2008 Woodie Awards
Speeding up
Cougar Village Internet upgrades underway
Matthew Schroyer
Issue date: 8/21/07 Section: News
Ripped up walking paths might be a temporary nuisance for some Cougar Village residents, but they could mark the end for a problem that has plagued Cougar Village for years.
"Compared to other schools and my house, the Internet is just plain slow," sophomore Andrew Holmer, a Cougar Village resident, said.
But, after the dust has settled, Cougar Village residents should see a sudden boost in the speed and reliability of their Internet connections.
Previously, Cougar Village was supplied with a DSL connection that allowed a maximum speed of 2 megabits per second (mbs) for data travel. With the fiber optic replacement, that rate will be raised to a maximum of 1,000 mbps.
"It's basically the equivalent of anywhere else on campus, the same basic connectivity," Information Technology Director Dan Chace said.
Chace said the new fiber optic lines should also improve the reliability of the Internet connections in Cougar village. The old DSL line was known to slow or sever connections in wet weather - something that should not happen with the new fiber optic line.
"But I won't say it will never go down," Chace said.
The improvements will be complete at the end of the month if all goes according to plan, and each building will be phased in over a period of one week. Some buildings may be temporarily offline during the transition.
"We're going to send out to the residents a tentative schedule before they know it will be any downtime," Chace said.
As part of the upgrade, Cougar Village residents will be able to make use of the extra speed without wires. Cougar Village is slated to go "wireless," with the addition of 62 Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the apartment complex.
"It's exactly the same thing the MUC has," Chace said.
The wireless hubs are scheduled to be brought online shortly after the fiber optic connection is operational. Cougar Village will be the first of many hotspot additions for the campus; OIT is looking to add wireless hotspots to all residence halls by the end of fall semester.
"Compared to other schools and my house, the Internet is just plain slow," sophomore Andrew Holmer, a Cougar Village resident, said.
But, after the dust has settled, Cougar Village residents should see a sudden boost in the speed and reliability of their Internet connections.
Previously, Cougar Village was supplied with a DSL connection that allowed a maximum speed of 2 megabits per second (mbs) for data travel. With the fiber optic replacement, that rate will be raised to a maximum of 1,000 mbps.
"It's basically the equivalent of anywhere else on campus, the same basic connectivity," Information Technology Director Dan Chace said.
Chace said the new fiber optic lines should also improve the reliability of the Internet connections in Cougar village. The old DSL line was known to slow or sever connections in wet weather - something that should not happen with the new fiber optic line.
"But I won't say it will never go down," Chace said.
The improvements will be complete at the end of the month if all goes according to plan, and each building will be phased in over a period of one week. Some buildings may be temporarily offline during the transition.
"We're going to send out to the residents a tentative schedule before they know it will be any downtime," Chace said.
As part of the upgrade, Cougar Village residents will be able to make use of the extra speed without wires. Cougar Village is slated to go "wireless," with the addition of 62 Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the apartment complex.
"It's exactly the same thing the MUC has," Chace said.
The wireless hubs are scheduled to be brought online shortly after the fiber optic connection is operational. Cougar Village will be the first of many hotspot additions for the campus; OIT is looking to add wireless hotspots to all residence halls by the end of fall semester.
Be the first to comment on this story