East Campus finally goes wireless

Students residing in East Campus residence halls were welcomed back from winter break with a late holiday present: wireless Internet.

As part of a project to bring better Internet access to students on campus, Boston University Information Services and Technology installed comprehensive wireless network access to East Campus dorms including Danielsen Hall, Myles Standish Hall, 575 Commonwealth Avenue and Shelton Hall.

Before winter break, students said wireless Internet was only available in common rooms for East Campus residential halls.

Wireless access was long awaited by East Campus students, who frequently complained about their exclusion from a service long enjoyed by their West and Central Campus classmates.

“When I saw someone put on Facebook that we had wireless, I felt elated and relaxed,” said School of Management freshman Kate Maxwell, who lives in Danielsen Hall. “It was phenomenal.”

David Cole, an IST employee, said that the current project aims to provide wireless Internet to all undergraduate residence hall rooms and Charles River Campus registrar classrooms. All classrooms now have access to the wireless network and service for dorm rooms is over 70 percent complete.

“Our goal is pervasive wireless network coverage,” Cole said.

College of Engineering freshman Gunnar Moore, who lives in Danielsen Hall, feels that this kind of technology is important for a top-tier school.

“Wireless that stretches across campus kind of feels necessary,” he said.

Students said that the wireless access meant they could connect more than one laptop to the Internet at once, and also use their Ethernet cables for other purposes, such as connecting gaming consoles.

“I couldn’t stand it before, so my roommate and I bought a router,” Moore said

“I had to sit at my desk with a wire to do work and it made me sad and frustrated,” Maxwell said.
The availability of wireless Internet also gave students the opportunity to explore new places to check email and browse the web.

“You definitely felt limited when using a cord,” said College of General Studies sophomore Jose Chavez, who lives in Myles Standish Hall. “I can now use my laptop in the bathroom, and I can also play music in the shower.”

However, some students with rooms farther away from wireless ports were less than pleased with the quality of their new wireless connection, Moore said.

“It was down for an hour today,” said CGS sophomore Cristian Murguia.

Cole noted that it is not uncommon for wireless technology to experience technical difficulties.

“We’re not aware of any problems, though individual experience with any and all wireless networks is inherently variable and vulnerable to circumstance,” he said.

Despite the difficulties, most students agree that the weeks of loud construction and rude awakenings leading up to winter break was worth their new Internet connectivity.