The university's network is about to get wings. This spring Information Systems will begin a pilot program to bring faster wireless networking to campus. The goal is to move from wired network to a faster network that is completely wireless.

The university was an early adopter of wireless networks, testing different wireless networks over the past seven years. In 1999, IS offered students wireless cards in a campus-wide program that continues today. Currently, wireless cards are available to students and faculty at two megabits per second. However, most wired network connections on campus reach speeds of 10 megabits per second.

A major part of the pilot test will be to determine how easy the wireless network will be to use. "We want the process to be as easy as plugging into the wall, except now you won't even need to plug into the wall," Tommy Jackson, director of telecommunications, said.

A major complaint with the current wireless system is its dependence on an extra card plugged into the computer. These cards were very expensive and easy to damage. IS hopes to solve this problem by utilizing internal wireless connections.

The university currently uses a basic wireless connection. This is the oldest standard, but was most readily available when the wireless program began. It offers the slowest connection speed, two megabits per second, but the greatest range. This allowed IS to cover much of the campus with less equipment. It also operates on the same Gigahertz range as portable phones and microwaves, creating much of interference in the system.

The university hopes to implement a slightly more advanced wireless system across all laptops. It has a shorter range than the current one, but a maximum speed of 54 megabits (more than five times that of the current wired connections). It also operates in a different Gigahertz range, removing interference from many devices.

Dominick envisions a campus wireless network serving many different devices like laptops, handheld computers like the Compaq iPaq or devices for Parking Management.

However, IS and Dominick still have some questions about the new technology they hope the pilot program will answer. "Are the networks stable enough to match wired connections? Is the bandwidth sufficient?" Dominick asked.

Maintenance is one reason to upgrade to a wireless network. Currently IS must keep up thousands of individual Ethernet jacks in each dorm room and classroom. A wireless network would have fewer connections.

But maintenance is not the only advantage. By providing one network that can support anything anywhere, mobility is enhanced, which has been the hallmark of progress, according to Dominick. He added that a wireless network should also save the university money in the long term.

Senior Brooke Bodenhurst was an resident technology adviser in Venice last spring where the entire house relied on a wireless network connection. "It was really convenient to use through the house in Venice. We could access it throughout the house and even outside on the porch."

According to Bodenhurst, previously students had been tied to one 10 port connection in a single room.

However, a complete switch across campus from wired to wireless is still a long ways off. Many offices use desktops and have no need for a wireless network. Also, in order for next year's ThinkPads to have the integrated wireless access, the upgrade must be available by February 2003.