Wireless Project Overview

05/12/09

Over the past several years Information Services has worked to improve the quality of the network infrastructure that you rely so heavily upon to earn your degree and live your life while on campus. This includes improving the speed of wired connections in the dorms and academic buildings, redesigning the entire campus network to add in redundancy and improve network uptime, and adding additional servers to handle the increased demand on key systems like Blackboard and web access. By listening to users like you, Information Services has worked to identify the key areas that need improvement and found areas where we can reduce frustrations regarding technology here on campus. One of the bigger undertakings over the past year has been to overhaul the wireless network and increase coverage and provide better network security while not requiring the inconvenience of logging in to Cisco Clean Access every three days or every time you move your computer from one room to another. Liberty University Information Services took note of the problem and worked aggressively to improve the quality of the wireless network while improving your end-user experience.

Starting in November of 2008, the network services team began work to upgrade the wireless access points in the dorms. The result of this change was a more reliable connection and the elimination of Cisco Clean Access over wireless in the dorms. Over the subsequent months, network services worked to resolve coverage issues and to increase the number of access points in dorms where there were not enough access points. As wireless service improved in the dorms, the project continued with the upgrade of wireless access in key academic buildings, administrative offices, and areas all over campus.

Benefits:

Some of the benefits related to the wireless network upgrade include improved performance of wireless voice, video, and data traffic, as well as support for 802.11N technology, increased network speed for streaming video, better authentication and network usage for Apple iPod touches and iPhones, and easier access for gaming consoles. Network Services has installed over 700 wireless access points across campus providing a more reliable network that covers a greater area and is easier to get connected to. In addition to that, it is more secure and allows Information Services to more effectively prevent individuals and devices that can threaten the safety and security of the network and your data from accessing them.

Where do we go from here?

As the semester has ended and you head home for the summer, Network Services has already begun working on improvements to the wired connections in the dorms and around campus so that Cisco Clean Access will be completely removed from the network and replaced with the Aruba agent. Other projects are also underway to improve other aspects of the network before the start of the next semester. Overall, this project has been a great success and we would like to thank all of you for your patience over the course of the upgrades and for your input on how we can make it even better. We are always looking for feedback and suggestions and recommend that you follow us on Twitter (LU_HelpDesk) and give us some ideas on how we can make the network even better. As always, Liberty University Information Services exists to serve you and provide the highest quality of support as you earn your degree.