Wireless network 5 years in the making

By Heather You
The Collegian

Many students are unaware that Fresno State’s wireless Internet network, “Bulldog,” is constantly being updated and improved, a campus Information Technology Services staff member said.

Starting in 2000, planning sessions began to discuss technology issues on campus. These issues included the development of “smart” classrooms, laptops for the faculty and the wireless network, said Darrell Martin of ITS.

Martin said Henry Madden Library was used as a pilot and from there the network was expanded to include the “red zone.”

The red zone encompassed the central core of the campus and included certain areas in the University Student Union and most of the outside area surrounding it.

The project was put on hold due to budget restrictions but work on the wireless network has slowly resumed. The new Science II building was finally wired at the end of the spring semester last year.

“Currently, there are 82 wireless access points on campus in 21 different buildings,” Martin said. “Our goal is to have full wireless saturation for educational purposes at Fresno State. Currently, there is still about $1 million in work left.”

ITS’ main goal is making sure all the lab and lecture halls have wireless access, Martin said.

There has been some concern expressed by professors and instructors about the monitoring of student online activity during class.

“There is no easy way to just switch off the system in one classroom. Students would still be able to pick up the connection from a classroom next door,” Martin said.

When campus-wide wireless is available, it will be up to the professors and instructors to make sure the Internet is used for educational purposes, he said.

“Because students are paying to go to college, they should be more serious about getting good grades.

It’s up to them to pay attention and not be surfing the net or chatting on AIM during class,” freshman business major Alison Mathis said, when asked what she thought of the professors’ concerns.

Work is continually being done to make the Bulldog wireless system more secure.

“There are not many issues that come up with people hacking into the system,” Martin said. “However, it is difficult to completely secure a wireless network. We just want to make it safe enough for students to use.”

ITS also has heard requests about looking into making the dorms wireless.

ITS runs Central Valley Internet Provider, the service that currently provides Internet access to the residents of the dorms.

“Wireless Internet in the dorms would be great. It would be a convenience to just go wherever and connect to the Internet,” said Jeanette Carder, a sophomore viticulture major living in Baker Hall.

Because the residence hall buildings are much older, making them wireless would be difficult, Martin said

“Creating a wireless network is an art. It requires strategic placement of terminals in order to provide adequate coverage,” he said.

The entire campus is expected to have wireless access by the end of summer 2006, Martin said.

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