the fall of 2002. Currently 40 percent of the campus is setup for wireless service, and the remaining portions are scheduled to be up and running in the coming months.
“Lee, Fisher and James (Halls) are slated to come up early this semester,” said Howard Loche, TNS Network Engineer. “The center of campus E.C. Harrison Blvd. will be up, if not the end of this month, the beginning of next month.
“The target is (for users) to come down the strip and be able to be on the Internet and not loose (their) connection,” Loche said. “Currently it’s spotted, but by the time the semester is over you’ll be able to surf continuously.”
Loche also said that between T. H. Harris Hall, Smith-Brown Memorial Union and the John B. Cade Library, if you are in the courtyard or standing right in front of the union, you can already receive an outdoor connection.
The university’s wireless network system operates on an IEEE 802.11b/g standard which is a newer protocol giving its users faster connection speeds.
Students wishing to access the wireless network will need to have PCs and laptops with wireless Network Interface Cards that support 802.11b/g, Loche said.
“Actually, most laptops come with a built-in wireless configuration,” said Randy Powe TNS network administrator.
To use the wireless service, users will need to have their wireless cards properly installed and configured, then open up a web browser page which will automatically take them to a log in screen where the users will have to enter their current username and password from their Blackboard accounts (firstname_lastname_00).
For students, passwords consist of the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
Users that encounter any technical difficulties accessing or using the wireless service should contact the TNS help desk at 771-3935, Loche said. For more information on SU’s wireless network can be found on the World Wide Web at www.subr.edu/tns/wirelessweb/home.html.