Ohio University students will be able to connect their wireless printers, streaming sticks, smart TVs and other devices to the campus Wi-Fi starting next fall.
At the start of the 2017-18 academic year, the Office of Information Technology announced the improvement of student Wi-Fi experience at OU by adding more outdoor coverage and allowing other devices to be used.
“(OIT receives) many questions about connecting consumer devices like smart TVs, gaming consoles, streaming sticks like Chromecast, Roku, and Apple TV, and smart speakers/smart hubs like Amazon Echo and Google Home to the university's Wi-Fi,” IT Communications Manager Sean O’Malley said in an email.
Support for those devices will be added to the campus Wi-Fi in time for the start of Fall Semester, O’Malley said. The anticipated cost of the project is approximately $75,000.
Residence halls across campus have already seen the outdoor Wi-Fi improvements.
“We have added 52 outdoor wireless coverage areas near the South and East Green residence halls,” O’Malley said. “(We) will install an additional 28 areas near the West Green residence halls this semester.”
Other areas on campus will receive those upgrades as well.
“Once the residence hall improvements are complete, we plan to add 30 to 40 outdoor coverage areas near other buildings on campus that don’t have adequate coverage at this time,” O’Malley said in an email. “These will be completed by Fall Semester.”
The cost for the residence hall upgrades is $58,000, and the expected cost for the other areas on campus is between $22,000 and $30,000, O’Malley said.
Clare Cantleberry, a freshman studying pre-nursing, likes the idea of being able to use her wireless devices starting next fall.
“I think it’s a really good idea that students will be able to use their devices now in the dorms,” Cantleberry said.
Audra Swan, a senior studying publication design, agrees that OU needs to improve its Wi-Fi.
"Especially in the dorms, the Wi-Fi was not great," she said. "Wireless printers are definitely a necessity."
