Dakota State Campus goes wireless

The Dakota State University campus continues to move forward with technology and will be known as the first state university in South Dakota to have multiple building wireless technology. Having a wireless campus means enhancing the learning environment for DSU students. Students will be able to access the network anytime and from anywhere the wireless technology is installed.

“Dakota State is extremely excited to be able to provide its students, faculty and staff with the latest in wireless technology,” said Dr. Jerald Tunheim, President of DSU. “Because we are a small, compact campus, we can implement wireless technology into our current networking rather quickly and continue to offer our students a cutting edge computing environment.”

Initially, four buildings on campus and the campus green outside the Trojan Center have been targeted to have wireless equipment installed, but the entire campus will have the capability of becoming wireless, including the Community Center, Fieldhouse and Dakota Prairie Playhouse.

According to Craig Miller, Dakota State Network Administrator for Computing Services, thirteen access points will be installed. Each access point covers an area of 150 to 250 feet indoors and 1,000 feet outdoors. Twelve of those access points will be installed in the Trojan Center, East Hall, the Mundt Library and Kennedy Center.

The access point unit will be physically wired to the DSU network and placed in ceilings out of sight.

“Access points will be hidden from view and work on the same type of signal as a 2.4 gigahertz cordless phone does,” says Miller.

Four access points will be wired in East Hall, one for each floor; three units will be wired in the Mundt Library, one for each floor; two units for Kennedy Center and three units for the Trojan Center.

Last semester, students from the College of Business and Information Systems and the Center of Excellence performed studies or a site survey, with equipment provided by Qwest, to survey where the access points should be located.

“Wireless technology will help take the pressure off some of the labs around campus,” said Center of Excellence director, Wayne Pauli. “Students who have trouble getting into the labs, especially around finals, should find more computers available.”

Along with the wireless technology, the Center of Excellence has purchased laptops and iPacs, which can run a limited version of windows.

“The Center of Excellence has purchased Gateway laptop computers and Compaq iPac’s that will be used by the student members to continue beta testing the wireless network,” said Pauli. “In addition, the devices are also to be used as a Center of Excellence membership benefit.”

Pauli says he also expects to see an increase in laptop usage. Instead of having to hassle with finding an open computer in a campus lab, students with access to a laptop will be able to log on the network at anytime.

“Having the Internet just a proverbial click away with the wireless network, and also having a signal that remains strong at all times, which will allow for mobile computing, should spur both present and future students of DSU to move away from the wired network of the 20th century, and purchase the hardware devices such as laptop computers for educational and pleasure computing,” said Pauli.

The initial phase of the wireless campus will be unveiled in late April at the Center of Excellence Symposium.