Wireless access in the dorms comes on the heels of a project developed by the Office of Information Technology that brought Wi-Fi to campus buildings and outdoor communal areas. Using radios manufactured by Strix and installed by Pacific Coast Cabling, the dorm network connects to the campus network via two main office buildings within the dorm complex. Students can access the secure network using personal Wi-Fi- or wireless-equipped computers with the same login and password required across campus.

In addition to the free Internet access, the dorm project provided real-world experience for a group of CIS 471 students and will continue to be the site for hands-on case studies for CIS students in the future. Press also hopes the dorms will now be able to be used as a test bed for new equipment and that a partnership will develop with Strix and PCC as a result of their work together. Yet, everyone involved would readily admit the project took longer than they expected.

“I have about a million hours invested in this project,” says Press. “But I’ve learned a lot. I built a wireless component for the 471 course over the course of the project, I hope we’ll develop some sort of relationship with Strix, and of course, now these students can access the Internet for free.”

Each semester, because of the constantly changing world of information technology, Press uses projects and case studies in the 471 class so that students address cutting edge topics. Two years ago, Claude Harris, who was a student in the class, raised the wireless dorm idea. Kaveh Razaghi, director of University Housing Services, supported the project, and, with the guidance of Press overseeing the class project, Harris and a group of fellow students began contacting vendors for bids.

The biggest hurdle was cleared when Press developed a proposal and Harris gained support for funding from Associated Students, Inc. while Harris sat on the student government Technology Fee Committee. ASI voted to deliver the lion’s share of the $83,000 needed for the project, and Student Affairs and Information Technology also provided funding. The past year has been consumed installing and testing the network.

“The students who live in the dorms really needed it. They had computer labs, but those are only open certain hours, there’s no off-campus Internet cafes around, and having dial-up just wouldn’t cut it because maybe one of your roommates wanted to use the phone. I thought having wireless for the dorms just made sense and it would be very valuable,” says Harris, who graduated this May.

Despite all the hours that have been invested in the project, Press maintains his role is not over. He plans to measure network performance and student utilization of and satisfaction with the network. Future 471 students will study the network and its management software, and some will do more advanced projects.

For more information about the project, visit Press’ project Web site at http://som.csudh.edu/fac/lpress/471/hout/dorm/