Campus goes wireless

In order to achieve the goal of campus wide internet access, Information Services installed around 30 access points around SUNY Rockland Community College last year. Access points include the cafeteria, Academic I and II, the student lounge in the Student Union and the Fieldhouse. Information services began implementing an RCC wireless network, or RCC-WLAN, last spring in Academic I. "We didn't advertise our Wi-fi system," said Wayne Osbourne, network administrator. "It was just an experiment. We started with just one access point." Wireless networks, or WLANs, allow users to connect computers together in a network without cables, using radio antennas instead. "Wi-fi," or wireless fidelity, has a range of only several hundred feet away from an access point. Using devices that are compatible with the 802.11x standard, students can access Web sites, e-mail and even download multimedia from practically anywhere on campus. Installing a reliable system is subsidized by technology grants from state and federal governments. "About $20,000 comes from our operating budget," said Steve Ferris, director of Information Services. "We are always upgrading the technology on campus." While the RCC-WLAN is an open network and free for students to use, Osbourne advises students to exercise responsible use. He stresses that students practice bandwidth courtesy, or "netiquite," by using a small amount of bandwidth. "This guy was uploading a 70 megabyte file and blocking traffic for the whole building," Osbourne said about an incident last year. High bandwidth from an individual user may indicate use of file-sharing software like Morpheus or Limewire, which is against the school computer use policy. "Don't push it," Osbourne warned, "don't abuse others resources and don't get noticed." Osbourne has dealt with the FBI and the Secret Service in matters regarding the computer network at RCC. In the future Wayne plans to integrate the school e-mail system with the wireless system so that a password is required to use the network. "We have a new website with new content and an updated e-mail system that supports attachments up 100 megabytes," Wayne said.

How to use Wi-Fi on campus: Accessing Wi-Fi at RCC is pretty simple and is easy to setup. Most new portable computers have it built in, but if you have an older machine you're still in luck. Just make sure you have everything on this checklist:

1) Portable computer with Windows 98 Second Edition or newer (Macintosh OS 9) 2) An 802.11x network adapter which costs about $40 to $60 in any popular computer or office store.