Honesty First: May 2008

Group 4

Leonard Lai
Ekaterine Basilaia
Truth Esguerra

Tangled in an Invisible Web

Wireless signals within SJSU have increased during the last few years, owing to the Comcast wireless project, which started full operation in December, 2005 said Richard Porter, network analyst from University Computer and Telecommunication (UCAT) .

Comcast Wireless has been installed in every campus building except the Market Café, Event Center, the parking garages and Campus Village, said Porter who is in charge of the WiFi service. Those who have an active SJSUOne account can also connect to the network in the outdoor areas around the Student Union, Business Tower, University House, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. library, and along El Paseo De Cesar E. Chavez.

There is also a guest account that allows visiting faculty, staff, campus vendors and MLK Library vendors, who do not have a SJSUOne account, to log in to the wireless network. Porter said up until winter 2008, the wireless service became accessible via library accounts also.

Community Relations Coordinator of Housing Organization department, Kevina Brown said the wireless is limited on Campus Village because of the cost that Campus Village administration was unable to provide completely. The wireless is accessible only in common areas, like living rooms, lobbies, and in meeting rooms in the Resident Activity Center in Campus Village Building B. Brown said there is no wireless in the bedrooms of the dwellers.

Comcast wireless network is sponsored by Associated Students (AS) and San José State University mainly said Cheryl Vargas, Execuetive Director of AS. AS pays for the students and University provides funding for faculty. Vargas said there is no extra fee that students have to pay for the wireless service. “Since 2000 the AS started to provide all technical services for students through fee referendum…University did not have resources to fund it. … from our reserves… we were able to commit 1000 000 payment to support the university wireless,” Vargas stated.

Vargas also said that the AS has a four year commitment to the project, which expires in June 2009.

“The contract with Comcast will be renewed. It is likely that AS will be a partner, but we have not projected that out yet,” she stated.

Information Technologies Manager of AS, Jason Stovall, who has been involved in the project since it started, said that the Comcast lost millions on the project, as it “underestimated the project, but the bid was so good.”

Although not everybody on SJSU campus owns a laptop computer the access to wireless network has issues from time to time. Students and professors complain about the weak signal or no signal at all.

Carlos Castro, a junior management major, said he experienced problems in the dorms and the MLK library. “Above sixth you have a hard time getting a signal,” Castro said about the library.

If enough reports about weak signals in certain areas around campus come in, UCAT, who in turn notify Comcast, which has its office on Campus that provides 24/7 support, will go and investigate the problem areas, said Porter.

“The connection is as fast as you get… it is a service and one cannot expect it to be like you have at home,” Porter said.

According to Electronic and Print News Technology Equipment Specialist Jessie Pickett, he received a call from the classroom 225 in Dwight Bental, who said that they did not get any reception. He had to call UCAT office and they came and fixed the problem.

“That was the second time, but it does not happen often, but it happens occasionally, because you deal with electronic devices,” Pickett said.

Pickett said that one of the reasons might be that once the power goes off and then comes back again, the connection might be sensible to it.

Another reason why some student end up kicked off the network is the He also noted that one access point can only endure certain number of students. According to Stovall, three months ago there was 8 000 login a day.

“Access point for wireless is like a storm, it is unpredictable, it kind of moves and flows and all of a sudden one access point gets stronger…. It depends on what you are doing on that… Even if you have a stronger access point, and everybody is doing a video you are going end up saturated,” Stovall said.

“This is the best that we could do. Depending on the technology we have today. There just has not been an upgrade in wireless technology… You are buying the same access points as you were buying five years ago,” Stovall added.

According to Stovall, the whole campus is using wireless networking standard 802. 11 G, which supports all typical wireless cards of 802.11 a/b/g. Soon wireless networking standard 803. 11 N will be used, that will allow wireless work a bit better.

The weak signal has a different cause at the SJSU library. The specific construction of the library does not allow the transmission to be as good as one can expect it to be.

“The wireless range decreases if you have concrete walls, any electricity going around can hamper the frequency. Also metal, steal bars, and books as well. Everything that is in the way of transmitter, will slower the transmission of signal. If there are too many students on one single WAP it will reduce their signal,” Library Info Tech Manager, Farrukh Farid said.

Stovall said that a new wireless login page will be set up soon, which will include a separate section for comments, where students can submit their complaints that will directly go to UCAT and AS Information Technologies Management.

“The best way to improve problem is to find tuning. If we know the access points are too saturated we can install more access points in the area,” Stovall said.

How to access the wireless network at SJSU:

-Create a SJSUOne

account www.sjsu.edu/sjsuone.
-In order to make an account you will need to insert your Tower ID number that is located on the back of the Tower Card.
-The option of having a short password or a long password will be available.
-Once your account has been created they will be reset every 180 days.

With an account activated the following will be available:

-Wireless Networking
-Dial-up internet Access
-Campus Directory
-Wired Network Port Registration
-Access to your own profile configurations

Support for SJSUOne account is provided by the San Jose State University Help Desk. This Help Desk is located on the first floor of Clark Hall. Information about this help desk is available online at:

www.sjsu.edu/helpdesk, phone (408) 924-2377

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