As I stand in our Reid Hall classroom with my arm stretched out, hoping to pick up the best signal possible, my phone is easily able to achieve a strong wifi and cellular connection. On each floor of the building, I searched and located numerous routers and wireless extenders. As I move around campus, from building to building, I generally receive a consistent signal. Strangely, however, I lose Internet for a few seconds before picking it back up again.
This occurrence could be attributed to disconnecting and reconnecting to different access points (or APs) on campus. Campus Internet users are constantly passed from one AP to another based on their location. While each is technically unique, they are all given the same name (in this case, “eduroam”). The APs broadcast the wifi connection from a central controller box (at a data center) all around campus.
After researching online, it is apparent that W&L’s Richard A. Peterson Data Center is located at Wilson Hall. When I visited this location, I found the strongest connection there out of anywhere on campus, likely because that is where the network infrastructure begins. From this data center, fiber-optic cables run underground and within buildings to a larger data center in Virginia, where W&L connects to the global Internet. If a fiber is cut or an Internet service provider goes down, then the network is disabled. It is possible to reroute the wires to amend the connection, but it is difficult to do.
As I resumed my walk around campus, I visited the back campus trails, past third-year housing. Despite this area’s designation as part of W&L, I received absolutely no wifi signal and a poor cellular connection. This can be easily explained by the lack of routers, APs, and wireless extenders installed in the surrounding area.
I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment. Because of the directions, I found myself walking around campus with a purpose, discovering complex technology in classrooms and buildings that I had never noticed before.
Sources:
