Your Wi-Fi: Boosted

A large group of students gather on the lawn to take a selfie while forming the interlocking UB during move-in weekend 2017.

Published December 11, 2017 This content is archived.

by Benjamin Blanchet

A multi-year project to dramatically improve Wi-Fi on UB’s campus is now complete. Students, faculty and staff are already noticing better speed and coverage.    

Print

Photo

Benjamin Blanchett.

Benjamin Blanchet (UB student, Class of 2018) is an English major with an interest in journalism. After graduating from UB, he hopes to attend grad school and pursue a career writing about music and the arts. An Albany, NY native, Benjamin enjoys biking and reading in his spare time.

Improved access for everyone

Prior to the start of the Wi-Fi Boost project in 2014, 20% of UB students reported being dissatisfied with the main Wi-Fi network. Students, faculty and staff told UBIT how critical wireless Internet is to their work… and we listened.

Fast forward to 2017. In the most recent UBIT Student Experience Survey, just 11% of students reported dissatisfaction with Wi-Fi in academic buildings; 14% in residence halls and on-campus apartments; and 13% in large lecture halls. Satisfaction in residence halls and on-campus apartments is up by 21%.

What’s new?

The project, managed by UBIT network architect Jerry Bucklaew, helped install over 6,000 new Wi-Fi access points in 85 buildings and areas across UB’s three campuses. With new access points installed, and old access points upgraded, UB can take advantage of the latest wireless standard – IEEE 802.11ac – increasing speeds up to 1.3 Gbps.

In addition, UB is now connected to eduroam, a wireless network found at hundreds of learning institutions across the U.S. and the world. This means anyone connected to eduroam at UB will automatically be connected to fast and secure Wi-Fi if they visit any of these universities. 

Wi-Fi for the future

This not only makes network connections faster and more reliable today—it keeps UB on track to have cutting-edge wireless networks in the future.

J. Brice Bible, vice president and chief information officer at UBIT, said that the new wireless network allows UBIT to “better meet the mobility expectations of its students, faculty and administrators, while preparing the university for the future.”

We’re still listening

Of course, no wireless network is ever perfect—solid walls, other electronic devices, even microwave ovens can interfere with a wireless signal. The individual people using the network can also have a large impact.

If you’re experiencing problems getting connected, or staying connected, to eduroam Wi-Fi at UB, you can always contact the UBIT Help Center, online at buffalo.edu/ubit/help, by phone at 716-645-3542, or by stopping into our north (Lockwood 2nd Floor Cybrary) or south (Abbott Health Sciences Library 1st Floor) campus locations. Be sure to tell us what device you're using and which locations you're having trouble in.

Students can also book the Tech Squad, who can solve tech problems on-site anywhere on campus, by visiting buffalo.edu/ubit/help.