Campus wireless project completed for all academic, residence hall buildings

RIT completed its broadest wireless implementation to date, blanketing the university academic and residential buildings tenfold. The new network system applies the latest Cisco technology, ratified by industry standards just this month.

“The technology installed at RIT is 802.11n and it had just been released by Cisco at the time of the project,” says Laura O’Donnell, Information and Technology Services director, strategic services, and wireless project manager. “This newer network had greater reliability than the old wireless network. There is a 50 percent overlap, in areas. Wireless is even available in the tunnels and laundry rooms.”

Over the past year, Information and Technology Services installed new wireless access points across all 18 academic buildings, 17 residence halls and 26 apartment buildings, raising the number of access points from 250 to more than 3,400. The technology being used can address the demands by users for more range and better security.

Additionally, the new technology allows for voice over IP protocols. VOIP is voice communication over the Internet rather than through traditional methods of a public, dedicated telephone line, jack and telephone equipment.

More information about the project, the new capabilities and using the wireless network can be found at the ITS web site.