Information Services revamping Wifi networks on campus

Colt Sweetland/Observer

The Information Services (IS) department has listened to students’ feedback; it will soon be killing off the funky names of Wifi networks that students were never able to pronounce or often mixed up while trying to login visiting family or friends.

The current Wifi networks on campus have often confused students. Some of the network names included cwu-wpa, cwu-config cwu-guest and cwu-public.

Logging in friends or family

Greg Harvill, director of …, said Information Services has eliminated the cwu-guest network, which required a separate username and password just to access, to avoid confusion, as well as removed networks used by IS for configuration.

In response to the removal of cwu-guest is the addition of cwu-public, designed to be its successor.

“No authentication needed; it’s open, Starbucks style access on campus for students, faculty staff and vendors on campus,” Harvill said. “With public, we opened it up and made it simpler and easier to access.”

Renaming the main Wifi network

Cwu-wpa is the current network used by students that is authenticated and lets students access all of the services they normally have access to, such as the ability to share network drives and web logs.

“At mid-term this spring, you are going to see us start to market cwu-wildcats, which will be its equivalent.”

The switch to cwu-wildcats, cwu-wpa’s successor, has been specifically held until this summer to help ease the burden for graduating seniors.

“Folks will eventually need to start transitioning to [cwu-wildcats] for the fall,” Harvill said. “No change until this summer.”

Differences between the two main networks

Harvill said one of the advantages to the cwu-wpa connection, which will eventually be phased out by cwu-wildcats, over the public connection is more available bandwidth. Cwu-public is limited so that all of the available bandwidth, which is prioritized for students, isn’t consumed by people accessing the open public network.

“Students will need to install new certificates, and new configuration and IS is working on streamlining that process,” Harvill said.

The student dashboard was implemented last week and has been well-received by students, according to Harvill.

The IS department now has an electric van to carry equipment. In general, campus has been converting to electric vehicles, which will be quieter for students, Harvill said.

Harvill said IS is tweaking spam filter settings for students’ email accounts an which may read ‘IS is concerned about security.’

“We continue to work to minimize malware and spam that is coming into our community,” Harvill said.