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laptop friendly campus? wifi?

Started by bill corcoran, 2004-01-14T11:58:37-06:00 (Wednesday)

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bill corcoran

i'm wondering where some good spots to sit down with a laptop are on campus.  i have integrated 802.11g and would really like to get on some wireless network.  so, anyone know of student accessible wifi nets and how you get access to them?

correct me if i'm wrong, but i think you need to either use a school laptop or pcmcia card to get wifi in the library.  unfortunately, this won't do for me.  i've noticed there are a couple of networks in the EB, but neither appear to be usable for i-net access.  still nothing in the muc?  are there networks that i can get on if i register my MAC with some administrator?

so, assuming i can't get wifi on campus (which would be a huge bummer), what are other laptop friendly spots on campus?  can i just sit down at a lab and snag an ethernet cable from a workstation?  (i imagine that is frowned upon)  or are there just open ethernet jacks around campus that i could plug into?
-bill

Matt Osmoe

You can get on to the wireless network in the basement of Alumni Hall, but it isn't a good place to hang out. You could always go to starbucks, they have jacks to plug into AND they have expensive coffee. :)

Kade P. Cole

One of the best places is in and around the Library. This is the best covered areas with wi-fi. In the future there will be more and more wi-fi all over this campus. I really see the majority being installed later this year and next fall will probably have more than now.
Kade
--------------------------------------
Most people HAVE to use a PC.
I GET to use a MAC with OS X!

Guest

heh, it sure is a laptop friendly neighborhood.  i was worried an airport extreme card would be insufficient for wardriving, but there are so many open wifi nets to choose from...

yep, i'm freezing my ass of in my car right now, hailing from one such wifi net.

ok, i still wish i could sniff wireless packets.  maybe if we ask broadcom with a "pretty please?" they'll cooperate?

Guest

Kade I saw that you mentioned the library having WIFI.  How would one be able to access it?  I brought my laptop in and wasn't able to get a signal.  Any advice would be much appreciated.

bill corcoran

it's MAC filtered.  you can check out a PCMCIA wifi card at the desk, or use one of the library's laptops.
-bill

bill corcoran

i think this may be worth attending:

"No  Strings Attached: Wireless Technology on Campus" Panel Discussion with Claudia Davidge, Charles  Dugan, and Elizabeth Lowe, Lovejoy Library;Angela Imming, Director of Telecommunications; and Melissa Thomeczek, Educational Ledership

http://www.library.siue.edu/ftc/fair/schedule.htm#sessions

i'd go, but damn it, i always have class and/or work during these things.
-bill

Guest

The Library should have signal on the main floor. All you should have to do is open your browser and type in your login information. This would be the same username/password that you have for campus email. This should work just fine. Let us know if this does not work for some reason. I would also encourage you or anyone to visit the tech fair next week.

Guest

I am new here as a grad student, and I'm surprised there was (is?) no wifi access (or wired access) for laptops in the engineering building.

As you are probably aware, many other schools in the area have had wifi for years, including: UMSL, Fontbonne, WashU, MU, UMR
Even some area community colleges, high schools, and middle schools have wifi.

Is there a technological reason why SIUE can't have wifi?  Does SIUE's IT department lack the resources to implement wifi?  (I'm sure there are CS students who would volunteer time to assist with the implementation of wifi access.)  Is it the money? (I'd be willing to donate some access points)

What needs to be done to get SIUE's wifi implementation moving so that SIUE students can enjoy the same wireless access available to students at other universities?  (I'm willing to volunteer to help with wifi implementation.)

There must be many other engineering students who feel the same way and would use the access if it were available.  Go to one of the schools that has wifi and see students with laptops everywhere.  Wifi is ubiquitous now.  I can take my laptop to a hotel, gas station, bar, restaurant, or coffee shop and get online via wifi-- but not at an engineering building?

Guest

Why can't I get on with my Airport Extreme card & Apple Powerbook at the library, do I need to register my MAC address somewhere or am I just SOL. :-?

Jerry

Well, to answer anonymous's questions about SIUE and Wifi.

SIUE is in the process of adding Wifi to all of the buildings, but the process is slow. The library was the first building to get wireless.

To get on to it I suspect you will need to register your MAC address, but you will need to ask someone at the library about their policies.

Word is that wireless is currently being added to the engineering building, but since there are no official channels of communication it is not clear. There are at least two existing wireless networks but these are locked down. And I hear that Civil is putting their own wireless in the basement (that would make 3).

So, while there is word that progress is being made on an open wireless network in the engineering building it is not clear how far it has gone or how far in the future it will be available.

I do know that there are a few OIT employees who log on to the CAOS forum. Maybe they can be coaxed into giving us some insider info?  :-)
"Make a Little Bird House in Your Soul" - TMBG...

Guest

I just thought I would let you guys know that I was in the Science building today and had internet access... so.. they are making progress! It let me get on without an SSID or anything, so either it is open or they have no idea that their network is not filtered/locked.

Gish

Does anybody have an updated list of open AP's on campus?  

Tyler

It's about time SIUE catches up with the rest of the world.  We need to be wifi ready campus wide, and have decent internet access in Cougar Village.
Retired CAOS Officer/Overachiever
SIUE Alumni Class of 2005

Bryan

Speaking as someone that works for OIT (but does not represent OIT) all I can say is keep dreaming.

We've been saying "soon" for campus wide wireless for a while now and it just seems to keep getting pushed back.  Kade Kole could possibly give us some more information as he was just hired by Telecom as one of the network guys.  I think the main problem is time, money, and man power.  We've survived without wireless for this long so it just keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list of priorities.

Knowing the way telecom works one day they'll just say "oh we added wireless to the entire campus"  and that will be the end of it.  There is a serious lack of communication that happens at this university..that is one thing I have noticed both as an employee of the university and as a student.
Bryan Grubaugh
Quickly aging alumni with too much time on his hands
Business Systems Analyst, Scripps Networks.