Slow Internet speeds and difficulty logging into Ohio University’s wireless system have hindered students and faculty despite recently increased bandwidth.
From getting an error message on a Web browser to not being able to load the login screen, OU students have struggled to get Internet access throughout campus.
Eliza Smith, a freshman studying child and family studies with a concentration in child life, said login problems have affected her schoolwork.
“I can’t get on in the middle of the day in my dorm, usually around one or two o’clock,” said Smith, who lives in Boyd Hall. “I usually wait or keep trying until I eventually will be able to get on, but if I can’t, I just put my assignments off.”
Internet-access problems on OU’s campus stem from the fact that there is more Internet demand than the school’s current capacity, Information Technology Communications Manager Sean O’Malley said.
“Depending on the time of day, students may or may not be able to log in,” O’Malley said. “Basically, the early bird gets the worm, and our Internet is fastest between 3 a.m. and 10 a.m., which means a lot fewer people are competing for the available bandwidth during those hours.”
Internet problems affect Macs, PCs, iPads and cellphones alike, O’Malley said. He added that the problems are spread throughout campus.
“Some buildings will get more reports of problems during one week, others the next,” he said.
University-related websites such as Blackboard are easier to load than sites such as Netflix or YouTube, O’Malley said.
Because of the strong demand for bandwidth on campus, OU doubled its bandwidth to one gigabit at the end of Fall Quarter. The university paid $46,693, increasing the annual bandwidth cost to $132,000 because of fixed costs, O’Malley said.
“This isn’t enough long term to meet the full demand,” O’Malley said. “We bought as much as we could afford.”
The university is building a new wireless system to replace the current one, which was created in 1998. It could be introduced on campus as soon as Spring Quarter or Fall Semester, O’Malley said.
The wireless upgrade is part of OU’s $17 million NextGen Network Upgrade. Students will not have to pay additional fees because of the upgrade, O’Malley said.
The new wireless service will offer more coverage, more access points and a faster protocol for connecting, O’Malley said. Students will no longer need to re-log in when they switch buildings on campus.
Smith said she is looking forward to the upgrades.
“I think that the new wireless system will be a lot better and will help students out,” Smith said. “It will be a great improvement because then you won’t have to remember the URL for each building to log in.”
Until then, O’Malley said, students can help cope with the limited bandwidth availability.
“If students try to conserve the bandwidth they use by doing a few things, a lot fewer people will have to compete for available bandwidth,” O’Malley said. “For example, if you are streaming video, use a lower resolution instead of HD, or if you aren’t actively using an Internet program, close it rather than let it run in the background.”
bc822010@ohiou.edu
