As students returned to campus for another semester, many noticed changes in the Wi-Fi network, which caused some initial confusion.
Chief Information Officer Alan Schomaker said the reason for the Wi-Fi change was due to the previous system being in need of an upgrade and more students using the Wi-Fi “Since students have returned to campus after COVID-19, we have seen about a 30% increase in network usage from what we observed prior to COVID-19,” Schomaker said.
Apart from COVID-19’s effects on the network usage, Schomaker said a study was conducted among students that showed Wi-Fi was high on the list of students’ needs.
“Rather than upgrade the existing system, with the approval of Loyola leadership, we were able to replace the Wi-Fi across the campus,” Schomaker said. As the new network was rolled in, Schomaker said the new installation of 1,500 access points across campus increased the coverage in both the residential halls and academic buildings, which should eliminate the “dead zones” that many students were irritated by in the previous system.
He said students should expect better coverage and signal strength, which is evident in the drop in issues reported to the IT HelpDesk compared to last fall.
Replacing the old system was more cost-effective in the long term and addressed the needs of the students, Schomaker said.
“With the start of the semester, we now have the Wi-Fi network under a full load across campus; we are monitoring and tuning the system as needed,” he said. “Based on the first couple of weeks, overall, the system appears to be performing well. With that being said, like any new system, there may be some issues here and there.” Schomaker asks students to contact IT with any issues to the IT HelpDesk so they can be addressed as soon as possible and to better serve the students at Loyola.
“Serving our students and creating a good environment is a priority,” Schomaker said.
