Penn State has plans to implement wireless 2.0 soon, which will make it easier to use the university's network because users will not have to use a virtual private network (VPN) to access it, an ITS official said.
With the new network, "someone can go to the HUB, open their laptop, find the wireless 2.0 network, enter their Access Account info and connect directly to the wireless 2.0 network," Robin Anderson, director of marketing and communications for Information Technology Services (ITS), wrote in an e-mail.
Penn State's plans are part of a national trend for universities to increase their wireless Internet coverage, according to a survey released late last month.
The Association for Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education (ACUTA) found in a survey that 87 percent of college campuses plan to expand their wireless within the next year.
After surveying its 825 member colleges at the 2007 Fall Seminar, ACUTA found that 100 percent of campuses surveyed had a wireless network, with coverage extending from 10 to 100 percent of their campuses.
Sixty-nine percent of colleges surveyed planned to increase their wireless coverage in the next six months, and 18 percent planned to expand their networks in the next year. For a majority of the institutions studied, funding issues did not hinder expansion goals.
State College Borough Council had made attempts in 2006 to make the borough wireless, but plans have since been "on the back burner," council member Elizabeth Goreham said.
The council hired a consultant last year to gauge the feasibility of providing free Internet access downtown and has yet to hear a report, Goreham said. But now, she added, the council is focusing on other agenda items, including the budget.
Goreham also said she hopes the borough will work with the university to improve access both on and off campus.
Kevin Tanzillo, a spokesman for the surveying organization, said ACUTA was surprised by "how aggressively [colleges] were going at it."
But Bill Ames, an information technology specialist in the College of Engineering, said Penn State's changes are not surprising.
"Penn State's been pretty much on the cutting-edge of that sort of thing. They're always expanding," he said. "It's not cheap to stay ahead of the curve, but Penn State has always been able to find the resources for it."
But ACUTA was surprised by the results.
"The scope of the results surprised us. Everyone who has one, virtually, was ready to move ahead," Tanzillo said. "What they're trying to do is continue to make wireless networks more pervasive, more reliable and more effective."
The most common reasons for expansion cited by ACUTA member colleges were incomplete existing coverage, dropped connections and slow network speeds.
Anderson said she believes Penn State students appreciate the network.
"They can stop in the HUB between classes, open their laptop and connect," she said. "Also, many students have found that the wireless signal bleeds outside of buildings, allowing them to enjoy the nice weather while using their laptops."
Kristina Rapuano (freshman-psychology) said wireless Internet coverage should be extended to include residence halls.
"We need wireless," Rapuano said. "I didn't have an Internet connection for the first few weeks of school because of a problem with wiring. My dad was flipping out because he's paying so much for me to come here, and they won't give me Internet."
Other Penn State students praised the wireless network but acknowledged there was still room for improvement.
"I don't really use it on campus because I live off campus, but I've used it in the HUB before and it worked fine," said Megan Duffy (junior-chemical engineering). "I would assume that the next step would be to put it in the dorms."
