Students attempting to connect to the UH wireless network at the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library and across campus constantly deal with problems, with no clear idea of why or how to fix them.
‘A few spots don’t have good reception. We have a lot of complaints at the library,’ information technology support technician Ade Niyi said. ‘During the regular semester we get about 50 people a day. During the beginning of the semester, for the first two or three weeks, we get a lot of people complaining, but after a while it dies down. Some just cannot connect; there isn’t much we can do about that.’
But the demand for fast and reliable Internet service does not die down.
‘I use the Wi-Fi everyday. I do have problems where the M.D. Anderson Library is,’ hotel and restaurant management junior Shezad Ghani said. ‘Once a week I try and I always have problems. I’ve tried both (the University Center and the UC Satellite) and it’s either slow or I’ll have to do something to my computer to figure out what’s going on.’ For the most part, (Hilton Hotel) is the only place I get good reception. It’s so much easier if I come here to use it as compared to anywhere.’
Problems connecting can stem from the user’s computer to the amount of people connecting in one area, but information technology workers said the main issue is distance.
‘The farther you are the worse it gets,’ Niyi said. ‘It’s about staying close to the wireless network.’
According to the IT Web site, some areas, such as parts of the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library, may not receive any signal, even with a growing number of access points, because wireless devices’ radio frequencies are lessened by rows of books.
Despite the Web site’s explanation, some students do not believe rows of books are the cause of bad Wi-Fi connections at the library.’
‘One of the reasons may be because a lot of people are accessing it at one time, overloading the router,’ management information system sophomore Kendrick Dean, who works as a tester at Hewlett Packard, said. ‘The school could either get more hot spots around the campus or get better routers.’
Some students like Dean have found either a spot with a good Wi-Fi connection or use the computer labs at their respective colleges.
Rick Arnold, an information systems manager at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, said that HRM students have the option of using one of four computer labs with reliable Internet access.
‘We do have a high demand (for computers) despite the fact that many students already have laptops,’ Hilton director of information Rick Arnold said. ‘We have four computer labs; three computer labs (have) 20 computers in them each. Then we have a presentation (and) instructional lab, which has 40 computers in it. We have some programs that are strictly used for course work and can only be accessed through our network.”
The Wi-Fi issue is not being ignored, and according to the IT Web site, ‘Methods to circumvent this problem are currently being researched.”
‘They’re going to put (in) some new access points,’ Arnold said. ‘The University is doing an access point refresh.’
A wireless access point is a device that allows other wireless communication devices to connect to a wireless network using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
The University offers wireless network cards for students with laptops. These cost $50 to $150 at most stores, but the Cougar Byte located in the basement of the University Center sells them for around $32, and carries wireless cards for both Macintosh and Windows computers.
Some students like Dean, however, think that the cards are costly and help create congestion on the server.
‘I doubt (other students) will buy wireless cards and subscribe to a service. It’s the cost; many people don’t have money right now to afford it,’ Dean said. ‘They’ll probably react by using the public computers. They won’t have an option. It would increase congestion.’
Students having trouble connecting to the UH wireless network can reach IT support at [email protected] or by visiting room 116 at Philip Guthrie Hoffman Hall.
