Despite Northwestern’s $200,000 initiative to enter the wireless future of computing, the university’s 100 wireless access areas are not attracting users.
“The bottom line is the average number of people using (wireless) networks is zero,” said Tom Board, director of Technological Support Services.
Board said the data was collected over the past three months, so a decrease in activity would be normal because fewer students are on campus during the summer.
But even as students get back to school and work, the numbers have not improved much. Board said at any given time, not more than five computers are ever on one of the networked areas, even though they have the capacity to serve up to 25 users.
Information Technology began installing the access points, which cost $2,000 each, last year in highly frequented areas like Norris University Center and University Library.
He attributed low usage to students’ lack of equipment — in order to access the wireless network, students must have a laptop with a wireless card, which costs about $150.
“This will open the possibilities for doing collaborative work in unusual settings, like the plaza of Norris or the library,” he said.
But students said the low usage is the result of NU’s little effort to publicize the new networks.
“I didn’t even know it was available,” said Sam Shah, a Weinberg sophomore. “I thought they only had that at Slivka.”
Board said NUIT is publicizing wireless networks to make sure people know the access is around if they need it. He said areas with wireless networks can request signs from NUIT identifying them.
In addition to Norris and the library, networks exist in public areas where students congregate and work-study rooms, dining halls and common areas in academic buildings, Board said.
“We’re at the stage where (wireless is) largely being used as a source of convenience,” said Bob Taylor, director of Academic Technologies.
But Taylor said he hopes to see wireless usage grow as it develops applications in the classroom.
“Wireless would give us the ability to move away from long lectures and focus on smaller classroom, group-based projects,” Taylor said.
Requiring all students to bring wireless equipment to NU might never become a reality, but Board said he expects more students will purchase mobile devices and wireless equipment for the convenience as time goes on.
“We recommend that laptop purchasers consider wireless radio cards for their laptop or an additional ethernet card for wireless access,” Board said.
Taylor said about 50 percent of incoming students brought laptops this year, and that number is expected to increase.
“(Future students will have) the natural expectation that ‘I should be able to connect to the network anywhere on campus,'” Board said.
