The network in the new Engineering Center was designed with the latest and greatest WiFi configurations, standards and hardware to meet the needs of OU students now and in the future.
In many areas of campus, students can now access Oakland University’s wireless networks up to 100 times faster than before.
“We went from barely being able to check your email in the Oakland Center at lunch to comfortably supporting 1,000 clients,” said Andrew Kee, a network communications engineer for OU.
WHY REGISTER DEVICES?
To make sure that OU's wireless network performs well for the students and faculty in our environment, OU does not support open community access. Devices need to be registered to someone within the OU community.
SORRY, THAT’S NOT ALLOWED
Wireless printers, portable hotspots, and wireless tethering are not allowed in University buildings because they degrade the signal coming from the access points.
GETTING NEW DEVICES TO WORK
New devices are designed for use at home where only a handful of devices are accessing a wireless network. That presents a challenge when trying to connect to a much larger network such as the one on main campus or for Housing. For assistance, contact one of OU's help desks.
A recent switch to a new wireless vendor, Aruba, allowed Oakland’s two newest buildings — Oak View Hall and the Engineering Center — to be designed with the latest and greatest WiFi configurations, standards and hardware.
South Foundation Hall and the Oakland Center have been retrofitted with the new equipment, and all of the residence halls have undergone a complete overhaul.
“Housing has gone from 276 to 637 access points,” said Adam Sternburgh, systems specialist with University Housing. “This means we can serve more students who are using more devices at once.”
The remaining academic buildings will be converted over time, following the new model of having a greater density of access points.
Your voice heard
As OU’s student population grows, so does the average number of devices per person, adding stress to an aging wireless network.
“We knew we needed to upgrade. We heard the need for it on social media and by word-of-mouth,” said Kee, who gets a lot of feedback from the student employees in University Technology Services.
Students also had an impact on the investment by participating in a national Educause Student Technology Survey back in February, and through ongoing conversations with Oakland University Student Congress (OUSC).
“What's great about OU is that the administration listens to the students; and with all of us working together through Student Congress we can accomplish more,” said Annie Meinberg, OU’s student body president. Students can bring their ideas and solutions for improving campus to OUSC general body meetings every Monday from 4-5:30 p.m.
Always improving
Through a new monitoring software, OU’s network team receives high-tech feedback about the wireless system so that adjustments can be made based on usage.
For example, the Housing network received some performance tuning last week. With the AirWave software, along with student feedback, the network is continuously monitored for areas of improvement.
The OU community can report issues or seek any technical assistance through either the OU Help Desk located in Kresge Library or the Housing help desk.
Oakland University makes major improvements to the wireless networks on main campus and student housing facilities.
Created by Colleen Campbell (cjcampbell@oakland.edu) on Friday, October 17, 2014 Modified by Colleen Campbell (cjcampbell@oakland.edu) on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 Article Start Date: Friday, October 17, 2014
