Wireless internet connection speed and stability have been ongoing issues at University Village at Weber State University.
“My roommate has to restart her computer every time she gets on the Wi-Fi,” Tynoa Carter, then-freshman at WSU, said to Michael Anderson Kruse in an article written for The Signpost last year titled “Slow Wi-Fi persists at University Village.”
This issue brought together university officials, members of WSU’s housing department and representatives from WSUSA. They all promised to come up with solutions to fix the problem.
The efforts of the organizations involved have begun to make an impact in the quality of Wi-Fi speeds.
“Since last September, we have increased the number of access points in each University Village building from six to 12,” Daniel Kilcrease, the WSU director of housing and resident life said. “We continue to see growth in the number of devices that students use.”
University Village’s internet connection is no longer spread as thin as it previously was.
“There is now one access point for every eight residents,” Luke Jenkins, network engineer at WSU, said.
Celisa Pincock, criminal justice student at WSU, has definitely noticed an improvement in the Wi-Fi since last year.
“It is much better than last year, but, at certain times of the day, it is slow,” Pincock said.
Pincock was unsure if more action was being taken by WSU to address the Wi-Fi this year.
“Not to my knowledge,” Pincock said.
Courtney Christensen, WSU student senator representing residents in student housing, promises swift action.
“The Wi-Fi in both villages is not great, but the University Village is particularly bad,” Christensen said. “I will reach out to the housing directors, our maintenance department, about their plan of action.”
Christensen also plans to reach out to student residents.
“I will get in contact with RHA and the residents over at UV as well,” Christensen said.
As University Village continues to grow, maintaining a stable internet connection throughout the premises will prove challenging.
“Staying ahead of the demand curve is an ongoing challenge for network engineers everywhere,” Jenkins said to Kruse last year. “Weber State is no exception.”
Any time a student experiences slow wireless internet connection speeds they might want to consider plugging an ethernet cable into their device. Since more students are switching to mobile devices, this solution might not work for everyone.
Coming up with ways to get homework done or watch something entertaining on one of the streaming video services is difficult with an unstable internet connection.
Students who are residents at one of WSU’s resident facilities have different options if they run into a problem. They can contact their resident assistant or WSU’s housing department directly. If the student’s issues persist, they can then reach out to a WSUSA representative who will speak out on their behalf.
