Wireless Access

 

Wireless campus networks are dramatically changing the way students, faculty and staff learn, teach and work.  With mobile technology and Wi-Fi devices, faculty can hold virtual office hours and administer exams while students can take their laptops to the field such as automotive lab and process their data.  According to a Gartner study, productivity increases by 91 minutes per week for each additional connection method provided to the end user.  Wireless provides additional connectivity with increased productivity.  Annual Survey of the campus Computing project found that app. 35.9% of the colleges are totally wireless compared with 29% last year.   Intel’s study of the “Most Unwired College Campuses” cite that 74% of the top 50 campuses have 100% wireless network coverage on campus, up from just 14% last year.  We have just joined the ranks of the totally wireless campuses.

 

 

Desert community College is proud to offer the college community free wireless access, thanks to the bond funds.   The purpose of the Wireless Campus project is to provide mobility, ubiquitous access, and the accommodation of private and DCCD owned wireless computing devices on the DCCD network.  It will compliment the wired network service by a level of flexibility not otherwise attainable. Wireless service on campus provides the same level of access to college resources as if you were at home via an Internet browser.

 

Any device that has WiFi such as laptops, PDAs, and phones, can access wireless.  Best effort has been made by College of the Desert to make wireless accessible almost anywhere on campus including the C.O.D. Library.  At present, wireless is not available in the parking lots. Over 100 access points are on our Local Area Network (LAN) have been installed all over the campuses to enable a wider coverage.   An Access Point (AP) is a radio transmitter and receiver connected to our network which allows someone to connect to our network using its signals.

 

A wireless LAN uses radio waves that are transmitted from installed APs that are installed in strategic locations around campus. As you move away from an AP, the radio wave is handed off to another in-range access point, if available. The further you move away from an AP, communication continues at reduced rates until the user is completely out of the coverage range and is disconnected.   In open areas the coverage is 300 to 500 ft.

 

Personal wireless access points/routers are not allowed anywhere on the COD Network. Personal wireless access points interfere with the operation of the network and are in direct violation of COD's wireless acceptable use procedure.  Individuals installing or using personal wireless access points are subject to losing part or all of their network and wireless privileges. Click here to view the Acceptable Use Guidelines for DCCD/COD Wireless Network and Technology Acceptable Use Guidelines.

 

Wireless signal problems may result from other devices using the same radio frequency as the wireless network.  COD's wireless network uses both 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands for G and A radio signals. Other "wireless" devices exist in the marketplace that also use the 2.4 GHz frequency band and can cause interference to users of the wireless LAN service. These devices include, but are not limited to, other 802.11 wireless LAN devices, cordless telephones, cameras, audio speakers, wireless printers, microwaves and microwave ovens.

 

The following operating systems have been tested and supported on our network:

 

Windows XP ;Windows Vista ;Windows 7 ;Mac OS 10.3 and higher

 

At this time, there is no hardware, software or network support.  Users can contact Cyber Café in the Hilb Center during the Café’s open hours for basic connection support.

 

Security is a major factor and using the Clean Access software, the IS staff can maintain peak network performance and high security.  The Network Admissions Control (NAC) Appliance can locate and terminate rogue access points while easily monitoring and managing more than 100 access points that are deployed across the campus.  The automated authentication provided by this appliance makes sure that every machine is authenticated automatically and secured.  It provides the flexibility to protect the network from specific viruses and isolate potential users who may be a threat.  NAC can also provide further security by tracking high value assets.